Martin Braun Hyperion, tourbillon, retrograde moon phase

Martin Braun extends his family named for figures from Greek mythology, fittingly correlating the classical legends with his classic timepieces. Eos (2001) was the Greek goddess of the sunrise and the matriarch of Martin Braun’s now legendary family. Her child, Boreas (2003), was the Greek god of the north wind. Astraios (2005) was Eos’s husband and the father of her children, including Boreas. Kephalos entered the scene in 2008, Eos’s mythological lover and the bearer of both a new case and a retrograde moon phase for Martin Braun.

The year 2009 sees Braun introducing Hyperion, a long-awaited timepiece of mythological proportions. In Greek mythology, Hyperion was a Titan, the son of Gaia—Mother Earth—and Uranus, the sky. Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian from the first century BC, explains, “he was the first to understand, by diligent attention and observation, the movement of both the sun and the moon and the other stars, and the seasons as well, in that they are caused by these bodies, and to make these facts known to others; and that for this reason he was called the father of these bodies, since he had begotten, so to speak, the speculation about them and their nature.”(source: Wikipedia)

Martin Braun’s Hyperion Tourbillon model includes Braun’s own retrograde moon phase that has the moon moving to each phase step by step. Upon reaching full or new moon, the disc begins to turn backwards. It also incorporates the most precise adjustable moon phase on the market, accurate for 122 ½ years.

“A Tourbillon is the crowning glory of watchmaking; it must be present in the portfolio of any important luxury watch maker,” Martin Braun explains his desire to add a Tourbillon to his collection of astronomical timepieces.”

The Tourbillon was patented in 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. Breguet sought to improve the rate of pocket watches by negating the effects of gravity on the escapement. Thus, he housed it in a continuously revolving cage to ensure that its position always changed, compensating for the effects of gravity by rotating around its own axis once every minute. The Tourbillon has been found in wristwatch movements since 1986 and has since become an important element of luxury watch collections, thanks to the fascinating visible display of mechanics.

“The Tourbillon naturally fits perfectly into the Martin Braun collection,” Martin Braun explains. “The revolving cage, the rotating earth, the moon making its revolutions around the earth…what better symbolism could a specialist for astronomical complications find to underscore the fascinating kinetics of astronomy on the wrist.”

The Hyperion is housed in Martin Braun’s signature case: an impressive 44 mm in diameter, it includes the striking coin-edge case band fans of the brand have come to know and love. The lugs are screwed through to the movement holder inside the case. This safety system avoids shifting inside the movement should the watch be subjected to shock and guarantees that the system can be perfectly centered during assembly. Gaskets underneath the screws also guarantee that the case is water-resistant to a minimum of 50 meters. Like on all Martin Braun cases, the bezel is screwed down to preventing it coming off by accident should the watch be subjected to rougher treatment.

Martin Braun Hyperion, back side

Hyperion: Technical Information

Displays:
Hours, minutes, one-minute Tourbillon, date, retrograde moon phase

Case:
Stainless steel, 44 mm in diameter, screwed-down case back

Case height:
14.5 mm

Crystal:
Anti-reflective sapphire crystal

Strap:
Hand-sewn alligator skin strap with Martin Braun buckle or Deployant clasp, screwed-in strap lugs, 22 mm width at lugs

Buckle:
Stainless steel with engraved Martin Braun logo

Water resistance:
50 meters (5 ATM)

Caliber MAB 108: Technical Information

Winding:
Manual winding

Tourbillon Type:
Flying Minute Tourbillon

Diameter:
33,40

Height:
5.30 mm

Frequency:
18,000 vph

Power reserve:
60 hours

Jewels:
21

Number of parts:
193