Alongside Parisian jeweler Ocarat Lab, German watchmaker MeisterSinger unveils the new limited edition of its Bell Hora collection: the Notre-Dame Edition. This reinterpretation of this sound complication model, which illustrates its dial with a Gothic stained-glass motif emblematic of Paris’s most famous cathedral, coincides with the reopening to the public of Victor Hugo’s beloved monument, scheduled for December 8.
“Great buildings, like great mountains, are the work of centuries […] time is the architect, the people are the masons” wrote Victor Hugo in one of his literary masterpieces, Notre-Dame de Paris, published in 1831.
German watchmaker MeisterSinger and French jeweller Ocarat Lab understood this, creating a limited edition of 70 pieces dedicated to the famous Gothic edifice built between the 12th and 14th centuries.
Saved from destruction by Victor Hugo’s literary success and the renovation work of 19th-century historicist architect Eugène Viollet-le-duc, the monument saw part of its framework and its famous 96 m-high spire ravaged by a terrible fire on April 15 and 16, 2019.
Five years after the tragedy, the monument is now “open to worship and visitors”. To coincide with its reopening on December 8, MeisterSinger’s Bell Hora collection includes a Notre-Dame edition with, among other features, a dial featuring one of its immense rose-shaped stained-glass windows.
The model is available exclusively at the Parisian boutique Ochrono and on the website of the Parisian jeweler Ocarat Lab, at a price of 4,590 euros.
A nostalgic carillon
Founded in 2001 by Manfred Messler, a genuine enthusiast for historical measuring instruments, MeisterSinger stood out in the competitive world of watchmaking with a bold decision: to opt for a single hand. This meant abandoning the stressful marking of minutes and seconds to indicate only the passing of the hours.
With its sound complication, the Bell Hora Collection, which includes the Notre Dame edition, takes its inspiration from the town clocks of yesteryear and the bell towers that marked the daily life of their inhabitants with chimes. With this system of complication,a discreet chime sounds at each new hour, reminding the wearer of the passage of time without having to look at his or her watch. What’s more, the wearer doesn’t need to do a thing to trigger the chime.
MeisterSinger achieves this technical feat by using an MS Bell automatic movement based on the famous Sellita SW200 caliber, to which a unique module has been grafted. Offering a 38-hour power reserve, this movement is as reliable as it is efficient. The wearer can, however, activate or deactivate the alarm by means of a discreet push-button at 2 o’clock.
The sound complication – all the more so on the Notre-Dame edition – blends perfectly with the refined aesthetics of its creations.
A fragment of French history
Discover our plans Subscribe for 1€ Become an active member of the community of luxury leaders.
To continue reading this article, subscribe or log in to your account
Read also > ArtyA unveils its new central tourbillon collection
Featured Photo: © MeisterSinger
