12. Zenith Ladies Caliber 1110 | The Watchmaker

The watchmaker hasn’t repaired or serviced a watch for customers for a while now, ever since he’s been too busy with his own creations.  The Zenith Ladies Caliber 1110, though, is not just a watch for any customer.  He had found this little gem, desperately in need of care, a few months ago when he was strolling  at a flea market not far from his workshop and home in the south of England. He knew immediately that this would make a great anniversary present for his wife.  Because, with her vintage elegance, his wife prefers smaller time pieces over modern masculine models.  At 20mm, this little hand-wound would certainly fit her taste.  It was also at the flea market that he picked up, for a bargain, a little tricycle for his 5-year-old daughter, who, he had promised a bedtime story, which was as important a task as working on his wife’s surprise present.

His daughter was already waiting for him patiently in bed.  His wife had just kissed her goodnight and was leaving her room when the watchmaker walks in.  He sits down next to his daughter and asks, ‘What does my little princess want to read tonight?’ ‘Daddy can you just tell me a story? I’m bored with the books. We’ve read them so many times. Even the ones from the library.’ his daughter says pleadingly.  Telling story is not one of his strong suits, for the watchmaker is more mechanically inclined, ever since his fascination of machines began with his first mechanical watch, a Certina DS. Perhaps he can tell her about that, he muses.  ‘Alright, I’ll tell you a story, but just one, ok?’ the watchmaker finally replies, clears his throat, and begins to tell his daughter the tale of the ‘Schoenner Brunnen’.

‘Many years ago, in a town in Germany, was a master brass smith, who built the metal grating around the beautiful fountain in the middle of town.  This master brass smith, had a beautiful daughter…’ the watchmaker pauses, puts his index finger on his daughter’s nose and adds cheekily ‘like I have a beautiful daughter’.  ‘Daddy! Continue the story’, she protests. The watchmaker continues, ‘well, this master brass smith also had a young apprentice, who liked his daughter very much. But because his apprentice was so poor, the brass master didn’t want his daughter to marry him’. ‘Did she want to marry him too?’ asks the watchmaker’s daughter.  ‘Oh she very much wanted to because she was in love with him too’. The watchmaker’s daughter smiles, at the thought of a couple in love.  ‘The apprentice, of course, was upset that he wasn’t allowed to marry his love. So one day when his master went away for work, he did something to prove to him that he was worthy of his daughter. He secretly made a ring the size of a fist, then he cut the ring in half and inserted it into the grid of the grating.  Then he spent a lot of time, soldering, hammering, and filling it until no more seams could be seen.  Until the ring can be turned magically around and around inside the grid of the grating around the fountain’, the watchmaker finishes.  ‘And then they got married?’ asks his daughter with anticipation.  ‘Unfortunately not, the apprentice knew his master would never allow it, so he packed his things and left and no one from the town heard from him again.’ The watchmaker says as he slowly gets up to tug his daughter in. ‘Daddy, grandpa had told me this story before, he told me it’s a story from his town’, she tells him, lying on her side. ‘Yes, it’s a story from Nuernberg, that’s where I met your mommy while I was working for your grandfather’, the watchmaker was surprised to hear his daughter has heard the story before.  ‘Were you the apprentice, daddy?’ asks his daughter curiously.  ‘Yes, I was, and now it’s time to sleep, it’s getting late’, the watchmaker says as he turns off the light. ‘What time is it daddy?’ his daughter asks, her eyes already closed. The watchmaker habitually checks his watch, a double tourbillon, which he had developed and bears his name. ‘It is bedtime, now sleep tight little one, and don’t let the bed bugs bite.’