HOT TROPICS Inter Watch Co

Once again, simply placing the mechanism with a new dial into a new case seemed boring to us. So we aimed for a composition with figures of a man and a woman, embodying the eternal theme of gender relations, but with one very important moving element.

HOT TROPICS
Inter Watch Co

The idea is not new – watchmakers of the past have repeatedly implemented various variations of watches with erotic scenes since the late 17th century. Initially, this was done mainly using artistically designed dials, where scenes were painted by enamel artists. Later, "erotic watches" were produced with engraved images, hidden from view, and later still, they became complex automata with miniature dynamic figures (jaquemarts) depicting astonishing scenes. The genre perhaps reached its peak in the 18th century, and then continued, somewhat surreptitiously and depleted, in the 19th century. Erotic watches were in high demand, which did not align at all with the Protestant morals of Switzerland at the time. These watches were also actively exported to China.

However, in the 19th century, the presence of sex in watchmaking diminished. The art of creating a personal erotic theater flourished in France, Saxony, and Austria, while Geneva watchmakers, constrained by new laws, devised ways to mask risqué scenes with special devices that could be revealed upon request. Nevertheless, it can be confidently stated that the genre of erotic mechanics never ceased to exist, surviving all horological crises, and always had its steadfast circle of affluent admirers.

As always, when launching a new project, we start with the mechanism. This time, we chose a pocket watch manufactured by the Swiss watchmaking company Notz Frères & Cie. from La Chaux-de-Fonds and Geneva, which also had a representation in Paris and produced watches for the French market. Additionally, they owned the INTER WATCH Co trademark, supplied movements for the famous jewelry house Tiffany & Co., and even (!) for the renowned German watch company A. Lange & Söhne.

And although the mentioned company was officially registered in 1921, the horological history of the Notz family dates back to the mid-19th century.

The founder of the family dynasty of watchmakers was Auguste Notz (1846-1914), who opened his own workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1895. After his death, the family business was continued by his three sons, the most successful of whom was Armand Notz (1880-1953). It was under his leadership that the companies affiliated with the Notz family achieved their greatest success and prosperity. However, the success was short-lived, and in 1932, by court decision, the company Notz Frères & Cie, Fabrique Inter was declared bankrupt and automatically removed from the commercial trade register. Nevertheless, for 11 years, they confidently occupied their niche in the luxury watch segment, producing movements of the highest quality.

The case of the chosen "Lépine" type watch is made of 14-carat white gold with nickel as the alloy. The corresponding stamps in a frame indicating the gold purity in carats and featuring a right-facing squirrel are placed on the inside of the watch's back cover. This hallmark was introduced for 585 gold watch cases by the Swiss Precious Metals Control Act of December 23, 1880, and was used until 1933.

In Switzerland in the 1920s, a system of marks called Poinçons de Maître (French for "Master Punch," but commonly translated as "Mark of Collective Responsibility") was introduced to identify watch case manufacturers. The Poinçon de Maître stamps, applied to watch cases made of precious metals (silver, gold, and platinum), had the shape of outline figures with a number identifying the case manufacturer stamped inside the shape. In this case, the inside of the watch's back cover bears a stamp in the shape of a hammer with a handle and the number 145, which in the register corresponds to the manufacturer named Actua Watch Co. SA from Plainpalais, Switzerland. The company also used the name Nitramex SA and was registered in Biel (1918-1925) and Geneva from 1925 at least until 1947.

The movement of the presented watch is a manufacture caliber of the "Lépine" type produced by Notz Frères et Cie., Fabrique Inter. The movement's diameter is 39.0 mm. The movement is in good condition, covered with rhodium. It features polished steel parts, high-quality finishing, split bridges with beveling, and the winding wheel mounted with four screws. Bright, clear rubies of the highest grade, and a large central stone. All of the above indicates the high class of the movement.

