Buben & Zorweg: The secret of uniqueness
For more than 20 years, Buben & Zorweg has been surprising the world with an intriguing collection of innovative luxury safes and watch-winders designed to showcase valuables in a unique and secure manner. The brand prides itself in its ability to offer custom-made pieces for local and international clientele, which has resulted in securing pride of place in the horology hierarchy
At Baselworld 2015, Day and Night magazine was able to secure an exclusive interview Christian Zorweg, one of the founders of the renowned luxury brand, where in an intimate chat, details behind the uniqueness of the company’s creations were revealed, along with the brand’s ability to cater for specific requests from indulgent clients.
What is your best-seller out of all the pieces you have on offer?
Buben & Zorweg stands on three key principles; we are number one in the world for watch-winding technology, we have our own Manufacture movement for our luxury clocks, including those built into our safes and the luxury safes that provide secure housing for valuables. The combination of these three competences enables us to create unique Objects of Time for our esteemed clients. The best-sellers from our product range really depends on the customer’s desires and requirements, as some are more interested in obtaining a secure place for their watch collection, whilst others are fascinated by luxury time telling machines. Other people may also be interested in obtaining a talking piece for their homes, where our unique designs stand out in an interior setting. If we are talking about an Object of Time creation, then I would have to say the Grande Infinity is definitely a more popular choice.
Can you tell us a bit about the Aston Martin safe?
The Aston Martin Object of Time One-77 safe is truly a Buben & Zorweg masterpiece. The concept came about when the esteemed car Manufacture, Aston Martin, approached us to ask if we could create a luxury safe that is equivalent in uniqueness and exclusivity as that of its supercar One-77.
Although the development costs were high, we decided to create an exceptional piece mirroring the polished refinement of the car and the end result was spectacular. The safe was crafted from solid wood, where we used the latest cutting-edge technology, which ran for two days straight to create the smooth curves of the shape, allowing the final product to emerge from the rough wood we started with.
After the cutting of the shape was complete, then the lacquering stage began. We applied the same lacquer that is used on all Aston Martin cars to create a smooth polished finish and believe me when I say this wasn’t an easy feat! The interior of the safe is crafted from the same materials featured in the One-77 car; and we have added a few extras features that are similar to the automobile industry, such as the doors of the object opening with a remote control and a built-in Hi-Fi system. Other remarkable features include a built-in humidor and LED lighting. The Aston Martin Object of Time One-77 is produced in a limited edition of 77 pieces and has taken over 1000 hours to create each special object.
What makes the Iron-man piece so special?
The Iron-man piece is a bespoke interpretation of what our client dreamed of owning. It is a unique piece that uses the theme of a superhero, where its distinctive contrast of colours allows the safe to stand out from all the other secure safes we present. Therefore the Iron-man piece caters for our client’s unique preferences and tastes and is a reminder of his childhood days, whilst at the same time expressing his personality to those lucky enough to come within touching distance of the safe. What makes Buben & Zorweg so special is that we believe luxury equals individuality. Our clientele is of a specific calibre, where only the best will do, and we are proud to say that we can cater for that desire, just like we did with Iron-man.
Would you create another Iron-man if a client wanted it?
The Iron-man is a unique piece specifically designed for a particular client’s desires and will not be repeated for any other client, as Buben & Zorweg offer exclusivity to all its clients. Hence, if someone came in to order an Iron-man piece, we would have to turn down the request and offer him something else – maybe Superman!
What has the feedback been like for the Tourbillon watches?
Buben & Zorweg watches are not our primary focus. We create timepieces for friends rather than as a business, however the beauty of our Tourbillon watches in always illustrated in a limited edition of 10 pieces and because our anti-gravity mechanisms measure a large 14mm in size, we ensure that this is always visible to the wearer. For this reason, the feedback for the watches has been very positive, as our clients love being exposed to the mechanics of our watches, because it gives them an insight into our capabilities and expertise. The majority of our clients have a large watch collection at home, and when they come into our store, they already know what they want and are keen to add a Buben & Zorweg Tourbillon to their collection. To add that special touch to the watches, we provide a hand-wound watch-winder that enables all hand-wound watches to be powered quickly and efficiently with minimal damage to internal mechanisms.
Do these watches come in a presentation box?
Yes, these watches are available as a package, which included the unique watch-winder that has been built and developed for the collectors who keep their cherished watch in their watch-winder for years. This is a very complicated system with innovative software which protects the watch, by ensuring it is only wound up to 60 or 70 per cent of its full capacity.
