Moritz Grossmann honours Glashütte’s watchmaking academy with BENU 1878

Moritz Grossmann has created a singular tribute to one of watchmaking’s most formative institutions. The BENU 1878 arrives as a limited edition of twenty six pieces in stainless steel, its German silver dial depicting the iconic architecture of the school that opened in Glashütte in 1878.

That building stands as the cornerstone of the Saxon town’s watchmaking mythology. For generations, its classrooms imparted the disciplined knowledge and refined craftsmanship that would elevate Glashütte to its position as a nexus of German horological excellence. The school did not merely teach horology; it crystallised a philosophy of precision and heritage that would define an entire region’s reputation for time.

The dial itself becomes a window into that history. The German silver surface is engraved with a stylised rendering of the school’s nineteenth century facade, its windows and architectural detail rendered with the exactitude befitting a watchmaker’s art. The numerals and applied markers frame this architectural centerpiece, while blued steel hands sweep across the composition in purple tinged against the silvered ground.

This is the language Moritz Grossmann speaks: not announcements of newness, but conversations with the past. The BENU 1878 recognises that true watchmaking mastery flows from institutional memory, from knowledge passed hand to hand across decades, from buildings where apprentices learned not merely technique but reverence for the instrument itself. The school’s legacy continues through every Grossmann timepiece that carries forward that exacting standard.

The limited edition is available through Moritz Grossmann directly.

Imagery courtesy of Moritz Grossmann (@moritz_grossmann_).