Caliber: Manufacture
Movement Type: Mechanical, anchor, Lépine
Years of Production: 1921-1932
Size: 17¼’’’
Overall Diameter: 39.0 mm
Height: 2.86 mm
Number of Jewels: 17
Vibration Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power Reserve: 32 hours

• Swiss lever escapement with straight-line lever position
• Blued hairspring with isochronous Breguet terminal curve
• Split bimetallic temperature-compensated balance with dual-support bar, 4 compensating, and 14 regulating screws
• Adjusted for heat, cold, isochronism, and in 5 positions

Manufacturer: Notz Frères et Cie., Fabrique Inter
Materials: Watch brass, rhodium, steel

Functions: 

• Hours
• Minutes
• Subsidiary seconds at the 6 o’clock position

Finishing Quality:

• High-grade finishing
• Rhodium plating
• Decoration techniques include "Le Perlage" and "Côtes de Genève"
• All bridges beveled (anglage)
• All steel parts polished and beveled

Country of Manufacture: Switzerland

The serial number of the movement corresponds approximately to the year 1923. Unfortunately, the dial installed in this watch, signed "International Watch Co - SCHAFFHAUSEN," has no relation to it. It evidently fit the axes and diameter and was installed in place of the original, which was lost.

It is worth noting that this watch comes with a historical extract compiled by our qualified staff, which details both the watch itself and the history of the manufacturing company. So, if you wish to learn more information about your watch, you can contact our managers and leave a corresponding request. Our horological history enthusiast will do their best to assist you.

The process of discussing the concept of the future product took a bit longer this time and, given the chosen theme, it was lively and fun. Initially, we decided to involve our artists and simply depict some erotic scene on the original dial.

But later we decided to add some dynamism to the composition and make a part of the figure move. The simplest way to achieve this is to use the amplitude of the lever's motion. Pocket watches were equipped with quite powerful mainsprings, so their energy is sufficient to realize our idea.

With this concept in mind, we approached one of our true all-rounders – a jeweler-engraver, artist, and mechanic – and sent him the movement to study the technical feasibility of placing and implementing the figures. As they say, a talented person is talented in everything, and the master literally "flooded" us with various composition options.

After discussion, it was decided to create a dial themed "Sex on the Beach". You opted to discard the original dial and second hand. The new dial will be cut from a 925 sterling silver plate with voluminous engraving depicting a tropical beach, palm trees, sea, and a man and a woman.

Initially, a preliminary brass prototype of the dial was created. It was crucial to precisely align the placement of the male anatomy detail on the dial with the position of the lever escapement's tail, where this detail would be mounted. This necessitated an unconventional positioning of the winding crown at "2 o'clock". After fitting and refining all details, the master began working with silver.

The detailed composition work is a meticulous process that demands utmost attention, precision, and artistic talent. It's worth emphasizing that all engraving work is done manually by our craftsmen using gravers.

To securely mount the dial to the movement, three feet were soldered onto it. Their placement also influenced the layout of the composition elements.

As the work progressed, the figures and objects acquired increasingly realistic contours. Despite the stereotypical theme, the resulting dial can truly be considered a masterpiece of applied jewelry art. Pay attention to the detailed depiction of the palm leaves and trunk, as well as the accurate portrayal of human anatomy. Of course, the central element of the composition is the male genitalia, rhythmically tapping on the woman's left buttock at a frequency of 2.5 taps per second when the watch's mainspring is wound.

In addition to the wave pattern on the dial, intricate graphic engraving imitating tropical vegetation complements the overall picture and is executed on the visible part of the main movement plate. The outer ring of the dial features a textured finish applied using velvet hammering technique. The unique custom Roman numeral hour markers, resembling leaves of tropical plants, also stand out.

In the photo above, you can observe the evolutionary changes of the dial: over time, the initial design was slightly refined with the addition of a horizon line and clouds. After completing the engraving work, the dial was polished and coated with platinum to prevent oxidation of the silver.

