The Graff MasterGraff Structural Tourbillon Skeleton: An Avant-Garde Watch at Diamonds by Raymond Lee
The Brief History of Graff Watches
When you think of Graff, you may not initially think of watches, however, this watch will change that. Graff is a company that is renowned for its extremely high-quality diamonds, innovative designs, and now, their unique watches. Graff entered the watch business in 2009, and has been highly successful ever since. Graff itself comes from Switzerland, as do many renowned names in the watch business, and have mastered horology. With their innovative designs and clean looks, it makes sense that these watches are so sought after by collectors. This line of MasterGraff skeletonized structural tourbillion watches were unveiled by Graff at Baselworld in 2015.
The Materials Used in the MasterGraff
Aside from the eye-catching architecture of the watch, what makes this watch so special? Aside from the singular thoughtfully placed emerald above the Graff logo, there are no other gems in this watch. The case, dial, and parts of the intricate mechanism in addition to the hands of the watch are all made up of a gorgeous 18 karat rose gold. The gold of the watch is surrounded by a case made up of a unique material called DLC, or diamond-like carbon. The design of this watch is so unique and innovative that even the signature Graff case was skeletonized to extend the look of the watch. The watch is adorned with a black leather band to bring the look together. The watch’s glass and bridge are both made out of a beautiful sapphire crystal. Sapphire crystal is made using genuine chemistry by heating aluminum oxide and is then put under pressure to create glass sheets. The crystals in the glass are then heated in order to ease internal stress in the watch that could cause damage. This amazing material is also scratch resistant and helps to aid the durability of this watch. And just to give it that innovative edge, a different variation of this watch is the first watch to ever have baguette-cut stones over the bridges on the front and reverse sides.
MasterGraff: Diamond-Like-Carbon
Diamond-like carbon is amorphous, meaning that the carbon presented in this watch is a form of carbon which lacks any crystalline structure, while also holding diamond-like properties. The atoms in this specific carbon are not arranged in the way that diamond or graphite are, meaning that they are all in a disordered arrangement. As mentioned before, the carbon material holds a lot of the same properties of diamond, ensuring that the product is extremely durable, while also being refined by a high quality material. The durability would explain the intricate design seen on the inside of the watch. As an added bonus, this watch is also water resistant up to 30 meters under the water.
MasterGraff: The Meaning of the Name
The MasterGraff’s name may seem like a mouthful, but let’s dissect it. “Skeleton” may be the most obvious description of this watch. “Skeleton” is a type of watch design which allows you to see the inside of the watch, allowing for some unique and interesting design choices. “Tourbillion” refers to the mechanical device that rotates the balance wheel, spring, and escapement of the watch, all with the purpose of improving accuracy. “Tourbillion” means “whirlwind” in French, meant to describe the motion inside of the watch. “Tourbillion” when paired with the term, “structural” changes the meaning a little. A “structural tourbillion” is a mechanism in a watch which utilizes a rotating cage in its design in order to, again, improve accuracy in the watch. The structural case houses the “tourbillion”, which is the balance wheel and escapement, all meant to regulate the timekeeping. The cage rotates relatively slow, only around one rotation per minute, in order to counteract the effect of gravity on the mechanism. This mathematical precision averages out any extremely minute positional errors, which would affect the precision of the watch over time. This allows the owner to theoretically almost never have to adjust the watch, and to instead just marvel in the beauty of how low-maintenance it truly is.
The Function of the Movement and Mechanism
So how does this watch move? It is all powered by the Graff Calibre 6, with a 72-hour power reserve, and is Graff’s 6th proprietary movement. The power reserve of a watch is the amount of energy stored inside of the mechanical movement after before wound before it finally runs out of power and needs to be rewound again. The industry average for power reserves now is around 38 hours. This movement is new and exclusive only to the skeletonized tourbillion, and is a hand-wound mechanical movement. It isn’t known how many of this specific MasterGraff exist, and each watch from this set takes over a month to make. Turning watch movements into skeletonized frames is a very difficult and meticulous art. It requires the watchmaker to saw and file out pieces of the watch, while also not ruining the structure and balance of the watch to really bring together this masterpiece.
Boca Raton Pawn
This amazing watch is only of of very few that are on the market at this time. This particular MasterGraff model is currently located at Boca Raton Pawn. You can view this watch on the website, or come in-store to see this masterpiece in person.