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Grande Infinity combines watch safe with precision pendulum clock

Grande Infinity combines watch safe with precision pendulum clock
The Grande Infinity includes a precision pendulum clock, a state-of-the-art display case and safe
The Grande Infinity includes a precision pendulum clock, a state-of-the-art display case and safe
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The Grande Infinity closed
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The Grande Infinity closed
The Grande Infinity includes a precision pendulum clock, a state-of-the-art display case and safe
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The Grande Infinity includes a precision pendulum clock, a state-of-the-art display case and safe
The Grande Infinity's safe has winders for automatic watches
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The Grande Infinity's safe has winders for automatic watches
The Grande Infinity with display open
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The Grande Infinity with display open
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Do you want a moderne-style grandfather clock and a high-tech watch display with built-in winder safe, but don't have room for both? Then consider the Grande Infinity from upmarket safe makers Buben & Zorweg. The German-designed and built Grande Infinity was created in cooperation with clock maker Erwin Sattler and watch mover manufacturer Elma and combines a precision pendulum-movement clock with a state-of-the-art display case and safe.

At first, the Grande Infinity looks like any other upmarket clock with a price tag in the stratosphere. Its 1.8 m (76 in) tall curved case made of Macassar wood and aluminum with 10 layers of high-gloss piano stardust lacquer is painstakingly crafted and polished, with the transparent door providing a clear view of the workings.

Behind the glass is the Alpha 01 one-second pendulum clock with a visible Graham dead-beat escapement with pallets made of hardened steel, a 31-day power reserve powered by a 3 kg (6.6 lb) weight with a ball-bearing deflection roller, six precision ball bearings, six rubies, hardened steel pinions, polished gold-plated wheels, a carbon composite pendulum rod designed to keep the heat expansion coefficient extremely low, a rhodanized dial with sunray brush, world time indicator, and precision-milled and rhodanized plates made of hard brass.

The Grande Infinity with display open
The Grande Infinity with display open

However, the party piece of the Grande Infinity appears with the press a button on the case or the remote control as two hidden doors on either side open out automatically and LED lights switch on to reveal the interior lined with Italian Nappa leather and holding 20 "Time Movers" that incorporate what the company claims is the world's most advanced winder technology.

If the display case option is a bit too open plan, then between four and 10 timepieces and other valuables can be stored in the lower section of the Grande Infinity's high-security VDS Class I safe, which also includes automatic winders.

The Grande Infinity is available in a limited run of 75 units with prices starting at US$95,000.

The video below introduces the Grande infinity.

Source: Buben & Zorweg

BUBEN&ZORWEG Grande Infinity

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1 comment
1 comment
Harald
I got rid of all my watch winders. I did own more expensive versions, and a four-piece custom watch safe.
What always bothered me was the bulkiness. I could live with the noise. Of course, when going for a winder from eBay or amazon, you can bet it's going to be loud and defect after a couple of years. The better ones don't have that problem. They are still bulky, and I had to position them close to a power outlet, but that was fine.
What really had me abandon them and sell my custom safe was what they do to my calibers.
A senior watchmaking friend of mine put it in a nice way: 'When you park your car, do you keep the engine running over night?'. Never though about it, honestly. Read some more, talked to some more friends from the industry. In the end, decided to never ever again go with a winder. The abrasion it does from keeping the mechanical parts moving - unnecessarily, it should be noted - is just not worth it. It shortens the mechanical parts' life time by years, if not decades.
So, ended up getting a really, really expensive hand-made watch box.