Jaeger & Benzinger Black Rhodium/Silver Dial Arabic

A New Hand-Made Watch Brand From Germany

Welcome to the small village of Baden-Baden, Germany in the Black Forest, home to Jaeger & Benzinger watches.

Using the traditional German watchmaking techniques of hand guilloche, hand engraving and hand skeletonization each Jaeger & Benzinger watch is essentially a unique piece since these techniques will never produce an exact copy.

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The Dial and Sub-Dial

The first thing you'll notice about this dial is that it is not machine made or printed.  That would be too easy.

This dial is made completely by hand and in the workshops of Jaeger & Benzinger.  The team first creates the dial in sterling silver, and then applies black rhodium to the silver to create the deep anthracite color.

Rhodium is a very rare, naturally occurring member of the platinum group of metals.  The properties are extremely durable, able to resist corrosion, abrasion and discoloration.

The sub-dial is also made completely by hand, and is created on a rose engine.  The process of hand guilloche can take hours, and each pattern is essentially unique because of the hand workmanship.  Once completed, liquid silver anthracite is applied for a stunning contrast to the black rhodium.


The Movement and Finishing

Jaeger & Benzinger have chosen to finish the movement using a traditional East German watchmaking technique - the three-quarter plate.

This plate is first hand guilloched using a traditional sunray pattern and finished with hand engraving.  Finally the plate is finished in rose gold with blued screws and perlage on the base plate.

The balance cock is hand engraved and finished with rhodium, and the movement is protected by a sapphire crystal back.

If you've never seen a movement finished by hand using techniques that date back more than 100 years, you're in for a surprise.


Other Features

This watch is fitted in a stainless steel case made in Pforzheim, Germany with onion crown.

The anti-reflective sapphire crystal is slightly domed contributing to the classic good looks of this watch.  It is interesting to note that the Jaeger & Benzinger chose a style of Arabic italicized numerals found in historical German watchmaking books.

This watch is fitted with a dark gray leather strap with a tang buckle.

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The Packaging - A Special Treat

Even the packaging for Jaeger & Benzinger watches is hand-made in Germany, and quite honestly unlike any other we've seen.

Kay Jaeger explains that the inner case that is used to store the watch can also be used as a travel case.  He contacted a small German specialty manufacturer of leather goods, and together they designed this case exclusively for Jaeger & Benzinger.

The outside material is from ox, while the inside is made from soft deer skin to protect the watch.  This case is entirely hand stitched and tanned, and is itself a work of art.

The outer box is made by a German master restorer of old books, and he uses the same techniques to build this outer box that he uses to restore book covers.