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Press release
On May 12, 2011, Tutima presented a new complicated watch which was a true premiere for Germany. After three years of preparatory work, Tutima now celebrates the official reinauguration of the manufacturing location with a very special masterpiece: The first minute repeater to be made entirely in Glashütte: Tutima Hommage.
A Song Slumbers Within
A minute repeater tells the time by means of acoustic signals produced by two gongs, one of which is tuned to a lower tone (concert pitch C), and the other to a higher tone (concert pitch A). A slide on the case activates a repeating mechanism which reads the information on the dial and activates a harmonious striking mechanism, without draining power or affecting the accuracy of the movement. The hours are indicated by the lower tone, the quarter-hours by a combination of the two tones (ding-dong) and finally the minutes are counted by the chiming of the higher tones. The combination of the 550 individual parts come together to operate in perfect accord, maintain a striking rhythm and achieve the ideal tone each and every time – a true musical work of art.
The King of Complications
In the more than 165-year history of watchmaking in Glashütte, many a pocket watch has been produced with quarter-hour or minute repeater, but never before has the repeater mechanism been designed and developed in the watchmaking mecca of Germany. The movement and case are the result of development work, headed by Rolf Lang, former chief restorer at the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments in Dresden and a leading authority of watchmaking in Saxony. Lang has an unparalleled knowledge of the outstanding quality of classic precision watches from Glashütte and a supreme command of even the finest details of the traditional design. His experience and passion are evident in the Tutima Hommage cal. 800, for the minute repeater. Each and every component is a meticulous work of art on its own. From the raised hand engraving, to the beveling of levers, springs, screws and pins to the hand tin polish, each element exemplifies a practice and tradition not seen since the 19th century.
Tutima Hommage Minute Repeater
The Tutima watch brand was founded in Glashütte in 1927. As the market for expensive precision pocket watches had collapsed and the Saxons had neglected to move into the production of wristwatches, in December 1926, the lawyer Dr. Ernst Kurtz transformed an inflexible cooperative into the successful UROFA and UFAG companies. As Tutima's founder, he laid the foundation for the industrial manufacture of (wrist-) watches in Glashütte, which even survived the era of Eastern Germany under communist rule.
In 1945, Dr. Kurtz moved to West Germany, where he continued to produce watches on the basis of modern Glashütte traditions. His colleague, Dieter Delecate, continued the Tutima success story, even in the difficult market of the 1970s, when the advent of quartz watches forced many watch factories in Europe to close down. Over the years, Dieter Delecate gradually expanded the business into a global group of companies. And now, after more than 65 years, Tutima has returned to Glashütte.
Finally Back Home
The new factory building is located just a stone's throw from the site of the former UROFA. The conversion and expansion work took three years and now, Tutima celebrates the official resumption of its manufacturing activities in Glashütte. On this musical note, Tutima has again taken its rightful place within a grand watchmaking tradition that began in 1845.
Technical datas - Tutima Hommage Minute Repeater
Movement: Mechanical with hand winding
Diameter: 32 mm
Height: 7.2 mm
Jewels: 42, three of which are set in screw-mounted gold chatons
Escapement: Screw balance with 14 gold weighted screws and 4 regulating screws in slotted, threaded holes; free-sprung Breguet hairspring, pallet lever with domed pallets
Balance frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hertz)
Power reserve: 72 hours
Special features: Gold-plated, matte flat parts; Glashütte three-quarter plate; hand-engraved balance cock with relief engraving; winding wheels with click and sunburst polishing, all 550 movement parts hand-finished, all additional parts for the minute repeater bear a Glashütte tin-polished mirror surface
Functions: Hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds, hour, quarter hour and minute repeater on two gongs spaced by a third and secured to the watch case for optimal sound quality
Case: Rose gold or platinum, ø 43 mm, height 13.4 mm; anti-reflective coating on both sides of the sapphire crystal; case back with Tutima logo and sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Dial: Solid gold, finely silver-plated (for the platinum and five of the rose gold versions reduced to a narrow ring around the perimeter); handcrafted hands in gold or blued steel
Band: Alligator skin, buckle in rose gold or platinum
Price:
In rose gold, limited edition of 20 pieces, 5 versions with a narrow ring around the perimeter instead of a full dial (€ 168,000)
In platinum, limited to 5 pieces (€ 179,000)