When the dial was ready, the question arose about the type and color of the hands. It was decided to use classic "Breguet" style hands. Initially, we tried fitting the original gold-plated hands, but the result did not satisfy us—they didn't contrast well and blended with the dial. Then we experimented with contrasting blued hands, and this time everything turned out perfectly. The hands were polished to a metallic finish and then blued, heated to a specific temperature to achieve the desired dark blue shade.

While the dial was being crafted, work concurrently progressed on the case for the future watch. Since the case of the pocket watch, which served as the base for this project, was in good condition and relatively flat and compact in diameter (height with glass – only 7.9 mm, diameter without crown – 43.2 mm), it was decided to retain it for the project with modifications to facilitate wrist-wear conversion. This involved cutting off the pendant neck and soldering on lugs for strap attachment.

The elegant, slender, and rounded lugs of conical shape, like the case itself, were made from 14-karat (585) white gold. The distance between them, hence the strap width, measures 22.0 mm. Additionally, a new spherical mineral glass was installed in the case.

Once the case and dial were completed, and the mechanism assembled, lubricated, serviced, and adjusted, the watchmaker began the process of putting the watch together.

Next, we selected a strap for the watch. We chose a handmade strap crafted from dark blue crocodile leather. It is double-layered, with the bottom layer made from hypoallergenic nude-colored cow leather. The strap is in the premium segment and features saddle stitching with linen thread.

The final stage in creating any watch at Patina Watch Studio is comprehensive testing and inspection, which includes checking accuracy and power reserve duration on a timing machine. In our case, given the age of the mechanical watch of about 100 years, the results were quite respectable: accuracy varied from +12 to -33 seconds per day in different positions, with a power reserve lasting over 20 hours. The slightly reduced power reserve can be attributed to the additional load on the escapement mechanism due to the presence of the attached anatomical feature on the anchor fork, which adds weight and thus requires extra energy from the mainspring, thereby reducing the duration of the mechanism's operation.

The watch inspection also includes testing for compliance with the technical specifications and internal quality standards developed at our watch studio. Only after successfully passing these tests are the watches handed over to the client or made available for sale.

The watches have passed all necessary checks, and the project can be considered closed. It turned out to be unusual and unconventional in every respect. This was our first time exploring such a theme and implementing movable figures in our watches. It was both interesting and enlightening. Perhaps in the future, we will revisit similar projects, aiming to surpass ourselves and implement even more complex dynamics in the process.

If our "HOT TROPICS" have intrigued you and you're ready to wear watches with a spicy theme on your wrist, Patina Watch Studio is always at your service. You can order from us men's and women's wristwatches of any complexity based on antique and vintage movements from leading Swiss, German, and American watch companies such as Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Ulysse Nardin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget, Rolex, ETA, Zenith, Longines, Omega, A. Lange & Söhne, Hamilton, Elgin, Howard, and many others. Whether it's an everyday model, strict dress watches, luxurious men's skeletonized watches with diamonds, or even so-called "erotic watches" like the one in this case, we can fulfill your desires. You can also purchase watches from our available models by visiting the relevant section on our website.

In today's world, filled with an endless stream of mass production, more and more people are seeking unique and distinctive items that reflect their individuality and taste. One such item that can embody style and character is a wristwatch. Patina Watch Studio offers you a unique opportunity to create your own personalized wristwatches that will not only be functional accessories but also genuine works of art.

In our watchmaking workshop, we have craftsmen with years of experience and boundless passion for their craft. We understand that each watch should be unique and special, so we offer a complete production cycle—from design development to final assembly. During the watchmaking process, we use only high-quality materials such as stainless steel, titanium, precious metals, and gemstones. The choice of materials depends entirely on your preferences and desires.

Every client in our workshop has the opportunity to actively participate in the creation of their watches. We start with discussing your ideas and preferences to understand how you envision your perfect accessory. Our designers will present you with several sketches, taking into account all your wishes. You can choose the case shape and size, dial type, strap material, and many other details. Perhaps you'll want to add engraving or gemstone inlay—everything is possible in our workshop.

We take pride in offering you watches that not only tell time but also narrate your unique story. Join our clientele and create your perfect timepiece today!