Grönefeld Principia 1941 Matte Turquoise

The first time-only watch from the Horological Brothers, as well as being their first with automatic winding, the Principia follows on from the mind-blowing 1941 Remontoire from the Horological Brothers at Gronefeld. It shares the same amazing design and fastidious attention to detail as its older brother, but with less complication but more practicality. It is, in our opinion, perhaps the ultimate daily piece of haute horology.

The money is in the movement with watches such as these, and Gronefeld make some of the most stunning movements in the business. This stems from two things, the first being their distinctive architecture which is unlike any other, and secondly from their use of materials. While most manufacturers use easy to machine brass for movement components, the Horological Brothers choose to go the hard route, literally. Major components such as all bridges are constructed in stainless steel, a material that is notoriously much more labour intensive to machine and finish compared with rhodium, German silver, gold or brass favoured by other brands. With over a dozen different types of finish, combined with the unique colours from the steel, gold and rubies, it's a feast for the eyes with a finishing level second to not many. Each movement takes a minimum of 4 weeks to totally hand assemble and finish.

Usually, full rotors on high end pieces which feature amazing finishing as their MO is not our thing, but this is perhaps the only piece where it adds rather than distracts from the view underneath. This is for a few reasons, the first being the sheer thickness of the battle-axe type rotor, which when compared with one from a Patek makes the latter feel fairly underdone. The second is the finish, with the super sharp and deep beveling combined with the frosted finish, to make it look like a beautiful battle axe swinging across the movement. Lastly, this also make it much more efficient than a micro-rotor, and far more practical than a manual wind.

But unlike some others, this is not just a movement watch. While most default to the awesome dial colours available, it's actually the case that impresses most. Images do not do it justice, but it is a very unique design, with it's buttress type lugs, concave bezel that is stepped at 6 and 12, and sunken sloped mid-case giving it a sporty but elegant look. This is no pure dress watch, it's more of a daily wearer with the ability to slip into the evening.

But, the dial is also something to behold. Available in a multitude of colours, the solid 925 sterling silver dial is coated in a turquoise paint, that is matte so does not have any shine to it, absorbing the light and allowing the black polished markers and blued lancette hands to do their thing when it comes to light play. The stepped centre portion of the dial and sub-seconds lends a lovely depth, and the outer rings across these sections adds to this. Choosing a coloured dial for the Principia adds a touch of fun to what can be an altogether super serious category of watch, and it brightens even the dullest of days.

To finish it off it's mounted to a beautiful beige Babele leather strap from HANDDN x Watch Vault which is close to new. It is also delivered with the amazing factory Buffalo strap in blue, with the beautifully detailed Gronefeld tang steel buckle which mimics the case design, and was worn only a handful of times.

This particular piece was delivered in 2024, and remains in TZ Mint condition, with no signs of wear. Please see images for full condition details.

All functions operating as they should, and keeping COSC time.

Comes with outer box, inner box, welcome letter, warranty card and Gronefeld blue Buffalo strap with tang buckle.

Remains under manufacturers warranty until 2026.

The order books have been close for these for 3 years now, so grab this near-new example at close to current RRP.

Brand: Grönefeld

Model #: Principia 1941

Year: 2024

Case Material: Steel

Case details: 39.5mm x 10.5mm

Movement: Gronefeld G-06 Automatic

Dial: Matte Turquoise

Paraphernalia: Outer box, inner box, welcome letter, warranty card and Gronefeld blue Buffalo strap with tang buckle.

TZ Grading: Mint