Moritz Grossmann - a new approach to a classic function.

The approaches worldtimers take to tell the time couldn't be more diverse. There's the universal world time function invented by Louis Cottier and made popular by Patek Philippe with a dial framed by the names of cities around the world, each representing a different time zone.

Jacob & Co introduced a split-flap timetable city-time display, Greubel Forsey presented a rotating globe, and Montblanс had two rotating hemispheres. Many of them have an impressive appearance, although they’re unfortunately fairly impractical in reality. The Moritz Grossmann brand based in Glashütte seems to be capable of changing this situation by getting to the root of the problem.

The time in seven cities around the world can be read at a glance on the watchmaker's new Universalzeit model. On the new Moritz Grossmann watch everything is displayed with perfect clarity: familiar central hour, minute and second hands are used for local time, while there are six round apertures beside the names of cities. The selected cities don't observe daylight-saving time, so the time doesn't need to be set forward one hour in spring or back in fall.

Having the apertures plotted on the map of the world makes them even easier to read. The designers chose a salmon tone for the continents and a deep blue finishing for the oceans. The play of light on waves is perfectly mimicked by the effect created by the sunray decorative finish. 

The fairly large steel case measuring 13.78 mm in height and 44.5 mm in diameter houses the new caliber 100.7 designed at Moritz Grossmann's manufacture. The time displayed in the apertures relies on a disk connected to a 24-tooth ratchet wheel. It's printed with numerals from 1 to 24, each tilted at a 15-degree angle.

There aren't any additional time-setting functions for apertures on the new Moritz Grossmann watches. Their readings are connected to the main local time display, which can be adjusted using the winding crown at 3 o'clock. The movement also allows the hour hand for the main time to be adjusted separately using the pusher at 10 o'clock.

Moritz Grossmann happens to have a historical connection to the idea of world time watches. The manufacture founded by Christine Hutter in 2008 gets its name from a watchmaker who studied the subject in detail. On the day he passed away in 1884, he even gave a lecture on the topic of his essay: "Universal Time and the Introduction to Civilian Life".