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Lot Essay
One of the great movements for those passionate about horology the last two decades has been the support of the so-called "independents" - independent watchmakers designing watches by themselves or with very small teams under them. Christian Klings is one of the more under-the-radar independents, having produced only approximately 20 watches in his career spanning two decades, all working on his own, from scratch. For those few connoisseurs fortunate enough to know his work, Klings is given great respect for his designs, talent and workmanship. His timepieces are on par with some of the most famous and respected independent watchmakers working today, with an incredible attention to detail in all parts of the timepiece. The difference is that it is virtually impossible to obtain a Klings timepiece, as the few watches he produces tend to be spoken for immediately. Many experts believe that Klings is one of the most talented watchmakers alive today, even if he is not as well known as other "independents".
Klings works by himself in Wechselburg, Germany, a small town an hour away from Dresden. He does not employ any apprentices or anyone else in his shop - each of his watches is made entirely by his own two hands using traditional methods and tools, many of which he has built for his own use. He creates everything from the dial, to the crown, to the case to the complications by himself, which is traditional watchmaking at its truest and highest level. Even more remarkable is the fact that Christian has managed to create a number of highly-complicated timepieces, some of which are powered by hand-made tourbillons never before seen in a wristwatch.
This is a unique commission piece that took Klings approximately 18 months to complete. Consistent with Klings' watchmaking ethos, this watch was designed entirely by hand drawings, with no use of CAD-CAM or any other software, helping to explain how natural the proportions bear more resemblance to vintage watches of the past. The beautiful gold case has tear drop lugs evoking great watches made by Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet in the 1940s.
Christian deployed a unique (and proprietary) methodology for creating the dark blue guilloche dial, giving it a look all its own. The watch also features a stunning hand-made moon phase complication with large gold moon surrounded by stars, as well as power reserve set against the backdrop of a gold guilloche pattern. The silvered hour track has black radially-placed Roman numbers while the gold Breguet-style hands contrast against the blue and silver dial beautifully. Christian, as part of the commission, also created a quick-set function for the moon phase located at the 7:00 position.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a Christian Klings has come up for public auction. Christie's is very excited to be able to offer this special and unique commission.
Klings works by himself in Wechselburg, Germany, a small town an hour away from Dresden. He does not employ any apprentices or anyone else in his shop - each of his watches is made entirely by his own two hands using traditional methods and tools, many of which he has built for his own use. He creates everything from the dial, to the crown, to the case to the complications by himself, which is traditional watchmaking at its truest and highest level. Even more remarkable is the fact that Christian has managed to create a number of highly-complicated timepieces, some of which are powered by hand-made tourbillons never before seen in a wristwatch.
This is a unique commission piece that took Klings approximately 18 months to complete. Consistent with Klings' watchmaking ethos, this watch was designed entirely by hand drawings, with no use of CAD-CAM or any other software, helping to explain how natural the proportions bear more resemblance to vintage watches of the past. The beautiful gold case has tear drop lugs evoking great watches made by Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet in the 1940s.
Christian deployed a unique (and proprietary) methodology for creating the dark blue guilloche dial, giving it a look all its own. The watch also features a stunning hand-made moon phase complication with large gold moon surrounded by stars, as well as power reserve set against the backdrop of a gold guilloche pattern. The silvered hour track has black radially-placed Roman numbers while the gold Breguet-style hands contrast against the blue and silver dial beautifully. Christian, as part of the commission, also created a quick-set function for the moon phase located at the 7:00 position.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a Christian Klings has come up for public auction. Christie's is very excited to be able to offer this special and unique commission.