Martin Braun - The watchmaker who measured the sky

There are creators in watchmaking who follow rules. But there are also those who rewrite them. Martin Braun belongs to the second category: a watchmaker who has dedicated his career to trying to capture the movement of the sky inside a mechanical heart.

His relationship with time was neither linear nor "industrial". It was astronomical. From an early age, Braun was fascinated by stellar orbits, the changing length of the day, the geometry of the sun and the precision of natural phenomena. His calculations went beyond what we normally experience in horology - simple readings - and reached the level of astrophysics.

EOS - The complication that established him

His most iconic work was undoubtedly the EOS: a mechanical clock that calculates the sunrise and sunset based on the exact geographical position of the wearer. Not approximately; not with a ready-made disc; but with actual astronomical calculations.

EOS was a revolution. For the first time, the essence of the day - light - was mechanically replicated, with each watch becoming unique, tailored to a particular person's position on Earth. To achieve this, Braun combined the geometry of the ecliptic, latitude/longitude, seasonal inequality and the diurnal tilt of the sun into a single mechanical "equation".

It was one of the most poetic complications of modern watchmaking.

The brief collaboration with the Franck Muller Group

The success of EOS and Braun's reputation attracted the interest of the Franck Muller Group, which he joined in early 2000. However, this partnership - contrary to initial expectations - proved to be temporary and not particularly constructive.

Braun, as a creator who operated with complete freedom and idiosyncrasy, found himself in an environment that did not fit his philosophy. The Group provided technical means, but not the independent atmosphere that his works demanded. His large, free-flowing astronomical projects did not thrive there as much as he had hoped.

He soon took a difficult but necessary decision: to become completely independent again.

Manufacture Horlogère Obwalden & ANTOINE MARTIN - The next chapter

Wanting to regain his entrepreneurial and creative autonomy, Braun founded his own Manufacture in Alpnach, Switzerland: the Manufacture Horlogère Obwalden (MHO).

And there, without any limitations, a new vision was born: the ANTOINE MARTIN brand.

While the "Martin Braun" brand had become known for its poetic, almost philosophical indications of the sky, ANTOINE MARTIN aimed much higher: for ultra-modern, large, complicated and premium mechanical watches with impressive cases and high-tech in-house movements.

The Quantième Perpétuel series, the Tourbillon, the large balance wheels and the impressive bridges were proof that Braun could also move on a level of haute horlogerie that went beyond the romanticism of the EOS. It was his other side: that of the master mechanic.

Although the ANTOINE MARTIN brand did not conquer a mass audience due to its high cost and independent structure, it remains to this day one of the most interesting assets of the independent watchmaking industry.

The revival of his creations - Schaumburg Watch

Today, Braun's designs have found new life through Schaumburg Watch in Germany. The company has approached his original astronomical creations with respect, purity and technical maturity, bringing them back to life without altering their essence.

The modern Martin Braun by Schaumburg watches are a continuation of the original ideas: elegant, precise, with that special serenity that only watches that "talk" to the sky can have.

Greece on the map - A collaboration signed by The-Watchmaker

As the official representative of Schaumburg Watch in Greece, our workshop has taken on a unique role: the manufacture of personalized Martin Braun EOS exclusively for the Greek market.

Each EOS is set according to:

• the latitude and longitude of the owner
• the exact location of permanent residence
• the actual east & west data for this particular part of Greece

From Athens and Thessaloniki, to small islands or remote areas, each watch becomes unique: a personal astronomical instrument, made in collaboration with Schaumburg and set in The-Watchmaker's workshop.

It is a continuation of Braun's philosophy - and at the same time a new application of it, which lives through our own work.

Epilogue - Time as a natural phenomenon

Martin Braun never saw time as a simple measurement. He saw it as light, as a trajectory, as a relationship between man and heaven. And today, through Schaumburg Watch and our contribution, this philosophy is not only preserved, but evolves.

Every EOS that comes out of our laboratory in Greece is not a simple complication. It is proof that time can still tell stories.