Inspiration for watches sometimes comes from unexpected sources. In the case of the new 1969 Deltaworks by Bart and Tim Grönefeld, their first sports watch’s name is taken from large constructions that protect the area of land around the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta from the sea. Yes that’s right – dams, locks, dykes, leeves and storm surge barriers. The ‘1969’ refers to Bart’s birth year.

The 1969 DeltaWorks is in a 45mm stainless steel case (thickness of 12.5mm) with a screw-down crown and water resistance of 100m, so you can maybe take a quick dip in the dam etc, but it’s probably best to avoid the actual Delta Works as swimming locations. It has a mix of brushed and polished finishing.

This new model is available in three different dial colours, five strap options and a choice of stainless steel inserts or colour co-ordinated FKM rubber-clad inserts.

The 1969 DeltaWorks displays hours, minutes and seconds. The hands and hour markers are treated with Super-LumiNova®, which produces a blue glow in restricted light.

On the dial, the hour track sits on an elevated level above the central dial area and small seconds display. The hands and hour markers have Super-LumiNova. The small seconds display features the ‘60’ in orange, an obvious Dutch nod, and it is more explicitly stated on the bottom of the dial.

Through the open case back can be seen the automatic Calibre G-06 which made its debut in the 1941 Principia Automatic. However, while many elements have been carried over to the 1969 DeltaWorks, there are some additional details such as the open-worked oscillating weight with four stainless steel arms which are connected to an 18k gold mass with a wave motif.

Each of the four arms is positioned beneath the gold mass and projects beyond, sitting above a circular ledge. The arms prevent the oscillating mass touching the inside of the sapphire crystal or striking the bridges below when subject to shock.

The rotor is hand finished and turns on ceramic ball bearings. The stainless-steel bridges are a nod to the façades of traditional Dutch houses, termed ‘bell gables’. Each bridge features a micro-blasted central section and some of the bridges also feature relief engraving. Each movement is has a plate engraved with ‘ΔW’ (DeltaWorks) along with its movement number.

The 5-arm, double spoke gear train wheels have circular grained surfaces. Other finishing on the movement includes mirror-polishing snailing, and frosted surfaces.

The case back features ‘GRÖNEFELD’ and ‘DELTAWORKS’ in relief, and in yet another nod to the geography of the brothers’ watchmaking, ‘Oldenzaal’ is engraved opposite the crown.

The integrated strap has two inserts integrated within each case band. The inserts are in either stainless steel, matching the case material, or titanium shrouded in coloured FKM rubber. The exterior of the strap features a wave pattern, and the underside is decorated with a motif of Grönefeld logos. It comes on a clasp with micro adjustment that has relief engraving.

The RRP of the new 1969 DeltaWorks is EUR 49,800.

[Photo credit: Grönefeld]

Categories: Grönefeld, Watch Profile, watches