Annelinde Dunselman And The Dunselman Black Tulip

It’s not usually we get to uncover a brand new unbiased watchmaking identify, particularly one which’s from the Netherlands. Regardless that there’s quite a lot of thrilling stuff occurring in our small nation, the main focus continues to be very a lot on Switzerland for essentially the most half. Nonetheless, as we speak we introduce you to Annelinde Dunselman, who not too long ago made her debut on the indie scene along with her newly launched model, and watch, the Dunselman Black Tulip. With coaching from among the most revered names within the enterprise, there’s a ton of particulars ready to be found. So with out additional ado, right here’s our first encounter with the Black Tulip.

Annelinde Dunselman has spent nearly all of her working life in watchmaking, working behind the scenes for among the most illustrious names in existence. Ever since she was little, she had a fascination for mechanical issues, taking aside and reassembling previous cameras, turntables, clocks and so forth, to find how they have been made. She’s not distinctive in that, because it’s usually the case with watchmakers, most likely to the frustrations of oldsters who, on occasion, have been little doubt confronted with a TV distant that didn’t work anymore, or worse. Jokes apart, enrolling within the Watchmaking Faculty in Schoonhoven, the Netherlands, and later working for and with Jaeger-LeCoultre, Grönefeld, and Philippe Narbel appears to repay now, as she launches her personal eponymous model and the Black Tulip. (Sure, we’re Dutch, so Tulips are by no means distant, as you understand).

Annelinde states that the inspiration, and identify for that matter, for the Black Tulip got here from the elusive and legendary flower itself. Though many have tried, nobody has been in a position to create a real black tulip up to now. So in essence, she’s chasing one thing that may’t be achieved: absolute perfection. In some ways, this goes for lots of unbiased watchmakers, as I’m usually engaged in conversations with them on what they couldn’t obtain resulting from varied circumstances, moderately than what they might. And sure, it’s that self-criticism that drives them ahead each day, even within the largest names round. There’s at all times the following thought, the following stage of ending, the following complexity in development or performance.

On to the Black Tulip, which is available in a soothingly compact case of 38mm throughout. The peak is 11.9mm, which retains issues effectively throughout the comfy and easy-to-wear realms of dimensions. The case is riddled with fascinating particulars, resembling scalloped sections within the case flanks, a concave bezel, and the particular engraving between the lugs (“Created In The Kingdom Of The Netherlands”), leaving little doubt about its origins. The vertical facet of the bezel is adorned with Dunselman’s D-shaped brand, which is a stylised tulip on the facet. That is alternately positioned upright and on its facet, creating a novel and moderately engaging sample.

The tulip sample continues on the silvery-white dial, which has quite a lot of depth and performs with the sunshine due to it. What I seen upon shut inspection is how the concave minute observe neatly aligns with the concave bezel, making a kind of circulate from the skin in. This observe has black markers at each minute, with utilized metal dots at each 5-minute increment. One step in comes the part for the hour markers, which have a easy but very efficient design. The centre part is recessed as soon as extra. On the backside, a subdial for the small seconds is discovered, with a hand that has a Dunselman’s brand for a counterweight. The printing for the size is in black, offering loads of distinction. What stands out moreover are the metal hour and minute fingers, which have a really delicate and refined form, with skinny legs and suggestions that remind me of a flower bulb. And eventually, there’s a really fascinating distinction in texture between vertical brushing on the principle dial and radial brushing within the small seconds subdial. Regardless of all these particulars, I’ve by no means felt the theme was unbalanced or overwhelming. Quite the opposite, at the same time as I feel it’s very coherent.

Such an intriguing watch wants a motion to match, and Annelinde doesn’t disappoint in that space as effectively. Developed by herself with the assistance of befriended specialists, the Calibre D202.5 is the results of greater than 2 years of exhausting work. Right here, too, Annelinde’s calm nature comes by, as it’s wound by hand and comes with a zero-reset mechanism. Pull the crown, and the small seconds hand jumps to 12, ensuring you may exactly set your watch.

The motion is constructed out of 125 elements and measures 31.8mm in diameter and seven.8mm in top, that means it neatly fills nearly your complete case. With rhodium-plated bridges, bevelled angles, polished screws, positief reduction engraved particulars on the barrel and moderately wheel, and so forth, it exhibits nice consideration to element but once more. It exhibits the place she’s been and what she’s able to, which is altogether moderately spectacular! One other ingredient I merely adore are the small openworked bridges within the decrease half of the motion, revealing the intrinsic mechanics that make up the Black Tulip’s beating coronary heart.

Annelinde Dunselman introduced that the debut Black Tulip will likely be restricted to 10 items, every delivered with a brown small-scale alligator leather-based strap fitted with a signed pin buckle. The worth is about at EUR 38,000 excluding VAT. And in the event you’re questioning if it is a one-time design, the reply is sure and no. The Black Tulip marks the design course for Annelinde’s future watches within the broader perspective, but the tulip (floral appears the mistaken phrase right here) theme is taken into account unique to this debut piece. Components might pop up in different watches sooner or later, however there’ll at all times be distinctive options to separate future creations from this one.

Please be aware that that is the first-ever Black Tulip by Annelinde, so basically a prototype. Whereas it’s there when it comes to ending and so forth, the spring for the click-spring just isn’t the proper one. This will likely be amended within the ultimate client-ready model.

For extra info, please go to DunselmanWatchmaking.com.