Rainer Nienaber Part 1: the Edition 2002

This must be the golden age of horology. Granted, there are not as many in-house movements produced as, say, in the forties. But the variety of complications available has never been larger. It may also seem that the age of great inventions in horology is behind us, but that is definitely not the case. One has only to look at what’s on offer from the members of the Academie Horlogére des Créateurs Independants (AHCI) to be convinced otherwise. It has also never been easier to become an informed horologist (thanks to the Internet), and it has never been easier to obtain a timepiece, which suits one’s lifestyle, horological aspirations, taste and budget as right now. This is perhaps especially the case in Germany, where the number of new or revived companies, which produce watches, is very impressive indeed.

Most of these, however, are still heavily dependent on Swiss horology. Most so-called private-label brands tend to offer similar watches, which mimic popular Swiss designs, and use plain off-the-shelf Swiss movements. There must be at least a dozen “Submariners”, “Portugiesers” or “Fliegers” on offer. Of course many Swiss companies do exactly the same. But there still is a specifically German style and technology to be found. Even outside Glashütte! What this entails is difficult to define in a few words. There are, however, common design features in the watches from Lange, GO/Union, Nomos and even Porsche Design. This is also the case for IWC, Schaffhausen is after all rather isolated from the Vallée de Joux and other traditional watchmaker biotopes, and the only major manufacturer which is located in the German-speaking kantons. It’s an emphasis on function rather than elegance.

If one puts the private-label brand at one end of the spectrum, where basically everything (including most often the design), is taken from other manufacturers, the Independent Creator (to use the AHCI terminology) definitely belongs at the other end. Even when off-the-shelf movements are used, these are extensively modified and finished to a high standard. Sometimes the modifications include a new invention, but they always are the result of truly creative work. And there are of course the very few masters who create their own movement from scratch.

There is one AHCI member who, to my eyes at least, works in the German tradition: Rainer Nienaber.

Herr Nienaber has been a member of the AHCI since 1993, then mainly on the merit of his clocks. These are truly magnificent pieces, and will be the subject of another article.

The workshop in Bünde, state of Westphalia.

His first wristwatches were produced in small quantities in 1995, and from the start it was clear that his designs were truly his, and even though broadly speaking in the German tradition, not derived from other designs. One distinctive feature on many Nienaber watches is the patented King Size date. Today one associates large dates mainly with the Glashütte manufacturers, but this is not traditionally a feature of German watches. One of its earliest uses was by Mimo in the thirties, and Ulysse Nardin was co-responsible for its revival along with Lange. The Nienaber version differs from all others by not having a division between the digits, and also by its position at 3. Another advantage is that single-digit dates are shown in the middle of the window. This is achieved by a two-ring mechanism, the subject of another article to come.

Another line is a series of watches sporting an XL-date, including a GMT. More recently he has also presented further complications, including a jumping hour watch, a retrograde hour watch and a prototype of a very special regulator.

Herr Nienaber also regularly creates a limited series of watches built around NOS vintage movements, mainly from the Pforzheimer Uhrenrohwerkenfabrik (PUW). These workhorses are extensively modified and refined.

The Nienaber Edition 2002

The Edition 2002 is no exception. This time a PUW 1663 was chosen, the last movement produced in the old West Germany in the late seventies, and a limited series of fifty were produced.

Standard PUW 1663

Nienaber 1663

The original version was a robust and reliable, but rather plain movement, which was developed to compete with the more common ETAs, and possibly with the Spezimatic and Spezichron from the GDR. Mr Nienaber has completely stripped the movement, refinished all parts, added more functional jewels (now 26 in stead of 17-21), introduced a German-made RUFA shock resistance, and a hack second. All parts are now Rhodium-plated. The rotor is a completely new construction, much wider than the original, partly skeletonised and has an 18kt weight. The upper part sports a spiral Côtes de Genève pattern. Except for the rotor bridge (which has so-called Strichschliff, i.e. a line pattern), all plates and bridges (including the balance cock) have fine perlage. This movement has bi-directional winding, but it is motile enough for even small movements to do its work. It has a large balance without screwed weights or fine adjustment, which works at 21600 bph. The rotor is a direct-axle construction without ball bearings. The movement is regulated slightly faster than the usual chronometre standard, and in my particular case yielded ca +5 secs/24h for the first couple of days (dial-up), and about 2-3 on the wrist. Isochronism had noticeable effects during the last 5 % or so of power reserve (ca. 25 sec/24h). Of course only time will tell how this develops.

