Origins of the watch

I had been dreaming of designing my own watch for a long time, when one day I mentioned this to a friend of mine, Alexander Walter, a designing engineer with BMW, motorcycle enthusiast and watch aficionado. He agreed to develop “our ideal watch“ together.
We wanted a watch that is extremely resistant to all impacts and fully submersible. Of course all parts have to be screwed in order to guarantee long durability and maintainability. Thanks to our idea to use a separate inner case, the domed crystal with frame is held by the case on both sides. That way it is not only protected against overpressure, but also against mal function due to pressure in the case. Another advantage of this concept is that the movement is surrounded by a ferromagnetic cage (consisting of the inner case, inner movement cover and dial) and is therefore protected against strong magnetic fields.
Together we made several sketches until in 2005 we came up with the first sketch of the “Germano & Walter 500 m“. Alexander Walter made professional drawings from that sketch. I then began to build the first prototype, which was completed in November 2005. Since then the watch has been handcrafted in small batches in Munich.
 
 
The watch designers

Pietro Germano

Born on the 16th of September 1953 in Verbicaro, Italy.
Curious about all technology since he was a child. He disassembled an alarm clock and put it all back together.
He has been living in Germany since 1977.
He studied photography from 1979 to 1984.
Deeply involved with art since 1985, several exhibitions of his paintings and photographs in Germany and Italy.
Being a vintage car enthusiast, he also restores old cars.
He repairs wrist watches and makes leather straps.
2002: Construction of his first wrist watch. model (“Minute Repetition”) with the growing desire to construct a small series of a model of his own.
2005: Design and construction of the “Germano & Walter 500 m“ together with Alexander Walter, construction of the first prototype.


Alexander Walter

Born on the 27th of April 1963 in Berching, Germany.
Intended career since childhood: Inventor and designer.
Antique tin toys and watches „sacrificed to science“.
Studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, from 1985 to 1991, and graduated with a diploma.
1991 – 1998 he worked as a constructing engineer in the automotive industry, covering a broad spectrum from mountainbikes to trucks.
Since 1998 designing engineer with BMW.
2005: Design and construction of the “Germano & Walter 500 m“ together with Pietro Germano.
 
 
Special features

1. handmade and limited edition in a small series
2. extremely robust, highly antimagnetic, water-proof up to 500 m
3. „sandwich“ case (stainless steel), made of several massive parts, all components turned and milled by precision mechanics (Achim Borlinghaus and Josef Fastl) in Munich, Germany
- inner case: ferromagnetic material, largely rust-proof
- inner movement cover: ferromagnetic material, largely rust-proof
- outer case with stud screw for centering the inner case
- bezel screwed with inner case
- tube screwed into outer case
- screwed caseback
- screw-down crown
- strap attachment: 2 screwed studs for easy change from stainless-steel-bracelet to leather strap
4. acrylic crystal, custom product, thickness approx. 4 mm, screwed between bezel and inner case
5. ETA automatic movement, cal. 2892A, finish: solar finish and Geneva stripes
6. gold- or chrome-plated hands with luminous phosphor (not radioactive) (hour, minute, second)
7. dial: soft iron, printed with luminous phosphor (not radioactive)
Dimensions/weight:
From lug to lug: approx. 57 mm
Width without crown: approx. 42 mm
Diameter of the crown: approx. 9 mm
Length of the crown: approx. 5 mm
Total height with crystal: approx. 18.20 mm
Band lug width: 20 mm
Diameter of the dial: 30.5 mm
Weight incl. steel bracelet: 170 g

Price: 2.600 Euro
2 years warranty
The watch comes with
- a smooth or an engraved bezel
- a stainless steel bracelet (massive, adjustable length for divers)
- leather strap with a stainless-steel buckle
- screwdriver
- certificate of authenticity
- leather case
Every watch is engraved with a serial and a reference number together with the year of its production. The watch case is protected by a utility model.