I'm happy and proud to reveal the first information about Volker Vyskocil's frist watch, the V-30/45-01-A:
The watch is a hand wound watch which exhibits several very well thought off detail solutions, and a impressive aesthetic refinement.
The movement is completely made from scratch by Volker himself, and three things immediately catch one's eyes:
the most beautiful balance
the elaborate fine regulator
the unsual arrangement of the wheel and pinions, without central minute wheel, which resemble a bit of the Zenith Cal. 135
The movement, diameter 30mm, height 4.5mm, beats at 19800 bph, features exactly 40h power reserve. Exactly, because the movements stops precisely after the 40h have past. This is an intrinsic and important feature of the movement, because it ensures the construction of a very accurate power reserve display without the common friction couplings.
The wonderful balance with the recessed pitch circles for the adjustment weights, is a true hommage to the masters Abraham Louis Breguet and George Daniels:
The watch shows several amazing technical features that one would not expect in such a 'simple' watch. They show the creator's deep love to watchmaking, and to his creation particularly:
the hours hand is adjustable in 1h increments
the minute hand automatically alignes perfectly with the seconds hands (meaning that if the seconds hand shows 20secs after a minute, the minute hand is also prefectly 1/3 of a minute after the last minute marker)
the seconds hand hacks - but not during normal time setting, but with a seperate position of the crown
the power reserve indication also is an indication for the different crown functions (if crown is pulled out to set time):
H - setting of hours in 1h increments
M - lock-in minute hand (normal time setting)
S - hacking seconds
Pretty cool, isn't it? Volker also makes his own cases, which are available in yellow, rose and white gold, and there is a version in platinum. The watch will cost about 17000 Euros in gold and 21000 Euros in platinum, each price without VAT.
At the end, I'll leave you with the technical data:
Case:
Diameter: 38 mm
Height: 10.50 mm
Dial side: domed sapphire crystal
Movement side: flat sapphire crystal
Materials: yellow, rose and white gold; platinum
Movement:
Designation: V-35/40-01-A
Manually wound, 40h power reserve
Diameter: 30 mm
Height: 4.50mm
Alternation: 19800 A/h = 2.75 Hz
Escapement: Swiss pallet escapement
Diameter of mainspring barrel: 13.9mm
Diameter of balance: 13.85mm
Crown functions:
Position 0: Winding
Position I: Setting of hours (locking at full hours)
Position II: Setting of hours and minutes, minute locking to align with seconds hand
Position III: hacking seconds
Dial:
Colour: Black
Indications:
Central hours and minutes
Small seconds at 9 o’clock
Power reserve at 5 o’clock
Display of crown position
Band: Leather 20/18mm
Please join me in applauding Volker to this achievement. I think he is a great asset to the AHCI!
And a beautiful balance. I look forward to seeing more work from him. This watch would be fantastic in a 'Breguet-style' finish with romans, guilloche dial, and pomme hands.
...not only an esthetically pleasing movement but a technically ingenious (and practical!) one as well.
Despite what some grumps have said, watchmaking is most emphatically not dead.
Wonderful!
Wow nice movement! Really nice to see a watchmaker come up with such an inventive movement with such a simple understated look. Not to enthusiastic about the dial of this watch though. Detlev
Beautiful original work, really great to see new watchmakers on the way.
I enjoy the treatment he has given the hands, it is really difficult to create your own hand style and yet the hands are part of a makers "signature".
Volker shows great promise.
There is no indication where Volker lives or works from. Any info here ?
"I don't know when the "Vyskocils" came to Germany. But someone told
me that the Name was Czech and some of the Vyskocils whent to Austria during
the "K&K Monarchie" and further to Germany. How to pronounce this Name?
"Wiskozil" or try it with "Volker" "
Superb and inventive work. It makes we wonder though...
April 5 2004, 10:16 PM
why haven't any of the big brands, with their large research and development departments,come up with these innvovations first.
- the hours hand is adjustable in 1h increments
- the minute hand automatically alignes perfectly with the seconds hands (meaning that if the seconds hand shows 20secs after a minute, the minute hand is also prefectly 1/3 of a minute after the last minute marker)
- the seconds hand hacks - but not during normal time setting, but with a seperate position of the crown
- the power reserve indication also is an indication for the different crown functions (if crown is pulled out to set time)
Many of these innovations could be expected to be standard on many high end watches.
I wonder... Thinking back to some previous threads...
...if it had been produced by one of the biggies, wouldn't many of us (me included) perhaps have had a tendancy to see many of them as gadgets or a sign that they were so desperate for ideas they were doing things simply because they were possible?
Is it a case of AHCI=innovation, big_make=gadget?
