Amazon.com Product Description
Frank Sinatra also known as "The Chairman of the Board" once said, "The best revenge is massive success." That success is what separates ordinary men from Chairmen of the Boards everywhere. Everything about a Chairman says sophistication and effortless elegance. Your timepiece should say no less. By definition, the Chairman of the Board is the highest-ranking officer in a corporation. The Gotham Chairman ranks high for Stührling Original too. Enjoy the ride as the Gotham Chairman sails you into success. In the world of horology, a timepiece that gives you the day of the week, the date, the month AND the year, all within the parameters of a mechanically driven engine (as opposed to a battery operated movement with a computer chip) is regarded as a Grand Calendar multi-complication work of art. The ingenuity required for a Grand Calendar defies logic. Just stop and think about how many revolutions a second hand must make in order for the month to change on a watch? How about a year!? When you really ponder what is going on inside that case that you strap to your wrist, without the aid of a computer chip…it really is mind boggling. And then for good measure how about adding an animated AM/PM indicator as another complication on top of a Grand Calendar? And when we at Stührling Original set out to produce such a mechanical marvel, we spared no expense in wrapping this fantastic achievement in a package fit for any Chairman. Let’s begin with the massive yet ever so elegant and graceful rectangular shaped case…our Gotham case. Almost as big as the island of Manhattan itself, the Gotham case features a topside with an aggressive curvature and sports rounded edges. Milled from a solid bar of 316L surgical grade stainless steel and finished with a high polish, the heft alone of the Gotham Chairman suggests that this is a watch for heavyweights only! The magnificent case frames the oversized and curved Krysterna™ crystal and boasts heavy duty lugs with applied bolt heads for a look of substance and style. To go with this spectacular case, the Chairman presents a face that you will never get tired of looking at! The inner dial has been hydraulically stamped with a sun-ray design and the sub-dials are struck with a concentric circle design. The outer portion of the dial has a satin finish and the embossed Arabic numerals are stylishly fanned out around the dial and lapped with color. Of course, a chairman’s look is never complete without his fine tobacco cigar, and the Gotham Chairman has its cigar style hands topped with super Luminova™ to make you look like a million dollars day or night. The crown on the Chairman is a stainless steel knurled edge crown with the embossed Stührling emblem and to control the complications, you have recessed pushers on both sides of the case…yet another touch of class! On the flip side, the Gotham Chairman has all the bells and whistles. Peering through the decorated screw-down exhibition case-back with beveled edges, you will see the spectacular 21-jewel mechanical automatic movement in all its glory, fully decorated with Côtes de Genève, accented with blued steel screws, and completed by a Damier finished rotor with an engraved Stührling Original logo. This Chairman is water resistant to 50 meters and is mounted on a 22 millimeter wide alligator embossed genuine French leather strap. The push-button dual deployant clasp with the Stührling signature logo completes this incredible timepiece in true Gotham City style!
The Stuhrling Original Story
With dedication to the heritage of Swiss watchmaking, Stuhrling Original timepieces appeal to the most discriminating taste at reasonable prices. The company has roots dating back to the 1800's when Switzerland emerged as the global leader in watchmaking. Stuhrling Original remains committed to its mission of preserving the high standards set in Switzerland manufacturing all of their fine timepieces in their Swiss-owned factory! Each and every model conveys an inimitable story with extraordinary style. You'll find heirloom selections for both men and women that even the most astute watch collector will cherish and admire.
In the workshops of Stuhrling Original, the unit specializing in mechanical movements, component selection, assembly, lubrication, adjustment and testing creates horological wonders entirely under vigilant attention of Swiss ownership and supervision. It is these workshops that produce the mechanical engines that are famous for meeting the highest existing criteria in there category. Starting with the main plate, the assembly process is performed in several consecutive stages up until anchoring the balance spring, which sets the watch into motion. Assembling a Stuhrling Original mechanical automatic movement comprises no less than 30 checkpoints, spread throughout the assembly process. Adjusting the angle of lift of the pallets, centering the balance-spring, poising the balance are just a few examples of these checkpoints; of which all are designed to enhance the performance of each movement. The movement must meet no less than seven criteria, including a mean variation in rate which is the highest standard in the industry in its class.
Stuhrling Original cases are distinguished by their technical complexity, their high-end aesthetic appeal and the quality of their finish.
The watch cases are made from antimagnetic 316L surgical grade stainless steel, an extremely sophisticated alloy designed to stand up to intensive use. The rough parts, known as "middlecases" are blanked from a metal bar using a high-performance press. They then undergo eight successive stamping operations of a strength increasing gradually from 20 to 85 tons. Before each swaging operation, the middlecase is refired at a temperature of 1100 degrees Celsius, so as to temporarily reduce the hardness to a total stamping pressure of more than 400 tons. Finishing the cases then calls for fifteen polishing operations, all performed by hand alternating with nine baths guaranteeing immaculate cleanliness. Other components of the cases, such as rotating bezels or rider tabs also require a meticulous finish. The components of the cases are finally assembled by hand and rigorously tested.
Each Stuhrling Original dial has been designed to enable optimal read-off at a glance, while adding an element of artistic design. Stuhrling Original's dials are blanked from a brass plate and two cylindrical feet are soldered below to ensure security
with the movement. Polishing operations, creating special effects through the use of vintage hydraulic German machines, and electroplating are just some of the more than forty operations required to make most StuhrlingOriginal dials. The transparent protective coating is applied in an immaculately clean environment before the various inscriptions are transfer printed using a gelatin pad which takes an impression from an inked block. On many of the dials the hour markers are either individually applied by hand or embossed into the dial and then topped with a special dye. The application of Super Luminova is performed by artisans with a nozzle pen connected to a high-pressure pipe which calls for intense concentration. Once finished, each dial undergoes careful aesthetic scrutiny under extreme magnification, as well as technical testing, to ensure it complies with all predefined dimensions and specifications.
Through meticulous labor, rigorous testing and examination of each timepiece by expert horologists, the vision of the
Stuhrling Original timepiece is brought to life inside our workshops, where...
