Custom Made &Special Projects
Unique commissions and collaborative projects that take Christiaan van der Klaauw astronomical watchmaking beyond the permanent collections.
A Different Expressionof the Atelier
For more than fifty years, the CVDK atelier has developed mechanical ways of interpreting astronomy. Custom-made watches and special projects create room to take that expertise in a more individual direction.
A project may begin with an astronomical idea, a particular occasion, a material, or something personal to the collector. From mechanical development and dial construction to finishing and individual details, each element is considered as part of one coherent watch.
The result should have its own identity and purpose, while remaining unmistakably Christiaan van der Klaauw.
CreatedTogether
Some projects begin with a shared idea. CVDK has worked with maisons, collectors, artists and specialist partners to create astronomical watches that would not exist within the permanent collection.
These collaborations can involve an exclusive complication, a new interpretation of an existing astronomical mechanism, unusual materials or an entirely different visual approach. What remains constant is the close relationship between the creative idea and the mechanics required to realise it.
Over the years, this has resulted in projects with names including Van Cleef & Arpels, Sincere Fine Watches and Revolution.
Grand PlanetariumEccentric Si14
Created with Revolution, the Grand Planetarium Eccentric Si14 reinterprets CVDK's eight-planet complication through an iridescent oxidised silicon dial. Mercury through Neptune orbit the Sun in real time, while hand-applied Super-LumiNova planets and sections of their orbital paths reveal another side of the display in darkness.
Limited to six pieces, the watch is powered by the CKM-01 manufacture movement with a 60-hour power reserve and 3 Hz frequency. The collaboration combines one of CVDK's most complex astronomical mechanisms with a material more commonly associated with the technical side of watchmaking.
AvailableSpecial Projects
A selection of current limited editions and special creations available through Christiaan van der Klaauw and its partners.
Grand Planetarium EccentricSincere Platinum Jubilee Edition
Created for the 70th anniversary of Sincere Fine Watches, this edition gives the Grand Planetarium Eccentric a very different character.
Its dial was painted in oils by artist Gaël Colon and takes inspiration from an early prototype created during the development of the original Grand Planetarium Eccentric. Across the dial, all eight planets follow their real-time orbits, while additional details were developed specifically for Sincere's commemorative edition.
Van Cleef & ArpelsPlanetarium Collaborations
The relationship with Van Cleef & Arpels has led to two important astronomical creations.
For the Midnight Planétarium Poetic Complication™, presented in 2014, CVDK developed an exclusive Planetarium module displaying the movement of the planets around the Sun. Four years later, the collaboration continued with the Lady Arpels Planétarium, where Mercury, Venus, Earth and a diamond Moon move at their actual orbital speeds.
The Lady Arpels Planétarium received the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève award for Ladies’ Complication, marking one of the most recognised collaborations in CVDK's history.
An Idea ofYour Own
An individual commission or collaboration can begin with an astronomical idea, a personal story or simply the ambition to create something that has not been made before.
For projects that call for the expertise of the CVDK atelier, the first step is a conversation.
Beyond theCollection
A closer look at the materials, mechanisms and individual details created for watches with a story of their own.
