Winnerl Heart Return, Limited edition for A Collected Man

The history

When watchmaker Bernhard Zwinz began charting the rebirth of the J. Th. Winnerl name, he was most inspired by the marine chronometre No. 80 that the 19th century Austrian master had created. It was a marvel of technical achievement and miniaturisation and Zwinz hoped to translate it for contemporary parlance.

While he began the journey with the Founder’s Series, and followed it up with the Tremblage in 2020, behind the scenes Zwinz was working studiously on the new calibre CW03. Over six years, he layered history with micro-mechanics in the pursuit of bringing the marine chronometre No. 80’s jumping power reserve to a wristwatch for the very first time. However, it wasn’t simply a desire to replicate such a jumping reserve indicator that drove Zwinz. He was drawn to the efficiency that such a set up offered. By taking just seven reads of the reserve over the course of 49 hours, the power reserve display’s mechanics wouldn’t exert a constant drag on the mainspring. This is the mechanical advantage Zwinz has successfully pursued in the CW03.

The calibre

The miniaturisation of the jumping power reserve is possible due to an architecture that employs a differential to coordinate the many interactions needed for the winding of the mainspring and the jumping power reserve indication and for all this to happen on a small footprint. The differential features a wheel with a single finger which works with a star wheel that underpins the jumping power reserve.

J. Th. Winnerl’s other notable innovation, the ingenious application of the heart-shaped reset cam to create some of the first split-second chronographs, was a technological detail Zwinz wanted to deploy meaningfully in the new calibre. While the cam has been key to the reset function of all chronographs since, in the CW03 Zwinz found it best suited to the purpose of precise time-setting in – pulling the crown out to set the time resets the seconds indicator to 12 o’clock or the zero position, allowing precise synchronisation with a reference.

Since Zwinz started from a blank sheet, he designed the calibre to elevate the function of the heart-shaped cam and makes its function – usually buried deep within the mechanics of chronographs – visually accessible to the wearer.

To do this, Zwinz designed a long pinion with another differential to run the width of the movement, anchoring the seconds hand on the dial-side and linked to the visible heart-shaped cam on the movement side.

This of course marks a visual evolution from the minimal three-quarter plate architecture of past Winnerl references. In the CW03, the familiar three-quarter plate, adorned with fine Côtes de Genève, features a cutout for the heart-shaped cam and the rounded hammer that engages it. The cam is set against a tessellated and brushed bridge to distinguish it from the Côtes de Genève of the three-quarter plate. It is a treatment fitting for a detail that lends the Heart Return its name.

Another detail of the power reserve is the end-of-life function. The power reserve registers 49 hours since the mainspring was fully wound. Beyond this, the wearer has three hours in which to wind the watch again, effectively offering 52 hours of chronometric reserve. After this, instead of allowing unacceptable timekeeping, the balance is blocked and the movement comes to a controlled stop.

When the wearer begins to wind the watch again, the mainspring, which always retains a healthy reserve (not intended for timekeeping), uses this energy to set the balance in motion without any delay.

In addition to these refinements, the calibre CW03, which measures 33mm across and 5.15mm deep, features a newly optimised Swiss lever escapement developed by Zwinz for improved energy transmission. Its efficiency proved approximately 20% higher than initially expected, requiring a modification of the mainspring which had already been specifically developed and produced for the CW03.

The movement is finished to the quality Zwinz is known for. The finishing of the skeletonised balance bridge, with its mirrored angles, is superlative, as is the Côtes de Genève on the three-quarter plate. The brand mark and serial number are hand engraved.

The case and dial

The calibre is cased in stainless-steel. Measuring 39.9mm across and standing 10.35mm tall, it is sandwiched by sapphire crystals on both dial- and movement-sides. The cambered bezels on the dial and movement sides are screwed on to a slim midcase. This construction offers 100m of water resistance, a rarity in fine horology. The form of the substantial, knurled crown is designed to bring to mind the key that winding key on old marine chronometres.

The lugs are defined by recesses, forming a clear, architectural shape. A subtle taper towards the strap adds direction and lightness.

The dial is crafted from crystallised titanium – the process involves treating titanium to heat in a controlled manner to bring out the metal’s crystal lattice that lies just beneath the surface. The patterns produced, unique and entirely natural, as well as the shade the titanium takes, depend on the temperature employed. This inaugural expression of the Heart Return with a grey crystallised dial is created in a limited series of six pieces for A Collected Man.

As with every Winnerl dial, all furniture is relief engraved. These details are polished to visually distinguish them from the rest of the dial. The Breguet-style hours and minutes hands are polished, heat blued and then polished again so their hollow apertures and pointer ends and bases offer visual contrast. The thin seconds hand and the slightly more substantial power reserve hand are also heat blued.

The serial number – in sequence from the historic pieces J. Th. Winnerl created – is retained, as is the visible screw in the subsidiary seconds register. These, together with the power reserve display, bring the dial aesthetic of the Heart Return harmony and closely in line with that of the marine chronometer No. 80.

Our appreciation

We have long admired the quiet, considered style of watchmaking, centring mechanical innovation and functionality, that Bernhard Zwinz brings to the world. This was evident in the work he did for Philippe Dufour, Greubel Forsey, Roger Dubuis, Maximilian Büsser and Gerd-Rüdiger Lang among others. Zwinz, much like his 19th century kindred spirit Joseph Thaddäus Winnerl, has earned the title of being watchmaker to watchmakers.

His newest chapter as an independent maker benefits from the mechanical skills and aesthetic he has honed over decades. It is a matter of joy that his latest and most significant watch, the Heart Return is being launched as a six-piece exclusive for A Collected Man.

A Collected Man is an authorised retailer for Winnerl. Learn more about the watchmaker and his independent brand here.

Closer look

Condition & Warranty

This Winnerl Heart Return is a brand new watch, and such is preserved in the condition in which it was finished by the watchmakers. The watch comes with a lifetime guarantee of authenticity from A Collected Man as well as the remaining duration of the manufacturer warranty from Winnerl.