Cinema
The reason for a maltese cross
When developing the miniature device for producing the galloping horse image, Konstantin Chaykin constructed a miniature version of Eadweard Muybridge’s zoopraxiscope, which Chaykin improved by adding a shutter and a Geneva drive with a wheel in the shape of a Maltese cross. This is how, at the end of the 19th century, the pioneers of cinematography adopted the idea of converting continuous rotation into intermittent rotation from watchmakers, and used the well-known watchmaking tradition of a drive wheel in the shape of a Maltese cross.
Production
There is something special about observing the watch being built. It is not just a mechanical process, but a true art in which the meticulous work of the master craftsman is combined with the precision of technical thinking. Assembling a watch is something that can fascinate, inspire and convey a sense of wonder.
Built into the movement is a miniature zoopraxiscope showing a running horse filmed by Maybridge. If you press the button, you can see the movie that started the history of cinema!
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Movement
The caliber K.06-0 of the Cinema watch was developed by Konstantin Chaykin and is equipped with a miniature zoopraxiscope, a mechanical animation device that shows the image of a galloping horse. The movement is made entirely in Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture according to the standards of haute horlogerie, using traditional techniques for finishing the components: Côtes de Genève, perlage, fine straight and circular grinding, hand-polished chamfers, engravings, polished screw, pin and jewel recesses, ball polishing of the pivots and rhodium plating. A special feature of the movement is the use of five gold chatons, two of which are attached with screws, and a ‘Pac-Man’ regulator, developed by Konstantin Chaykin for fine adjustment of the hairspring.
Caliber: K.06-0, hand-wound, made by Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture
Power reserve: 45 hours
Functions: – Hours and minutes; – Mechanical zoopraxiscope
Case
With the design of the Cinema watch, Konstantin Chaykin attempts to reawaken the feeling of those times when film and photographic equipment was mechanical. The Cinema watch and its historical predecessors are related not only by their appearance, for example, a rectangular metal case with slightly rounded corners, black relief decoration, convex glass lens, fluted sides and a dial reminiscent of an old camera lens, with the hour and minute scales shaped as lens rings, but also by the fact that everything about its design is functional. The semi-circular protrusion in the lower part of the case is for the obturator – a miniature rotating shutter that closes the aperture of the zoopraxiscope when the image changes to prevent the animation from becoming blurred. Konstantin Chaykin used the convex protrusions on the sides of the case so that the diameter of the disc with the images of the galloping horse could be as large as possible to make the animation impressive.
Case dimensions: 47.6×37.6 mm; 13.8 mm thick
Zoopraxiscope for a wristwatch
The images in the animation change every 0.07 seconds during operation, with the shutter operating at the same speed. The winding crown and the button for starting the animation are located symmetrically on the sides of the case, at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively. The winding crown is used to wind both the caliber and the zoopraxiscope mechanism. When it is turned clockwise, it winds the caliber barrel to keep the watch running, and counterclockwise – the animation barrel.
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