Christian van der Klaauw, an astronomical clock brand that continues to grow in presence half a century after its founding

Founded in 1974, Christian van der Klaauw is a Dutch watch brand that has consistently produced astronomical timepieces. The brand will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year in 2024, and is now showing even greater growth under the leadership of its young new CEO. I visited the company's headquarters in the Netherlands last November and witnessed its future potential firsthand. I would like to share the details of the brand's development while tracing its milestones.

Christian van der Klaauw, a Dutch watch brand specializing in astronomical clocks

　Although a small country about the size of Kyushu, the Netherlands flourished as a maritime nation from the 16th century onwards, dominating the world's oceans. The 17th century saw the country enter its so-called Golden Age, thriving in various fields, including art, science, and trade, and occupying a leading position in the global economy. The scholar Christiaan Huygens, who would later be called the "father of mechanical clocks," was born in the Netherlands during this period. The Netherlands is also an important country in the history of Japan, as it was the only European country to have contact with Japan during its period of national isolation.

　One watch brand in the Netherlands is currently making a particularly strong presence: Christiaan van der Klaauw, the only one in the industry specializing in the production of astronomical clocks. Founded in 1974, the brand will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary. In 2021, the company welcomed Pim Korslag, its young successor, as its new CEO. He combines the technical skills, management ability, and love for the brand, with an expertise in developing complex mechanisms.

　Under the leadership of Mr. Korslagh, the brand is becoming increasingly solid. In this article, we would like to introduce the evolution of the brand from its founding to the present, along with a selection of timepieces.

Founder Christian van der Klaauw begins making astronomical clocks

　The brand's founder, Christiaan van der Klaauw, was born in Leiden, the Netherlands, in 1944. Leiden is the city where Leiden University, the oldest university in the Netherlands, where Christiaan Huygens attended, is located.

　While attending a precision machinery manufacturing school in Leiden, Krauw developed an interest in astronomy while learning about the practical aspects of precision machinery at the observatory at Leiden University.

　The young Mr. Krauw was also greatly inspired by his visit to the Eisinga Planetarium, the world's oldest planetarium, located in the Netherlands.

　In 1967, Krauw joined a Dutch watchmaking company called Frisian Grand Clock, where he gained experience, and went independent in 1974. From there, he began to release a series of watches with astronomical complications.

In 1974, he became independent and began manufacturing wall clocks.

　Krauw became independent and founded his own brand, which initially produced mainly weight-driven wall clocks with wooden cases. Amazingly, he was responsible for everything from the design to the wooden frames and metal decorations, as well as the gears and hands of the clocks, except for painting.

　In 1974, after becoming independent, he released a limited edition of 200 wall clocks with moon phases and chimes, and two years later released a new design model with the same functions, limited to 500 pieces. In 1980, he released a wall clock with a spherical, three-dimensional moon phase display, limited to 200 pieces. This 3D moon phase has remained one of the icons of the Christian van der Klaauw brand ever since.

He began making clocks in 1983 and became a member of the Academie des Horlogers Indépendants (AHCI) in 1989.

　In 1983, in addition to wall clocks, Krauw began producing table clocks as well. In 1989, he produced a limited edition of 40 table clocks, each with a different astronomical clock, such as an astrolabe or star chart, on each of the four sides of the case, and an armillary sphere on top. This work was highly praised in the watch industry, and in the same year Krauw was inducted as a member of the Academie Horlogerie Independente (AHCI).

The company began producing wristwatches in 1996, and in 1999 completed the "world's smallest mechanical planetarium," which became synonymous with the brand.

　Krauw continued to energetically produce wall and table clocks, but in 1996 he made a major change in direction. He began producing wristwatches, while maintaining the concept of colorful astronomical clocks.

　The first wristwatch, the CVDK Satellite du Monde, was released in 1996 and featured functions such as the time, day of the week, date, moon phase, day/night indicator, and the location on Earth where it was noon when the watch was being read.

　In 1999, they released the CVDK Planetarium, the world's smallest mechanical planetarium. This "world's smallest mechanical planetarium" soon became synonymous with the brand and paved the way for the future.

The second CEO takes office, and the company aims to increase its name recognition.

　In 2009, at the age of 65, Krauw became the second CEO of Christian van der Krauw and welcomed Dutchman Daniel Ruytens and his wife Maria Ruytens as co-shareholders. Daniel was a designer and had been a long-time associate of Krauw since he had previously commissioned the creation of a watch.

　Daniel and Maria put their business acumen to good use and focused on expanding Christian van der Klaauw's name recognition. They attempted to broaden the market beyond the Dutch market. They actively entered their creations into watch competitions in Switzerland, winning numerous awards. Their high level of technical skill also led to a succession of fascinating collaborations.

　This led to Christian van der Klaauw's name becoming famous overnight. Working in technical collaboration with Van Cleef & Arpels, he completed the Midnight Planetarium Poetic Complication in 2014. Four years later, in 2018, the ladies' version, the Lady Arpels Planetarium, achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Ladies' Complications Award at the prestigious Geneva Grand Prix Watchmaking (GPHG).

