The Fabergé Summer egg as well as all other Fabergé eggs manufactured during my apprentceship with Paul Gerber, feature a mechanical device for animating an upper plate when the lid is opened as well as a mechanical music box.

A long winding stem allows the egg for being wound from the base. The main part of the device is located in the lower part of the egg.

Similar to alarm functions, a lever starts and stops the mechanism depending on when the lid is opened or closed. Both, the upper plate together with the music will stop.

Fabergé’s Summer egg from early 1996 animated a nenuphar swimming on blue water. Also note that the wooden base is a simple egg holder and not the final fancy jeweled base.

It was a great experience and honor to work on such art pieces!

Next week’s chapter : Period 3.4 – «Berner ZytIy»

During our timing course from October 23, 1995 until November 10, 1995 at the watchmaking school in Solothurn, we were confronted with one of the most complex device, the regulating organ.

I can’t and won’t illustrate the vast theoretical applications in horology neither developing the details of each of them – I would blast my scope. However, the two theoretical approaches from Caspari and Grossman may be synonym to all efforts put into this field of research. Both theories are about achieving isochronism of the oscillations of the regulating organ. Remember, chief factors that impair isochronism in the sprung balance are: the escapement, faulty poising of the balance and its spring, the play of the balance-spring between the curb-pins, centrifugal force, magnetic fields, etc.

Prior to start the timing course in Solothurn, a watchmaker apprentice needs to get himself ready! The correct tools need to accompany him… so let’s start with some tweezers which will help him to take off the pins, to prepare the Breguet end curve and to correct the position of the balance spring.

The Caspari rule, named after the man who discovered it, is an important theory in watchmaking. According to this rule, the angle between the starting point on the collet and the stud must be 90° or 270°, in order to retain the isochronism, the regular to-and-from motion of the balance wheel.

In other terms, the starting point of the balance spring on the collet should be linear with the center of the balance-staff and the curb-pins.

Jules Grossmann, 1829 – 1907, was a German horologist who spent most of his life in Le Locle where he was head of the School of Horology. Highly skilled in theory as well as practice, he formulated the scientific theory of timing. Author of «Horlogerie théorique» (Bienne and Paris 1912). He invented the inner terminal of the balance spring and evolved the theory of the pinning-point.

In order to enhance isochronism of flat balance-springs, the starting point of the balance spring in the main wearing position of a timepiece should always be pinned upwards.

Thanks to geniuses like Caspari and Grossman (and of course all other important watchmakers from the past), we have an important and wonderful database and know-how!

I’m still intrigued that most of our actual knowledge is based on research and formulas which found their roots centuries ago..! Incredible don’t you think?

Next week’s chapter : Period 3.3 – «Fabergé – Part II»

And here we are! 1995 – just one year after Heinz W. Pfeifer privatized Glashütte Original (formerly known as GUB – Glashüttener Uhrenbetriebe) and 5 years before Swatch Group took over the brand… I was challenged to work on the first flying Tourbillon prototype under Paul’s incentives.

Two prototypes were made in Paul Gerber’s workshop : a Julius Assmann wristwatch/pocket watch and an Alfred Helwig wristwatch.

The distinctive design of the Tourbillon cage was laid out on 2D and then cut out with the pantograph machine.

Besides the lower and upper part of the cage and its pillars, the regulator index, the plates for the endstones and two wheels needed to be crafted.

A real challenge was the pivoting procedure of the balance-staff (see below picture) with a total height of only 2.72 mm !!! Needless to say that I was turning more than one piece…

Finally the total height of the rubies used in the Tourbillon cage needed to be decreased in order to fit the cage properly. They were cut using a diamond paste.

Remember, in those days no CNC machine was available! All components were manufactured the traditional way…

Next week’s chapter : Period 3.2 – «Some theory about timing?»

I received my first Pentium computer on June 1995, after using for 2 years an electronic typewriter machine. One month later I started to work for the first time on the mechanisms for Fabergé…

The computer and Fabergé have nothing in common, but both elements were essential for my professional development.

The Fabergé Egg is an icon and I was able to closely work on the mechanical development of the power device.
We cannot talk about a movement since time reading was not of essence, however, the particularity was to when the lids are being opened, a turning plate starts to move and a melody is playing at the same time.

My first work was about manufacturing the main plate, the barrel bridge and a transmission wheel bridge. The brass components were manufactured on a Schäublin 102 and a pantograph.

A total of 25 pieces per component were launched. The critical components were always mounted and machined together ending up with 25 kits for final assembly.

