In the early days of timekeeping, when the art of horology was beginning to take its form, a watch was not something to be strapped to a wrist or any other part of the human anatomy. The art moved from clocks on a table or wall to a miniature size that one could keep in his pocket. And in those times, the only ones who could afford such a luxury as a personal “pocket watch” were royalty. Kings, Rulers, Emperors, Czars and the like. And today Stuehrling Original pays homage to the early beginnings of horology with a spectacular mechanical specimen fit for any Monarch. The Monarch from Stuehrling Original boasts one of the most dynamic features in the world of horology, a Grand Calendar complication. A timepiece that gives you the day of the week, the date, the month AND the year, all within the parameters of a mechanically driven engine (as opposed to a battery operated movement with a computer chip) is regarded as a Grand Calendar multi-complication work of art. The ingenuity required for a Grand Calendar defies logic. Just stop and think about how many revolutions a second hand must make in order for the month to change on a watch? How about a year!?
When you really ponder what is going on inside the case without the aid of a computer chip?it really is mind boggling. And then for good measure how about adding a 24-hour indicator with an animated AM/PM display as another complication on top of a Grand Calendar? With its retractable stand on the backside, the Monarch makes a great desk ornament with its calendar for those times when you choose not to carry this extraordinary conversation piece in your pocket.
The dial is enhanced with the embossed guilloche striping on the main dial and concentric circle pattern on the sub-dials. The silver faceted alpha style hands and markers are striking as they catch and refract the light in all directions. You will feel like a Monarch every time you pull the Monarch out to see the time.
The case is forged from 316L surgical grade stainless steel with a large domed Krysterna? crystal on the front to ensure durability. This fantastic multi-complication masterpiece is controlled by the pull-out knurled edge crown at twelve o’clock and the four recessed pushers positioned on the top and bottom of the case. Of course, this type of horologic achievement requires a “tour de force” of a movement and the engine that drives the Monarch certainly lives up to that lofty adulation. Gazing through the exhibition case-back you will see the spectacular 21-jewel mechanical automatic movement in all its glory, fully decorated with Cotes de Geneve, accented with blued steel screws, and completed by a Damier finished rotor with an engraved Stuehrling Original logo.
LumiBrite is the latest development in Seiko luminous paints. Conventional luminous paints all used to rely on radioactive substances to generate their afterglow. Then came fluorescent paints that glowed in the dark by releasing light energy stored while the surrounding light was bright. Their freedom from radioactivity and its potential hazards was a great advantage, but their glow tended to be short-lived, fading rapidly as the stored light-energy was discharged. LumiBrite is a dramatically improved fluorescent luminous paint that quickly absorbs more of the light-energy falling on it and glows brighter, for much longer, in the dark. Safe and harmless to human beings and the environment, it is completely free of radioactivity and can be used without restriction--covering the entire dial, for instance.
A LumiBrite dial will glow at its full brightness after only brief exposure to bright light. For instance, just ten minutes under normal room lighting will often be enough--much less under sunlight. LumiBrite, as its name suggests, starts glowing brightly in the dark, and fades slowly. It is the ideal successor to both radioactive luminous paint and conventional fluorescent paints.