　In 2020, the brand collaborated with the aforementioned Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium, the world's oldest planetarium. This "CVDK Planetarium Eise Eisinga Limited Edition," which expresses the design of the Eisinga Planetarium, features a hand-painted image of the Eise Eisinga Planetarium's ceiling panel on the dial and the brand's pride and joy, the world's smallest planetarium, at the 6 o'clock position. In 2021, the watch won the "Calendar and Astronomical Watches" award at the Geneva Watch Grand Prix (GPHG).

Pim Korslag becomes third CEO

　Having established a solid reputation as an astronomical watch brand, Christian van der Klaauw was ready to take the next step and, with an eye on the brand's future, welcomed Pim Korslag as the new CEO.

　Korslag became CEO at the young age of 40, but his technical skills and career were impeccable. Here, I would like to briefly introduce Korslag's portfolio. After studying watchmaking in his native Holland, he moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and gained experience as an intern at Patek Philippe. He also had the option of staying at Patek Philippe as an engineer for the brand.

　However, what Mr. Koglas, then 21 years old, valued was not the comfortable life of a craftsman under the protection of a prestigious brand, but rather the desire to continue taking on new challenges and contribute to the brand's growth.He received an offer from Frederique Constant, another Geneva-based watch brand, and began working for the brand as a master watchmaker.

　Nowadays, when you think of Frederique Constant, you probably think of it as a manufacture with its own movements. This is truly due to the achievements of Mr. Korslag. The company's transformation into a manufacture would not have progressed without him. When he joined the company, Frederique Constant procured existing movements from other manufacturers and produced them.

　Korslag designed approximately 30 different complicated mechanisms, including the "Heartbeat Manufacture," which would later become Frederique Constant's signature movement, as well as chronographs and perpetual calendars, and established a system to manufacture the movements in-house. The number of craftsmen at the company grew from around 10 when Korslag joined the company to around 60. Frederique Constant has been under the umbrella of Citizen Watch since 2016. Many enthusiasts likely learned of Korslag around this time.

　Korslag was then appointed Technical Director of the group's brand, Alpina, in 2016. In 2020, he was also appointed CEO of Atelier de Monaco, the luxury brand he helped found 12 years ago. He still maintains a good relationship with Frederique Constant in an advisory role.

　The time was right, and in 2021 he made a triumphant return to the Netherlands as CEO of Christian van der Klaauw. Regarding his appointment, Korslag told us the following:

"In fact, when I graduated from watchmaking school, I initially applied to work for Christian van der Klaauw. While I was there, a lecture was held at the school where we heard stories from successful local people, and Mr. Klaauw was the speaker. I was so impressed by what he had to say that I immediately visited his workshop and asked him to hire me. However, he said no. He told me that I should gain experience in Switzerland, the center of watchmaking, so I visited Patek Philippe and other places."

　Having built up a solid track record, Klaus once again approached Christian van der Klaus, who warmly welcomed him back. Now that Klaus has been mentored by him, Klaus can be called the legitimate successor to Christian van der Klaus.

　Since taking over as CEO, Korslagh's main focus has been expanding Christian van der Klaauw's market globally. He has been actively visiting Asian countries such as Japan and Singapore, where the brand has had limited presence until now, and is placing importance on direct interaction with watch enthusiasts.

　Before he became CEO, 8% of the company's main market was in the Netherlands, but now the majority of the market is in Asia. Annual production has increased from 100 to 400 bottles, and the number of employees has increased from 5 to 13.

　Six of them are craftsmen, three of whom were hired after Korslag took over. All of them were transferred from major Swiss brands and are skilled craftsmen with the skills to create things from the very basics, starting with gears. The workshop has also been moved near the international airport, making it easier to welcome guests from overseas.

　Although Christian van der Klaauw specializes in custom-made and unique pieces, in order to secure an entry-level model that appeals to a wider range of people, the company announced the stainless steel CVDK Ariadne in the summer of 2023.

　Krauw, who will soon be 80 years old, continues to serve as an advisor to the brand, passing on his techniques to Korslag and others. The Reitens, who are skilled in design and business, also maintain a good relationship and continue to play a part in management. Korslag, who says the company has an extremely stable management structure, was asked what he is most looking forward to at the moment, and he replied, "The release of the 50th anniversary model in 2024."

　Apparently, this model was planned as a fitting tribute to founder Krauw's career as a craftsman, and incorporates the most complex mechanism in the brand's history, with Krauw himself handling everything from design to engineering. Based on Krauw's hand-drawn blueprints, Koslag and others have completed the production of this "unmistakably special model." "The prototype is already complete, and we can't wait to unveil it," says Koglas confidently.

　The following year, in 2025, will mark the 350th anniversary of the creation of the balance spring by the great Dutch watchmaker Christiaan Huygens. As a Dutch watch brand, they have many milestones to celebrate. It is likely that Korslaght has this milestone in mind as well. With Koglas striving to achieve even greater success, we can expect further growth from Christiaan van der Klaauw.