Besides the three main components, the ratchet wheel bridge also needed to be turned from a rough brass plate into a usable component…

That’s it for the first part of my work on the Fabergé eggs. More pictures will follow with the 2nd part.

With this note the 2nd year of my apprenticeship with Paul Gerber is being closed!

Next chapter : Period 3.1 – «Glashütte Tourbillon»

Paul Gerber also masters the creation of wooden timepieces in miniature sizes. The caliber 10 illustrates this effort and unique approach.

Besides manufacturing miscellaneous small components for the production, I crafted the wooden hands with the pantograph.

The three steps of the production process are:

1. Milling the rough pieces with the pantograph
2. Grinding the upper surface and shaping the pointy tip
3. Edges are rounded and the recess shaped with a file

At the very end, take the wooden hands and apply some natural human grease in order to create a smooth surface. No lacquer needed, no industrial or chemical process applied – simply swipe the hands over your nose and the deal is done…!

Next week’s chapter : Period 2.8 – «Fabergé – Part I»

The 2nd Baselworld watch fair in 1995 was for me synonym to deepen relationships with members of the AHCI as well as to discover all new timepieces they crafted! Secondly to take part at the presentation of the most complicated wristwatch in 1995!

Paul Gerber presented his very first tourbillon which was ingeniousely integrated into a rare Louis-Elysee Piguet movement using the original balance wheel and hair spring. Not just «a» tourbillon, a flying tourbillon please…! Back in those days this «Franck Muller» branded watch was considered as the most complicated writstwatch. Impossible for not being influenced during my apprenticeship when such work is done in the same workshop!

Today the watch with a total 1116 parts features:

• Hour, minute and second indication
• Minute repeater
• Grande et petite sonnerie
• Perpetual calendar with retrograde month, weekday, date, 24-hour and leap year cycle indications
• Moon phase
• Equation indication
• Thermometer
• Flying tourbillon
• Flyback Chronograph with a jumping 60-minute counter and split-seconds
• Power reserve indicator for movement and chime

It’s now up to you to make your own opinion about the hall of fame of the most complicated wristwatches ever done so far… this one clearly belongs to the list!

Ah – I almost forgot… I was collecting again signatures from all AHCI members which were exhibiting during the fair:

You may recognize artists like (from top to the bottom) : Rainer Nienaber, Vincent Calabrese, Jean Kazes, Svend Andersen, Christiaan van der Klaauw, Kyu Tai Yu, Antoine Preziuso, Rainer Brand and Matthias Naeschke.

Next week’s chapter : Period 2.7 – «Wooden precision!»

A personal milestone and a new watch collection were the highlights of the third Baselworld in a row.

The Arch collection pays tribute to the self confident and successful women. What a challenge! Isn’t the crown-less setting concept just the answer for women’s needs? It was an excellent experience and I look forward to grow this collection with future additions.

And yet, nothing remains as before… during the general meeting on March 10, the members and committee of AHCI elected me as a full member. Now being a part of the family of independent watchmaking fills me with pride and honor.

We just celebrated our two-year-anniversary since the very first appearance of the “Prologue” in 2010. All the positive comments and feedback from our esteemed clients, partners, collectors and watch enthusiasts motivate us to continue to live our passion and to remain creative! Thank you all.

We were celebrating our 2nd anniversary on March 18 and like to share some interesting facts and figures around Marc Jenni from the past two years:

• 8000 total views of our three videos on several internet video platforms http://vimeo.com/marcjenni
• 6000 unique visitors discovered our internet presence from over 100 different countries http://www.marcjenni.com
• 3200 fans on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/jenniwatch
• 190 followers on Twitter https://twitter.com/jenniwatch
• 130 grams of gold go into each Marc Jenni watch
• 19 years ago Marc Jenni started his career as an apprentice with Paul Gerber in Zürich
• 12 watch magazines features in 5 countries and several mentions in daily journals
• 9 watch exhibitions in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Geneva, Lausanne, Basel and New York
• 3 watch collections “Prologue”, “JJJ” and “Arch”
• 3rd design price received at Geneva Time Exhibition 2012 with the “JJJ” in white gold
• 2 years of development went into the unique, crown-less winding and time setting mechanism
• 1 election by the General Assembly of the prestigious academy of independent watchmakers AHCI as a full member in 2012

Thank you all for your loyalty, interest and support! Behind every single number there is emotion, passion and mutual respect!

Russian publication of Armband Uhren with an article about AHCI’s China Tour in October 2012.
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A.H.C.I. takes centre stage again – Cutting-edge watch artists present individualistic creations by Elizabeth Doerr
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