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murff
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 591
Location: Switzerland
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 Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 8:35 am Post subject: Review - "The CURTA watch" |
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Review - "The CURTA watch" of Mr. Mathias Schneider (curtaschweiz)
The Curta watch was published by Mr. Schneider on May 2022
... and is offered as a limited edition of 75 pieces (CHF 3750.00, about US$3850.00).
You will not believe it - purely by chance Mr. Schneider had exactly the same idea to create a Curta watch - unfortunately, the opposite cannot be proven. According to the legal assessment, the original rights are difficult to prove - with this exception: | Quote: | | "...However, these features (the Curta design details) have been taken over by the calculating machine, so that such rights would probably lie with the legal successor of Contina AG or the heirs of Curt Herzstark." |
(Source: Product presentation on various websites of Mr. Schneider, e.g. curtawatch_com)
So far so good - here is my review:
General impression: this Curta watch appears rather cluttered - in proportions not necessarily corresponding to a Curta. Of course, you can recognize - as with my original design - design elements of the Curta. However, these have not always been consistently adopted/interpreted, but have a certain arbitrariness.
The dial is surrounded by an unnecessarily wide ring - (1) an additional 12 division for the hours and (2) a ring for the two decimal markers. Thus, the typical view of the Curta (from above) is lost. Furthermore, (3) the inner white thin ring and (4) the white (quite chunky) border is untypical for a Curta based design.
The numerals in the result (black) and counter dial (white) are unfortunate arranged and clash with the division of twelve. Also, (5) the division of the result and counter dial in the middle of a digit is a rather gross design error, the functional design of the Curta is completely ignored.
The minute hand is shown as the clearing lever, but (6) in an incomprehensible red and with a gap or black mark(?) on the outer periphery (...it looks like a typical broken clearing lever). The hour hand was inspired (7) by the crank, but the white color is incongruous.
In the center, the second hand rotates (8) with the Contina logo, but this reference to the Curta is not very authentic. In the center is the spherical segment of the crank on every Curta.
And finally - the crown (9) does not look like a knurled Curta crank handle at all.
I would have noted "Swiss Made" on the back of the watch - the Curta was produced in Liechtenstein, after all.
"2022 - The 75th Anniversary of CURTA" - is probably more marketing than solid historical basis. 1947 was certainly an important year for Contina AG - the first factory prototypes were produced. And the name CURTA did not exist in 1947... The history of Curta began much earlier, as we know.
At CHF 3750.00, this watch is rather overpriced.
PS... I dealt with my original design of THE CURTA WATCH for a very long time and very thoroughly - so I will take the liberty here to go into the design details of this variant.
Original idea published here: curta.org | curta.li
The Curta Watch (c) 2018 - side view
The Curta Watch (c) 2018 - top view
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2010*smiths
Joined: 18 Apr 2013
Posts: 52
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 11:23 am Post subject: |
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That looks like a right dog's dinner and is seriously overpriced.
I still regularly wear my 'Curta Amphibia' homage which I put together using readily available parts for about £100 way back in 2015. Not sure whether that makes my horological efforts the first but I do know that it looks a lot better than the Schneider effort.
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?355407-The-Curta-Amphibia&p=3789061&viewfull=1#post3789061
The eagle-eyed will spot that I have fitted a more robust the crown since then, which is more in keeping with the design.
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2010*smiths
Joined: 18 Apr 2013
Posts: 52
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 11:35 am Post subject: |
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The movement in the Schneider watch is a 28,800 bph Ronda R150, which is really nothing to write home about with an accuracy rating of +/- 12 seconds per day. It's an inexpensive movement in an expensive watch.
The only thing that I do like is the packaging.
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murff
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 591
Location: Switzerland
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| 2010*smiths wrote: | | That looks like a right dog's dinner and is seriously overpriced. |
... I like that expression!
(a nice idiom that does not exist in German...).
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murff
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 591
Location: Switzerland
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| Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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... it doesn't get better with gold
| Quote: | We are pleased that in spring 2023 we will be able to launch the "CURTA Kalender" - after the first CURTA watch,
which has already been successfully launched on the market. |
by the way, is there actually an award for ugly design 
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Last edited by murff on Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:54 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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2010*smiths
Joined: 18 Apr 2013
Posts: 52
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Lordy, I wish I could unsee that. |
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