Thomas Prescher-Tempusvivendi Collection: Russian Eagle

The history of the Russian Eagle, or more precisely the Double Eagle, dates back to 23 BC. It was in this year that representations of this mystical animal first appeared on the flag of the Byzantine Empire, remaining a state symbol for Byzantium for many years. How did the Double Eagle of Byzantium become the imperial emblem of Russia? In the ninth century, Swedish and Finnish Vikings invaded the land around the rivers Volga and Dnepr, which they began to settle, finally uniting the different principalities into one large kingdom. The Rus, as these Vikings were now called, were simultaneously frightening warriors and exceptional businessmen and merchants. In order to define the religion of their new kingdom, they sent commissioners to leaders of different religions to evaluate and later report on each religion.

When the commissioners got to Byzantium, they were convinced that they had found the exact image of paradise. Only Byzantium, they thought, could be the source of true religion, glory, and civilization. And so, in the year 988, the kingdom of the Rus converted to Orthodox Christianity. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, czarist Russia took over most of the ceremonies of the Orthodox Church of Byzantium. When Ivan III married the niece of the last emperor of Constantinople, he soon found himself to be the only legitimate heir. Thus, in the sixteenth century, he integrated the insignia of Byzantium, the Double Eagle, into the coat of arms and flag of the Russian Empire. Today, the Double Eagle is once again the traditional symbol of Russia’s state coat of arms – interesting how time sometimes literally flies.



Special Technical Details
Double retrograde indication of time
Continuously running display of minutes and jumping display of hours (temporal display)
Special device for switching between the figure displaying the time and
being in a non-temporal resting position (activated by button in crown).



Movement Information
Diameter 37 mm, including module;Height 7 mm, including module;
Displays: jumping hours (retrograde), minutes (retrograde). each shown by one of the figure’s extremities on a semicircular scale
Winding automatic;Power reserve 40 hours;Number of jewels 25 bearing jewels;Frequency 28800 beats per hour (4Hz); Escapement Swiss lever escapement;Balance spring flat hairspring;Shock protection Incabloc;Decoration completely hand-engraved and gold-plated;Rotor 18-karat gold, completely hand-engraved.

Case Details
Case material 18-karat gold;Diameter 43 mm;Height 16.1 mm;Glass sapphire glass on front (convex) and on back (flat);Crown contains button for activating time display;Dial material onyx or precious metal;Figure 18-karat gold;Index plates 18-karat gold;Name plates 18-karat gold;Water resistance 1 atm (10 meters);Strap hand-cut and –sewn alligator skin uppers and lowers;Buckle 18-karat gold.

Tempusvivendi Collection
Tempusvivendi originates in the golden era of artistic and technical horology of the eighteenth century.This period was not only renowned for some of the greatest horological inventions in history, but was also an epoch in which a watch combined valuable timekeeping properties with a high level of visual artistry and personal pleasure.

The roots of the Tempusvivendi line originate in the early part of the eighteenth century, the golden era of artistic and technical extravaganzas – a time when horologists were developing the first watches with retrograde indications as an alternative to the everyday circular dial.

Retrograde displays are currently enjoying a great revival thanks to their clarity and extreme legibility. The hands move along a semi-circular arc; upon reaching 60 minutes or 12 hours, they spring back to the beginning and start all over again. Retrograde indicators are naturally used to present all kinds of information: date, months, days, temperature, barometric pressure, and much more. In the second quarter of the eighteenth century, the montre en bras represented the second stage of this retrograde development. These types of watches saw retrograde indications combined with etched or cast figures, moving the extreme legibility of the retrograde indication into the world of visual and artistic representation. These early pieces often depicted people, animals and even fully developed scenes. One extremity of the figure showed the minutes, while the other displayed the hours. For this reason, the montre en bras (literally «watch in arms») was also known as the bras en l’air, or «arms in the air,» and various technical types were developed. Some versions have the figure permanently in motion, always depicting the time. Later, more advanced versions had the figures at rest, in a non-temporal state without indicating the time. When a button was pressed and held down, these figures showed the time on two retrograde scales. When the button was released, the figures returned to their resting state. These watches were a perfect example of how an artist combined legibility with beauty and personality in a fashion rarely seen today.