Moritz Grossmann Gives the Tefnut 36 a Turquoise Silver-Friction Dial

Moritz Grossmann’s latest anniversary watch takes the quietest route to being memorable.

The Tefnut 36 Silver-Plated by Friction Turquoise Blue is a compact dress watch with a dial made using a demanding 19th-century technique, then sharpened with turquoise Roman numerals and heat-annealed blue hands.

It’s limited to 12 pieces, and it neatly captures the Glashütte manufacture’s taste for traditional craft without letting the watch feel old-fashioned.

At a glance

A compact Tefnut with Glashütte restraint

The Tefnut is Moritz Grossmann’s dress-watch line, and this 36mm version leans into that role with a slim 8.5mm profile and a fully polished three-part steel case.

Its proportions are deliberately restrained, with gently tapering lugs and a broad, flat winding crown that adds a practical note to an otherwise formal silhouette.

The watch marks the 200th anniversary of Carl Moritz Grossmann’s birth, a fitting occasion for a model that favours craft, precision and a certain Saxon understatement over obvious decoration.

Grossmann, born in Dresden in 1826, became one of the important figures in Glashütte watchmaking through his mechanical workshop, specialist tools, precision instruments and role in co-founding the German School of Watchmaking.

The silver-friction dial gets a turquoise accent

The dial is where this Tefnut separates itself from a more conventional small dress watch.

Moritz Grossmann uses silver-plating by friction, a hand-applied process that creates a softly grained, matte surface rather than a bright metallic sheen.

Before that stage, the Roman numerals are engraved into the brass dial base, filled with turquoise lacquer and fired in a kiln until hardened.

The period-style “M. Grossmann” signature, railway minute track, small seconds scale and “Made in Germany” text are rendered in black lacquer, giving the dial a crisp graphic frame around the warmer silvered surface.

The silvering mixture combines pure silver powder, salt, cream of tartar and water, then it’s brushed on and rubbed in by hand to create the fine texture.

Once the excess is removed, the dial is lightly polished and sealed with a thin lacquer coating to help protect the silver from tarnishing.

The hands are another Grossmann calling card, made in-house from steel, shaped with diamond files and annealed over an open flame to achieve their blue tone.

Their sharp tips and hand-polished chamfers suit the dial’s precision, while the turquoise numerals give the watch a more contemporary temperament than its historical technique might suggest.

Calibre 102.1 and the view through the caseback

Inside is the manufacture calibre 102.1, a hand-wound movement measuring just 3.45mm high.

The architecture is recognisably Saxon, with an untreated German silver three-fifths plate, broad Glashütte ribbing and polished bevels visible through the sapphire caseback.

The stepped balance cock is hand-engraved with a floral motif and a discreet “1826” detail, while the Grossmann micrometre screw adds a technical signature near the regulating organ.

In a nod to 19th-century pocket watches, the movement uses clear white sapphires rather than synthetic rubies, with three jewels set in solid gold chatons.

The violet-brown heat-annealed screws bring another subtle layer of colour, less familiar than bright blued screws and very much in keeping with Grossmann’s taste for quieter finishing decisions.

The calibre runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers a 48-hour power reserve.

Details & Specifications

The Tefnut 36 Silver-Plated by Friction Turquoise Blue will speak most directly to collectors who value handwork at close range rather than spectacle from across the room.

Its appeal sits in the tension between old Glashütte technique and an unexpected colour choice, making it one of the more quietly distinctive pieces in Moritz Grossmann’s anniversary run.