Many amazing things come together to make the Halda Space Discovery, but we dare say that at the root of it all is the mechanical movement. This is our link to the past and the vision of Henning Hammarlund. Inside The Mechanical Module you find one of only 128 movements deemed fit for the task. As far as movements go they are state of the art.
The Halda Space Discovery is the first manifestation of the revolutionary Halda concept, with interchangeable units in its respective environment. One Time Platform, two Time Modules. Each Time Module is tailored for optimum performance for its respective purpose. For the Mechanical Module that means on earth. For the Space Module it means in space.
With the Halda Space Discovery we have chosen to walk down an unexplored path. In fact, the path has been revealed to us by the twin lights of imagination and determination. But it helps to have a good guide. And when it comes to watch making one such guide is Mr. Svend Andersen.
Mr Andersen – labeled ’watchmaker of the impossible’ and one of the most revered people among holologists has quite an outstanding body of work to his name. That part too, that the watchmaker is actually credited for his work, is also intimately tied to Mr Andersen. Along with Mr Vincent Calabarese it was Mr Andersen who in 1985 founded Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants, a society of independent watchmakers dedicated to showcasing them as creators, innovators and artists. The rest, as they say, is history.
Of course Svend Andersen’s unique knowledge of vintage NOS movements made him the dream associate to the Halda team, but there is something more at work here. The Halda Space Discovery is a merge between analog and digital, of gravity and weightlessness. Is it a mere coincidence that some of Svend Andersen masterpieces deal with the phases of the moon and infinity? We think not. There is actually a much stronger connection between the watchmaker and the astronaut than you might at first think.
Watchmaking is mechanical engineering, and mechanical engineering is an art. Svend Andersen is part of a lineage that traces a winding route back in time, a route of which at one time Halda was at the pinnacle of. But with the creation of The Halda Space Discovery we are no longer in the past. Halda is moving forward. The vision of Henning Hammarlund is reborn, shared and evolved by the Halda team. And not even the sky is the limit any more.
Svend Andersen: a collection of years
and creations
1942Svend Andersen is born in 1942. Graduates from The Danish Watchmaker School at 21 years old and eager to learn everything there is about watchmaking, he moves to Switzerland.
1963Starts to work for Gübelin in the repair department where his suggestions for improvements are swiftly dismissed. Andersen is told "you are here to work, not to invent". In frustration Andersen decides to take matters into his own hands.
1969Creates his first "Bottle Clock" which is met with great applause at the "Montres et Bijoux" show. The Bottle Clock is a world first and it gets Andersen the nickname of "Watchmaker of the impossible".
1969As of a result of the buzz created by his Bottle Clock, Andersen is hired by Patek Phillipe in their Atelier de Complications, working under legendary watchmaker Max Bernay. He stays for nine years.
1979An assignment to reconstruct a 19th-century triple-complication pocket-watch movement convinces Andersen that he can survive on his own, as an independent watchmaker. He sets up his shop in 1979.
1989A banner year: The Guinness Book of Records certifies Andersen as the maker of the world’s smallest calendar watch. The same year he creates his first world time watch “Communication” in a small subscription series. Only 24 are made.
1994Andersen strikes again, this time with "Mundus”, the world’s thinnest watch, only 4.2 mm thick, yet waterproof in a platinum case with two sapphire glasses.
2002Andersen presents "Orbita Lunae", a brand new way of indication date and moon phases.
2008Svend Andersen starts working with the unique NOS movements for Halda Watch co.
The 128 movements chosen were the perfect starting point for Halda. The New Old Stock (NOS) movement inside the modern Halda is an automatic high performance mechanical movement, constructed to operate at the frequency of 5 HZ, or 36,000 bph, and has 25 jewels and a power reserve of about 43 hrs. A movement like the H1920-SA is very complicated and today very few watchmakers have the knowledge and capability to produce such a high-standard piece. Every movement has been modernized, decorated and fine tuned by Mr. Andersen. It is truly a movement for the most discerning connoisseur.
Why does a watch like The Space Discovery consist partly of a NOS movement? Well, even astronauts spend most of their time on earth.
Most movements operate at a frequency of 4 Hz, or 28,800 beats per hour (bph). But the Halda Space Discovery is not like most watches. Its movement operates at 5 Hz – 36,000 bph. A higher frequency movement makes the watch more accurate and its time keeping more stable as it divides time into finer increments.
Technical data: Mechanical Module
CASE
MOVEMENT
Each of the mechanical Time Modules is uniquely marked with a individual number from 1 to 128.
Material
Brushed Stainless Steel with a polished bezel
Dimension
Diameter 45 mm, Thickness 15,8 mm
Crystal
Domed Sapphire Crystal, anti-reflex treated on one side
Case back
Stainless steel see-trough case back with sapphire crystal
Dial
Engine turned and manufactured with two discs and with raised applied index, Luminous indicator
Water Resistant
5 atm (equivalent to a water pressure at a depth of 50 m)
In the modern Halda there is a vintage New Old Stock (NOS) movement. It is a (self-winding) automatic high performance mechanical movement, constructed to operate at the unusual and high frequency of 5 HZ, or 36,000 bph (beats per hour).
Calibre
H1920-SA
Mechanical Movement with Automatic winding system Hour and minute counter with a centre sweep second hand Date positioned at 3 o´clock
Decoration
Geneva Stripes and rhodium-plated finish
Rotor
Special manufactured rotor in Rhodium-plated silver
Power Reserve
43 hours
