Martin Braun

HELIOZENTRIC
The World Positioning Display The module for the Heliozentric complication was completely conceived and created by Martin Braun, who utilized complex mathematical calculations to design the earth’s cycloid orbit as well as a great deal of „cranial acrobatics“ to fit the extra 71 parts of the module into the allotted space. The Heliozentric is an astronomical complication new to the world of watchmaking. The original task Braun set for himself was to display the position of the earth in relation to the sun. It is widely known that our earth moves in an elliptical orbit around the sun and that, logically, at the same time every year the earth moves into the same position in relation to the sun. Representation of the relationship between the sun and the blue planet we call home can be resolved in many different ways on a watch dial. One could, for example, have the Earth move around the dial on a type of track system, but Martin Braun felt that he could make the display even more visually intriguing for the watch aficionado. For this reason, Martin Braun set to the task using both advanced mathematics and classic mechanics, creating a gear to generate a curve, or more precisely a cycloid, for the oval. The central sun wheel turns twice a year, and a carrier with three planetary wheels makes an annual revolution, all counterclockwise, with both of the main wheels engaging each other. A symbolic blue Earth located on one of the planetary wheels illustrates the planet’s elliptical orbit. This orbit moves completely naturally in a counterclockwise direction, as it is found in nature. A practical side effect is that the Earth’s position can also be used as a month display, which Braun has marked with the appropriate names on the edge of the cutaway. A second function of the Heliozentric is the display of the zodiac. While the Earth is moving around the sun, a separate indicator on the lower half of the dial illustrates which of the twelve signs of the zodiac is the current one.

HELIOZENTRIC

The World Positioning Display
The module for the Heliozentric complication was completely conceived and created by Martin Braun, who utilized complex mathematical calculations to design the earth’s cycloid orbit as well as a great deal of „cranial acrobatics“ to fit the extra 71 parts of the module into the allotted space. The Heliozentric is an astronomical complication new to the world of watchmaking.

The original task Braun set for himself was to display the position of the earth in relation to the sun. It is widely known that our earth moves in an elliptical orbit around the sun and that, logically, at the same time every year the earth moves into the same position in relation to the sun. Representation of the relationship between the sun and the blue planet we call home can be resolved in many different ways on a watch dial.

One could, for example, have the Earth move around the dial on a type of track system, but Martin Braun felt that he could make the display even more visually intriguing for the watch aficionado. For this reason, Martin Braun set to the task using both advanced mathematics and classic mechanics, creating a gear to generate a curve, or more precisely a cycloid, for the oval. The central sun wheel turns twice a year, and a carrier with three planetary wheels makes an annual revolution, all counterclockwise, with both of the main wheels engaging each other. A symbolic blue Earth located on one of the planetary wheels illustrates the planet’s elliptical orbit.

This orbit moves completely naturally in a counterclockwise direction, as it is found in nature. A practical side effect is that the Earth’s position can also be used as a month display, which Braun has marked with the appropriate names on the edge of the cutaway.
A second function of the Heliozentric is the display of the zodiac. While the Earth is moving around the sun, a separate indicator on the lower half of the dial illustrates which of the twelve signs of the zodiac is the current one.