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Swiss Replica

Hands-on with the AristoSextant replica

The Aristo Flieger Sextant has its roots in a German sextant replica watch used by Wernher von Braun and his team at the Peenemünde rocket proving ground (“Heeresversuchsanstalt Peenemuende”) in the early 1940s.

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (23 March 1912 – 16 June 1977), was a German-American rocket scientist and engineer who was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in both Germany and the U.S. during and after WWII.

A one-time member of the Nazi Party and a commissioned SS officer, von Braun would later be regarded as arguably the foremost rocket engineer of the 20th century for his work at NASA. He was the central figure in Germany’s pre-war rocket development programme, responsible for the design and production of the V-2 combat rocket first at Peenemünde and then Mittelwerk, after the British bombed Peenemünde in August 1943.

After the war, Braun and some of his team were taken to the U.S. as part of the then-secret Operation Paperclip. Von Braun worked on the US Army intermediate range ballistic missle program before his group was assimilated by NASA, under which he served as director of the newly-formed Marshall Space Flight Center, and as the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the booster rocket that propelled the Apollo II lunar mission. In 1975 he received the National Medal of Science.

Made by Lange & Söhne, the 22 of the replica watches were delivered to the Heeresversuchsanstalt in 1943 at a price of 360RM, as the equivalent of at least 2,000€. As a point of comparison, the first VW Beetles sold for 990RM.

When viewing at the dial through a mirror sextant, Braun and his team used the elegant replica watch to calculate the ballistic data for the rockets they developed.

The Aristo Sextant (Ref. 5H40S), a modern homage to these replica watches, was first manufactured in 2001 by Aristo in Pforzheim. In developing this model, Aristo followed the first prototypes of 1942, with the guidelines : “Black dial with Roman numerals, with Arabic 1/5 Second indication numbers 5 to 55 and corresponding set of numbers in mirror writing”.

 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Movement: Swiss ETA 2824-2
Case: Titanium
Caseback: Titanium with engraving
Bezel: Bead blasted
Dimensions: 37mm diameter, 44mm lug-to-lug
Water Resistance: 50m

Von Braun’s long time colleague Arthur Louis Hugo Rudolph suffered a slightly different fate to von Braun. A fellow rocket engineer and member of the Nazi party who helped develop and produce the V-2 rocket, he followed von Braun to the U.S., working for the U.S. Army and NASA, where he was involved in the development of several important systems including the Pershing missile and the Saturn V. In 1984 he was investigated for possible war crimes and was forced to leave the United States and renounce his US citizenship.

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Swiss Replica

Replica MIH Watch With The Most Affordable Mechanical Single Button Chronograph

At Baselworld it was finally time to receive my new MIH Replica Watch. Probably the most affordable mechanical single button chronograph with an annual calendar. And it’s a beauty!

Last year i emailed Beat Weinmann from The Embassy, a unique replica watch store specialized in (independent) haute horlogerie, that I wanted to buy a MIH Replica Watch. Since the MIH Replica Watch has a limited production of only 100 pieces a year, i was happy to hear Beat could reserve one for me. That was because i wanted to pick up the MIH Replica Watch myself. I have a habit in picking up my own replica watches, even if i have to go all the way to Helsinki.

When the deal was made i planned to pick up the MIH Replica Watch at the Embassy in Luzern. Unfortunately because of back problems i had to cancel the planned trip to Switzerland. A few months later it was already close to Baselworld and Beat Weinmann told me he could meet me there and bring my MIH Replica Watch. Well, that was an offer i couldn’t resist ?

Like all MIH Replica Watches, it was wrapped in a copy of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The choice not to deliver the MIH Replica Watch in a luxurious box but in a newspaper, was Ludwig Oechslin’s. Unconventional, but it somehow suits. And this can be said about the technical aspects as well…

MIH Replica Watch – annual calendar & mono-poussoir chronograph

Ludwig Oechslin designed an annual calendar that is built around just nine moving parts and it’s display is contained within one easy-to-read window. And there’s more ‘unconventional’ about the MIH Replica Watch. Looking at the dial you wouldn’t notice it’s complexity. However besides the annual calendar, there’s also a chronograph… a mono-poussoir chronograph or single button chronograph.