Under a 10x loupe one can see the odd tool mark, but otherwise the movement is very well finished. All screws are polished almost to a black finish, and cleanly inserted without any marks. The rotor axle could do with a prettier covering, but this is only an aesthetic wish, not a functional one.

The case is produced by Ickler, and in this shape is especially reserved for this watch, and available in steel (even numbers) and steel/gold (odd numbers). It has screwed bar lugs, each with a fine fluting which echoes the bezel. Its 38 mm diameter is comfortable and has presence without being too large, as the trend is today in my opinion. It is held in place by five screws, as is typical for Ickler cases. The finish is near perfect. Its design conveys strength and functionality in its no-nonsense curves rather than elegance, but this is in keeping with the character of the watch. The sapphire crystals (front and back) are perfectly fitted, and seem to be very thick. The crown is not of the screw down type, and is rather small. Winding is extremely smooth, almost as creamy as in a Lange!

The dial has a perfectly executed guilloche pattern in the centre, and a burred, grainy silver appearance along the rim (similar to the dial on the Union Bergter editions). This type of dial finish is difficult to achieve, and some dials I’ve seen do show imperfections (one could see the dial feet attachments shine through the dial surface). I had mine changed (see below), and I am perfectly happy now. The numerals are cleanly printed, as are all the signatures - the latter is printed on the guilloche, which makes it more difficult to get a good result. The numerals are of a type often seen in 19^th and early 20^th century pocket watches from Sachsen, especially in the observer or officer’s watches. The minute/seconds track is divided into thirds, appropriate for the beat frequency. The hands are of a unique shape, and are gold-coloured, partly skeletonised and have luminous filling. The second’s hand has a red enamel dot-shaped filling. The gold-on-silver pattern is sometimes difficult to see in bad lighting conditions, and sometimes made me long for blued hands. However, in daylight the black-red-gold effect is beautiful, and at night the luminous (superluminova?) is perfectly readable. A blue dial with white-metal hands and white numerals is also available.

The Edition 2002 has the date and day apertures of the PUW 1663. The weekday can be switched between English and German, and the date/day are of the quickset type. Changeover happens with a loud click one minute before midnight, and is truly instantaneous.

The watch came in a very unusual box. It is made of untreated cedar wood with gold-coloured signatures and lock. The reason for this choice of material is that Bünde is not only the home of Mr Nienaber. The town also was the centre of the German cigar industry during the twenties. Due to the special aroma of cedar wood, this was the preferred material for cigar cases. The cigar industry in this part of Germany now only consists of a few companies, including a specialist cigar case manufacturer, which continues to produce these cases in the old traditional fashion. They were commissioned to produce the cases exclusively for Nienaber watches, and the result is a handsome, aromatic and practical box, which will even keep the moths out of your closet!

Documentation included a short explanation of the background of the watch and movement and its operation, and a warranty card signed by the master himself. Nothing fancy, but completely adequate.

Mr Nienaber suggested a grey strap, and I have not regretted this. It is from the leg of an ostrich, and is very soft and supple. I have worn it during some of the hottest (and then rainiest!) days of the year in Germany, and it seems to cope well. It is made by Rios, and has a generic Rios buckle. The grey goes very well with the overall appearance of the watch, and highlights the golden touches provided by the hands very well.

On the whole, this watch is remarkable value for money, if one is allowed to mention such a mundane subject as money. I had to keep reminding myself that I am not wearing a watch costing three times what I paid! I am truly impressed with Mr Nienaber’s work, and I am looking forward to get to know his other creations. The 1993 Edition will have the same movement in a 32 mm case, which used to be known as midsize but nowadays is strictly for the ladies. I will still be tempted. Herr Nienaber is also a pleasure to deal with; we spent quite some time on the phone discussing all things horological. His enthusiasm and dedication was evident in everything we discussed. Furthermore, when I told him about the dial problem, he immediately suggested having it replaced, and I received the watch back within three working days. In the watch box he had even included a five Euro banknote for my postage… A true gentleman!

In part 2 I will present some other Nienaber creations: the King-Size date, the Jumping Hours, the Retrograde and a surprise. In part 3 I hope to have a look at his clocks, where it all started.

Version 0.2

Copyright Bernard Farkin

Picture credits: Rainer Nienaber, Rob Hickson

I would like to thank Mr Hickson for his kind permission to reproduce the Nienaber 2002 pictures from his site. And of course Mr Nienaber himself for his patience, dedication and sense of humour in dealing with difficult customers like me…