Observator.
Precision without rhetoric.
The observatory watch is the oldest form of horological instrument.
Before the chronograph. Before the diver. Before the pilot watch. There was the observatory timekeeper — built to be checked against a fixed star, regulated to the second, trusted with navigation and science. The Observator is not a replica of that tradition. It is a continuation of its logic. Clean. Disciplined. Uncompromising in proportion.
Anthracite lacquer on a sunburst-brushed baseplate.
Hour markers: applied indices in polished steel — no print, no lume blobs, no decorative excess. Hands: blued steel. Thin. Exactly as long as they need to be. Railway-track minute ring, printed in a typeface derived from 19th-century German cartographic standards. The name — FURTWÄNGLER — appears in one line, below centre. Small capitals. 0.8 mm type height. Nothing else.
39 mm. Not 40.
There is a reason the instrument watches of the early 20th century were 38–40 mm: that is the correct diameter for a watch that reads time rather than makes statements. Case material: option A — 316L steel, satin-brushed. Option B — Grade 5 titanium, identical finish. Thickness: 9.2 mm. Flat, not barrel-shaped. Lug width: 20 mm. The case is bevelled only at the lug-to-case joint — the single location where a bevel improves handling without introducing visual noise.
What is included. What is removed.
The Crystal
Flat sapphire. Not domed. Anti-reflective coating, both sides. A flat crystal is harder to produce correctly than a dome. It is also the correct form for an instrument watch.
The Movement
ETA 2824-2 base, regulated and cased in-house. Adjusted to ±4 seconds per day at the workshop. Power reserve: 42 hours. The movement is not visible. It is not the point of this watch. The point of this watch is the dial.
The Strap
Dark brown leather, hand-stitched, natural linen thread. Option: dark navy suede. Option: integrated steel bracelet on titanium variant.
Der Observator.
- Diameter
- 39 mm
- Thickness
- 9.2 mm
- Case
- 316L steel or Grade 5 titanium
- Finish
- Full brushed satin
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire, double AR-coated
- Dial
- Anthracite lacquer, applied steel indices
- Hands
- Blued steel
- Movement
- In-house regulated automatic, ±4 sec/day
- Power Reserve
- 42 hours
- Water Resistance
- 100 metres
- Strap
- Dark brown leather or navy suede
- Edition
- 1,836 pieces worldwide · permanent
Der Observator.
- Steel / Anthracite
- € 7,800
- Steel / Ivory
- € 7,800
- Titanium / Anthracite
- € 8,900
- Titanium / Dark Navy
- € 8,900
1,836 pieces total across all variants. One number — the founding year. No reissue.