The 9 parts of the annual calendar (photo by Bea Weinmann)

Some specifications:

  • Diameter: 42 mm
  • Thickness: 15 mm
  • Waterproof: 100 meters
  • Crystal: Sapphire with double sided AR coating
  • Movement: ETA Valjoux 7750
  • Functions: annual calendar, day/night indicator, single button chronograph

The titanium case is beautifully finished and feels soft as silk. It wears very comfortable and the attachment of the rubber strap is partially integrated in the case, which looks very nice. This way there’s no opening between the strap and the case.

Paul Gerber, member of the AHCI, chose the basic movement for the replica watch: an ETA-Valjoux calibre 7750. This reliable workhorse has enough power to drive the calendar’s disks reliably. The calendar mechanism is entirely manufactured at Paul Gerber’s ateliers, which is also where every MIH Replica Watch is assembled and brought to life.

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Swiss Replica

The Replica Watchmakers who say MIH

The MIH Replica Watch

The MIH Replica Watch was released in september 2005 and has become a famous replica watch among replica watch lovers in the past 3.5 years.

The concept was developed by Ludwig Oechslin who is well known for creating remarkable replica watches like ‘the Freak‘ for Ulysse Nardin. Paul Gerber was responsable for the technical development of the MIH, but mr. Gerber also has a reputation for creating the world’s most complicated wristwatch. Christian Gafner, who was responsible for the design, proposed an easily readable replica watch with absolutely no inscription on the front, but only a small “MIH” at the 9 o’clock position.

As you can see the result is a replica watch with a very clean dial, which is easy to read the time. But don’t be fooled, despite the clean and simple design, the MIH Replica Watch has a single button chronograph and an annual calendar.

The MIH replica watch’s movement is based on an ETA/Valjoux 7750, known as a very reliable movement. Based on this movement Oechslin created an annual calendar of only 9 additional moving parts! The annual calender displays the date, month, weekday and even features an AM/PM indicator. Like every annual calendar the mechanism does not have to be adjusted for months with 30 or 31 days. Only the month February with 28 or 29 days needs adjusting.

MIH Replica Watch - backside with 30 minutes chronograph register
MIH Replica Watch – 30 minutes chronograph register

The mechanism displays the complete date on 3 concentric discs: starting at the center of the replica watch, the AM/PM indicator, the weekday, the month, the date and finally the date is displayed. The central element of the calender mechanism is a 3-layer column wheel. Yes a column wheel, but this time not for operating the chronograph mechanism, but for the annual calendar. This gives the advantage that you can advance and reverse the date without damaging the movement. Other movement only allow you to advance the date and not reverse it. The AM/PM indicator shows one red dot at night and two red dots during the day.

The ETA/Valjoux 7750 is modified from a chronograph that has to be operated with two buttons to a single-button chronograph or monopoussoir. After modifying the chronograph cam, it only takes one button to start, stop and reset the chronograph. Through a small hole in the caseback you can view the 30 minute chronograph register. This way the chronograph registers won’t disturb the minimalistic design of the replica watch.

Only 200 pieces of the MIH Replica Watch are made every year. Good thing is that the price remains friendly at 5,000 CHF excluding tax. Check the MIH website or visit one of the Embassy shops in Luzern or St. Moritz.

The reason why i blogged about the MIH Replica Watch is that it sometimes crosses my path and every time i see it, i really like it. The design is so simple and clean. The technical aspects are amazing. And with buying a MIH you support the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Yesterday a friend emailed me this wristshot he saw on a forum and of course it made me wonder (again) if I will ever own one of these beautiful pieces…

MIH wristshot
MIH wristshot

And now for something completely different….  before ending this blog, i need to say that every time i hear or read about this replica watch it’s name reminds me of the movie ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail‘ where they bump into “the Knights who say Ni“. If you pronounce “MIH” in Dutch it’s like “Mí” which sounds similar to “Ní”. For those who have no clue what i’m talking about, they could check out this video capture, but i’m afraid it will only make them wonder more…. Would this replica watch be my holy grail?