I can picture the messages about the "unnecessary" crown position indicator, and I can picture myself and one or two others criticising the balance for being sooooo un-aerodynamic and retro. Cynic, know thyself
- the minute hand automatically alignes perfectly with the seconds hands (meaning that if the seconds hand shows 20secs after a minute, the minute hand is also prefectly 1/3 of a minute after the last minute marker)
I can maybe sort of go with you on the Gagets. But if say Patek or other big high end maker made it in a limited prodcution, say 50 watches we would call it a complication. " A Rose by any other name would still smell as sweet"
The balance is very aerodynamic as compaired to a standard balacne with timing weights. This balance also has meantime screws and technically he could have freesprung this balance assembly.
As I said watchmaking is an art and watchmakers are artists in their own right. It is hard to question why some things were done, we need to enjoy the whole.
Omega has incorporated the first "complication" in their GMT...
April 7 2004, 1:12 PM
I have an Omega Seamaster GMT. This is a watch on which one can, in fact, adjust the hour hand in 1h increments.
It was very useful just the other day when I needed to "Spring forward" but did not want to interrupt the watch's accurate timekeeping in order to move only the hour hand.
The choice of (unprecedented) complications and the aesthetics of the design (dial, case, movement) appeals to me very strongly. I'd buy one in white gold if I could afford it.
I am a little bit proud about the positive response and it seems that my work was not completle in vain
At this point I want to tell you something about me because my name is relatively unknown.
It was Christmas 2002 when I decided to cut my carrier as mechanical engineer and to start as a watchmaker.
At this time I have to find my own "watch identity" (my own case design, my own movement design and so on...)
To do this, I have to break up to the common watch designs. It was not so easy because (for example) the the "Glashütter Kaliber" ore the "Geneva Kaliber" were very strongly fixed in my had.
So I have to ask my selve, which criteria a modern watch has to fulfil. One answer to this question was (and is) that a modern watch do not only have to fulfill the highest technical performance. Maybe the modern watch has to go some steps back in historie. So I decide not to use a high frequency balanc, I decide to use a balance with weight screws (regardless the not ideal air resistance). Another answer to the question was, that a modern watch has to be a "practically" timkeeper ...
But back to 2002. It was not a impulsive decision. A have thought about it long time ago. Exactly 22 years long. When I was 16 I want to apprenticeship as a watchmaker. But at this time the quartz era begin to grow and everyone told me not to learn a "dead trade". This is the reason for my long way to be a watchmaker. So I learned the trade of the toolmaker, make my diploma as a mechanical engineer and work as designing engineer and manager of product development. But at al this time I looked to the watchmaking trade and the love to this trade never died in me. On the contrary, it grow more and more...
So I desight to learn the trade by myself. I tried to buy books and tools so if I had enough money. For example I was extremely happy when I get the book from Saunier "Lehrbuch der Uhrmacherei". I remember (I was 17 or so...) that this cost more than 150DM. A lot of money for me. But when I had the book, I was fascinated of this stuff. I read side by side and (sorry for this) I understand not a lot. So I read it again ....But I was young at this time and I had the luck to get more books about watchmaking (for example "watchmaking' by George Daniels - for a long time my bible) and to learn more and more. My education as engineer gave me a different perspective to the trade ...
Let us stop here. I think its enough written about V.V
I think it will take one year to deliver the first watch. Orders are accepted now.
Sorry for my horrible English. But maybe we med us at the Basel Fair. Then you will notice that my spoken English is much horrible(ererer???) than my written
Thanks again,
Volker
**Corrected typo in George Daniels name - He's a living legend, I had to fix it! LOL
This message has been edited by watchmaker on Apr 7, 2004 12:46 AM
to stop by for a visit, Volker. I know you must be busy and anxious preparing for Basel. I wish you great success and look forward to your future projects.
Thank you so much for posting. The best thing about independent watchmakers is that you actually get to talk to the real people behind the watches. Big brands make nice watches but they are mostly 'faceless' corporations. With independent watchmakers there is so much more interaction going on. I hope you continue to follow the AHCI forum on the PuristS and keep us updated with your marvelous creations.
Thanks (and any chance of drawings of the mechanisms?)...
April 7 2004, 4:12 AM
Hi Volker,
Thanks very much for the detals and congratulations on the watch. I've always liked the idea of a large balance and mainspring barrel.
You seem to have made very good use of the space within the movement that is normally "dead" - can you let us know more?
Do you have any technical drawings showing the mechanisms that you could publish? I know your website and animations well, and I'm sure you must have something...
This is gorgeous, and a watch I would aspire to own.
April 7 2004, 1:36 PM
It's got a different look, more technical prowess on display than I could ever dream of understanding, and very cool complications. Thanks for sharing, and good luck to you!
