A shining example of the man's
ideology is his Model 33 watch. The case is of a tonneau shape, and the
movement is designed to fit the case exactly, a rarity in this present
day prevalence of spacer rings. Form closely follows function in line
with Gerber’s watchmaking philosophy. Indeed, he revealed to us
that after designing the movement, he was disturbed by an empty space
in the top left corner of the movement, and promptly decided to build
a three-dimensional moon phase indicator in that space!
Accurate to
within one day every 128 years, the moon phase indicator, half of which
is made of stunning lapis lazuli and half crusted in diamonds, is
special for its sheer imagination and elegant execution. Because it rotates
in conjunction with the celestial body it is based on, it is a sight to
behold. Best of all, it can be adjusted at any time without damaging the
mechanism.
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Paul
Gerber Calibre 33 |
The
Moonphase |
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The watch boasts other innovations.
Discovering that traditional escapements were subject to compressing forces
due to the nature of their construction, Gerber designed his own three
arm pallet fork, which eliminates such forces due to the division of labor
between the impulse and stop of the pallet wheel.
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The fully in-house Gerber caliber 33. Note the extremely large
balance wheel, reminiscent of old watches, and how the movement
fills up the entire watch.
Inset: The unique 3 armed Gerber escapement.
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With its new escapement, innovative moon phase display,
and sheer attention to detail, the Model 33 is just the latest in a long
line of significant Gerber creations.
Indeed, it seems that his genius can only be matched
by his equally legendary humility. A modest man, he has been described
as someone who would create the most incredible mechanisms and yet be
the last to boast about it.
There is absolutely no doubt that the world will continue
to be astonished by Gerber’s ground breaking innovations in time
to come. 
Text DOMINIC KHOO Photography PAUL
GERBER / DOMINIC KHOO |