Swiss inventor and architect Ulrich Van-Heusen was a master craftsman who dedicated himself to his trade. He lived in an era when only the wealthy could afford a timepiece. But in 1923, Van-Heusen completed his first automatic calendar watch - only one of seven he ever completed. It displayed not only the time, but also the date, day and month; and it was the first to designate the difference between AM and PM. Van-Heusen named his brand Steinhausen after the region in Switzerland from where his family came. He was steadfast in his belief that wristwatches, not the prevalent pocket watch, would eventually become an item people could not live without. And he was correct! The Great Depression almost eliminated handmade watches of this quality. One that remains today fetched $300,000 at auction. Wristwatches became the must-have item for people of all social strata, but the distinguished gentry continued to buy Steinhausen's handcrafted marvels.
Steinhausen continues its reputation of producing the finest workmanship and classy designs. And now, we are pleased to re-introduce the original Steinhausen model with stylish updates. Like the original Steinhausen, each watch is painstakingly reproduced by hand from 185 genuine Swiss parts. Then it is so rigorously tested for two weeks that just six percent of movements made end up in a Steinhausen. Swiss automatic movement standards allow for an accuracy of +25/-27 seconds per day and the Steinhausen watches rate +15/-13 seconds per day, making it more accurate.
The Limited Edition Leonardo follows the tradition of displaying the movement through exhibition frontcase and backcase. The sweeping second-hand movement, brushed and polished stainless steel, and gold tone dial with Roman numerals is included, too. However, they added hand-cut precious sapphire gemstones from Vietnam to the buttons to add a rich luster, 21 jewels aid movement and accuracy; and interchangeable brown, black leather and gold/stainless steel wristbands to match whatever you're wearing.
