In-Depth: Worldwide Exclusive: Daniel Malchert Introduces His Own Watch, Born In Germany

July 10, 2013

The First Daniel Malchert Watch As a first-grader, Daniel Malchertwas already taking apart alarm clocks. Its not hard to imagine that he haswanted to be a watchmaker ever since. Malchert, now 32, represents the fourthgeneration of watchmakers in his family, continuing almost a century oftradition that began with his great-grandfather Georg in 1919 in Quedlinburg,Germany.In case youre not familiar withQuedlinburg, dont worry. Not many people are. A relatively small townpopulated by about 20,000 people, it is located just north of the Harzmountains in the state of Saxony-Anhalt C a good couple hundred kilometers fromGlashtte, the buzzing horological center of German watchmaking. Picturesque Quedlinburgis a UNESCO world heritage site and its townscape is characterized byhistorical red-roofed, half-timbered buildings. And it is here that GeorgMalchert founded what surely would have become a flourishing dynasty of proudwatchmakers, had World War II not upset the flow. Fortunately though, theMalcherts survived both the devastating war time and the ensuing iron curtaingovernment with business intact. No small feat, indeed. Historic Quedlinburg, image via Wikimedia Commons Daniels grandfather (also namedGeorg) took over the workshop in 1956, which miraculously was not engulfed byany of the East German combines, though it was administrated as a peoplestrade organization. Alongside running his own business, Georg also performedservice as an official part of the government organization. After Germanreunification, Daniels father Axel reopened the shop in its previousincarnation. And this brings us to Daniel. Daniel Malchert At Work I met Daniel Malchert more than adecade ago under interesting circumstances. I had taken on the challenge ofdoing a two-week internship at Nomos C which is definitely a story foranother day C landing in the retail shop housed in the building that wasFerdinand Adolph Langes first workshop in Glashtte. Two service watchmakerswere in charge of the shop at that time: one of them was Thilo Dettler, now incharge of assembly at Nomos, and the other was Daniel Malchert. We built aninstant rapport and to this day every time a song by Electric Light Orchestraplays, I am instantly transported back to those two pleasant weeks of discovery(the young watchmakers had apparently just discovered ELO and were quiteaddicted during my time there). Nomos recognized the drive andtalent slumbering inside Malchert early on. So much so that shortly after myprolonged stay in the German Mecca of watchmaking, he was put in the enviableposition of co-manufacturing a limited-edition series of 25 tourbillons.Completely by hand. The Wempe Tourbillon Malchert Worked On Movement designer Thierry Albert(who has meanwhile gone to work for Tutima, merely one building over) had createda tourbillon for Wempes new line of watches, which Malchert had the privilegeof literally making by hand for two years with the patience of a saint. With the exception of the platinum case, dial, crystal,and hands, I had to make just about every other part by hand: screws, pins,pillars, chatons, wheels, you name it, he explained in his typically modestway at the time. You cant buy the things needed for such an exclusivemovement. Including assembly, the watches necessitated a good 800 work-hoursin total C five full months from Malchert. The First Daniel Malchert Watch Working his way up through theranks, it was natural he would find himself side-by-side with the skillful, experiencedAlbert. But the young master watchmakers own family tradition and a need torealize his own projects led him to leave his secure job at Nomos after elevenyears and return to Quedlinburg with his wife and two small children. Hecontinues to maintain a great relationship with Nomos, and they evencollaborate on various projects. But right now, Daniel Malchert is prouder thanever to have realized a dream of his: the first watch bearing his own name onthe dial. The Daniel Malchert Watch In Profile I have known of this first watchsexistence for quite some time, but could not imagine how it would look or whatit would become. Typically, however, it has ended up being an extension of theman himself and the background that has shaped him: understated, quietlyaesthetic, non-pretentious, and decidedly a product of its surroundings. The Nomos Alpha Movement Finished By Daniel Malchert Malchertexplains that this first watch can be seen as an homage to the Schlossberg, thehistorical church made of local sandstone that towers over Quedlinburg, drawingevery set of eyes up its twin towers and confirming its presence as theprominent landmark of his arrestingly charming hometown. The Schlossberg watchis, in essence, a representation of that which has made him what he is: aGlashtte heart beating inside the understated beauty of his hometown on theoutside. Good craftsmanship is present in all the details of my watches, hesays. This first model contains hand-engraving and gold-plated plates, whilethe surfaces of the [typically Glashtte] three-quarter plate are grainedaccording to old traditions. Malchert's Elegant Gold Plating And Finishing Techniques The biggest point of interest for any watch nerd is, of course, themovement. And if you are a real watch nerd, you will have already recognizedthe base movement here from its structure, which includes a prominentthree-quarter plate: Nomos Caliber Alpha. The color might have thrownyou off, though; in Malcherts workshop almost each one of the 100 componentsis finished by hand. Graining the movement gives it afine, matte appearance, while gold plating makes it bright, luxurious, andbeautiful. No Glashtte ribbing or Geneva waves for this movement; the frostedfinish is more than enough to decorate it. Looking closely, you will also seethat the edges have been smartly beveled and polished, while the jewel bushings,screw heads and all other steel parts have been mirror-polished. Each and everymovement has a registered serial number.Malchert also relates aninteresting story regarding this watchs unusual minute hand. Looking aroundin my grandfathers spare parts box for pocket watches, I found a hand likethis and I immediately fell in love with it. The obvious circle at the end ofit (which might confuse the casual observer as it juts out way past the arborin an unorthodox manner) ensures that the dial looks different at any given minuteof the day, like a floating picture frame. Though the stainless steel handsthemselves are manufactured by a supplier according to his specifications,Malchert personally polishes them and tempers them a deep cornflower blue. Clean Dial And Idiosyncratic Hands Malchert is setting his sights onclassicism; he obviously believes that his watch will become a family heirloom.Making a stainless steel case in a 36 mm diameter in the present day in my eyesis a huge plus point. Its not going to be for everyone, but it will indeedretain its freshness for decades to come. Malchert, however, had a technicalreason for the case size. It was important to me that all numerals on the dialhave the same size and distance from each other, he expounds. Since thedistance between the minutes and seconds was already predetermined by themeasurements of the Alpha, the size of my watch represents the optimalrelationship between technology and design. And a positive side effect of allof this is that C like a Nomos C it is perfect as a unisex timepiece. The 36mm Case And Modern Dial Of Daniel Malchert's First Watch At 6.5mm, Malchert's Watch Is Very Thin The case height is a mere 6.5 mm,keeping it incredibly dressy and elegant. It comes on a hand-sewnchocolate-colored English calfskin strap and retails for around 3,000. Formore details, contact Daniel Malchert at [email protected]. Or betteryet, take a German vacation and go see him. You wont regret it.You can also visit Daniel Malchert online.