Christiaan van der Klaauw and the horological astronomy

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• FRANCAIS

In the picturesque Frisian village of Joure, Christiaan van der Klaauw started designing and making exclusive hand-made astronomical timepieces in the early nineteen-seventies. Christiaan van der Klaauw received his education at the instrument-maker school founded in 1901 by Nobel Physics prize winner Prof. Heike Kamerlingh Onnes. It was at this school that helium gas was liquefied for the first time in 1908.

During his education, Christiaan did his apprenticeship with the oldest observatory in the world, founded in 1633. During his apprenticeship, Christiaan became increasingly interested in everything connected with astronomy, which showed later on in the production of his Frisian clocks, table clocks and, eventually, his watches. The well-known astronomer from Leiden, Christiaan Huygens, maker of the first Pendulum clock, inspired Christiaan van der Klaauw to design his first timepieces. The timepieces from this period are real collectors’ items nowadays. In 1990 Christiaan van der Klaauw presented a true masterpiece: the Astronomical Clock. This clock was one of the reasons why he was asked to become a member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI).

In 1992 Christiaan van der Klaauw won the prestigious gold medal at the watch fair of Basel with his ‘Pendule Variable’.

When making his wristwatches, Christiaan van der Klaauw drew his inspiration from astronomy, just like he did with his clocks. His first wristwatch was the ‘Satellite du Monde’. The design and the specifications astounded the world of watches, and Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches immediately became one of the very exclusive watch brands. At the end of the nineteen-nineties Christiaan van der Klaauw designed one of his most ingenious timepieces: the Planetarium. Inspired by astronomers like Christiaan Huygens and Eise Eisinga, he succeeded inbuilding a planetarium into a watch, which made it the smallest planetarium in the world. At the fair of Basel in 2009, Christiaan van der Klaauw surprised the world of watches once again with his bar-shaped ‘Tourbillon’. This unique technological masterpiece proved, once again, that Christiaan van der Klaauw belongs to the absolute top of watchmakers.

	CK ASTROLABIUM Sun and the Moon on the ecliptic, the position of the descending and ascending node of the lunar orbit (the dragon hand), and the eclipses of the Sun and the Moon. On the watch, the time and the place where the Sun rises or sets on a particular day is indicated by the intersection of the sun hand and the outer circumference of the ecliptic ring. The sun hand gives the date, but also the local solar time. The Moon moves, just like the Sun, along the ecliptic. The intersection of the moon hand with the outer circumference of the ecliptic ring gives the position of the Moon in its orbit around the Earth. If the intersection is on the western horizon, the Moon sets at that moment. The distance between the Sun and the Moon is an indication of the phase of the Moon. If the Sun and the Moon fully overlap, it is a new Moon. If they are directly opposite each other, it is a full Moon. The third hand of the astrolabe is the dragon hand. In principle, the Sun and the Earth are in one plane (the ecliptic plane). The Moon, however, moves around the Earth in a plane at an angle of 5˚ in relation to the ecliptic. The Moon has two intersections with the ecliptic plane. The intersections, also called nodes, are indicated by the head and the tail of the dragon hand. When there is a full Moon, and the Moon is in one of its nodes, there is an eclipse of the Moon. When the Sun and the Moon fully overlap in one of the nodes, there is an eclipse of the Sun.
	CK PLANETARIUM Christiaan van der Klaauw’s passion for the firmament reveals itself in an ode to the Planetarium and is one of the most famous creations of the master. The masterpiece is an ultimate demonstration of precision and traditional handwork. The watch is equipped with the smallest planetarium in the world and gives not only the time, date and Month, but also the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn around the Sun
	CK VENUS The planet Venus inspired Christiaan van der Klaauw to design the exceptionally beautiful ‘Venus’ watch. As regards design, this watch is not comparable to any other, and therefore very recognizable. Although the watch is very remarkable because of its different design, it radiates class and tranquillity.The planet Venus inspired Christiaan van der Klaauw to design the exceptionally beautiful ‘Venus’ watch. As regards design, this watch is not comparable to any other, and therefore very recognizable. Although the watch is very remarkable because of its different design, it radiates class and tranquillity.Apart from the indication of time, the ‘Venus’ shows the date and the sign of the Zodiac in which the Sun is located. The position of Venus and the position of the Earth and the Moon are also shown on the impressive dial.

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