The Grand Cœur

From Maurice de Mauriac -

Courtesy of Maurice de Mauriac

I'm not going to lie to you sports fans, I'm conflicted by this one. I've shared the Hyperion lobby with Daniel Dreifuss on more than one occasion, and he is charming beyond belief. I genuinely enjoy seeing him every year, and I am sorry to have missed him this year. I can't really say the same for at least one of the heirs apparent, but life moves forward, and with luck they will grow into their roles and carry the brand forward. 

If you're a fan of hyperbole, put on a napkin, because this press release is dripping with it -

Next generation takes over family run watch brand Maurice de Mauriac Zurich

Grand Cœur – the first watch of the Dreifuss brothers

12 November 2020 – Grand Cœur. This is the name of the new watch from the Zurich brand Maurice de Mauriac. The watch is the birth certificate for a new era: The Grand Cœur is the first watch developed only by Massimo and Leonard Dreifuss, the sons of founder Daniel Dreifuss, who are now taking over the sceptre.

To mark this new era the brothers have worked tirelessly to bring out the Grand Cœur. From its conception, to its design and development, brothers Massimo (28) and Leonard Dreifuss (25), have built the Grand Cœur, as both a homage to their father and as a beacon emblematic of the future vision the brand hopes to embark on. The watch aims to symbolise and honour life, and is therefore customised with its own personalised heartbeat for its wearer.

So anyway...
Back to the watch -

To mark this new era the brothers have worked tirelessly to bring out the Grand Cœur. From its conception, to its design and development, brothers Massimo (28) and Leonard Dreifuss (25), have built the Grand Cœur, as both a homage to their father and as a beacon emblematic of the future vision the brand hopes to embark on. The watch aims to symbolise and honour life, and is therefore customised with its own personalised heartbeat for its wearer.

Grand Cœur – a watch with a heart

For their first creation, the Dreifuss brothers have opted for an exceptional Manufacture movement with a high degree of transparency in a typical Maurice de Mauriac case. The heart of the watch beats behind the red sapphire crystal of the "L3 sees red", the last watch developed by their father, which is used as the red crystal back for the Grand Cœur and reveals the mechanical automatic movement.

The Grand Cœur pulses with the Concepto Manufacture REF 3038 calibre, an automatic movement with a central rotor. It beats 28,800 times per hour, has an Incabloc shock protection system, 29 jewels and 48 hours of power reserve. For the Grand Cœur, the balance wheel and escapement are moved to the top of the movement. The titanium case with a diameter of 45mm has a DLC coating, a domed sapphire crystal and screw-down pushers. The strap is made of rubber with red stitching.

Pop-up store in the heart of Zurich

The Grand Cœur is available online, in the Zurich shop and from 19 November to 24 December in the pop-up store at Bleicherweg 10 in the heart of Zurich for 11,145 GBP / 14,700 USD. The watch is limited to 48 pieces. The number stands for the place where the Grand Cœur comes to life and where the heart of the Grand Cœur first beat - in the Atelier at Tödistrasse 48 in Zurich.

Courtesy of Maurice de Mauriac

Now myself, I am not too crazy about anything "pulsing" near my hand, but maybe that's just me.

At just south of $15,000, I hope it also makes espresso. You gotta' be able to punch your weight, and this one is, I'm sorry to say, a bit of a stretch. Once you get to that price point, you have a lot of options. But we will wait, and we will see. And let's hope it is a success.