News · Moritz Grossmann

Moritz Grossmann gives the BENU Power Reserve two darker steel cases

Brushed steel and anthracite DLC mark the maker’s 200th-birthday year, with 18 pieces of each manually wound version.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 4 min read · 1 October 2026

• Moritz Grossmann has announced two BENU Power Reserve variants for its namesake’s bicentenary, one in brushed steel and one in anthracite DLC-coated steel.
• Both retain the anthracite dial, hand-wound calibre 100.2 and black-and-white reserve bar that tells the wearer when winding is due.
• Each version is limited to 18 pieces and listed by the German boutique at €40,800 including 19 per cent VAT.

A power-reserve indicator earns its place on a hand-wound watch: it tells the wearer when winding is due, rather than merely adding another moving part to admire. Moritz Grossmann has long put that information in a slim bar below 12 o'clock on its BENU Power Reserve. For the 200th anniversary of its namesake's birth, the Glashütte maker announced two darker interpretations on 30 September 2026: the BENU Power Reserve in brushed stainless steel and anthracite DLC-coated stainless steel.

Two shades of steel around one dark dial

Both versions use an anthracite-coloured dial, with an azurage-finished outer ring set against a matt centre. Applied numerals and hour markers sit on that outer track, while the hands are shaped by hand in the manufacture. On the plain stainless-steel version, the lighter case frames the dark dial clearly; on the DLC-coated version, the case becomes part of the same dark composition. The difference is in the exterior treatment, not a different layout or a claim to a new calibre.

The brand describes the second case as stainless steel with an anthracite diamond-like-carbon coating. DLC is applied to the steel surface; it does not make the underlying case a different metal. Moritz Grossmann says the coating increases scratch resistance and gives the case its darker colour. Its boutique lists the case at 41.0 mm in diameter and 11.65 mm in height for these two versions. A sapphire crystal covers the dial and a sapphire display back exposes the movement. No water-resistance rating or lug-to-lug measurement is stated in the current announcement.

The new watches belong to the bicentenary programme for Moritz Grossmann, who was born on 27 March 1826. The company could have marked that date with a dial inscription alone. Instead, the watch keeps the familiar BENU proportions and reserve display while letting finish do the anniversary work. That decision is unusually restrained for a commemorative release, particularly when both versions keep the same anthracite dial. The choice is between a distinct steel border and a nearly continuous dark case-and-dial view.

The bar that makes hand winding legible

The power-reserve display is a small horizontal aperture beneath 12 o'clock. When the movement is fully wound, the bar appears white; as the reserve runs down, black gradually replaces it. A differential gear controls the indication, according to the brand. It is a discreet solution, but it is also the most informative feature on the dial. A wearer can check remaining energy without turning the watch over or calculating when it was last wound, and the black-and-white scale keeps the information readable against the anthracite surface.

Both editions use Moritz Grossmann's manually wound calibre 100.2. The maker says it builds on calibre 100.1 with the differential gear added for the reserve display. Its boutique specifies 227 parts, 26 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve when fully wound, with a balance frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour. The lateral pusher returns the watch from hand-setting mode and starts the movement. Those details matter here because the visible indicator is connected to a movement designed for deliberate, daily interaction, rather than to an automatic watch that normally winds itself.

Through the sapphire back, the calibre's finishing is available to inspect, including the balance cock engraved with 1826 for this anniversary. The brand calls out its hand-engraved components, untreated German silver and three screwed gold chatons in the movement specification. A published image can show that architecture, but it cannot establish how the pusher feels or how the power-reserve bar behaves in ordinary use. This is a view of the construction and the manufacturer's claims, not a hands-on judgement.

Black kudu leather for both versions

The 2026 announcement specifies a soft black kudu-leather strap for each case. That is the relevant detail for these editions, even though some older general Power Reserve specifications remain on the brand's wider site. The black strap continues the dark dial's colour into the wrist, while the brushed-steel case supplies a brighter edge on one version. On the DLC watch, the same strap leaves the dial and hand finishing to supply most of the contrast. There is no separate bracelet option stated in the anniversary announcement.

The two versions make a clear pair without pretending to be different complications. Anyone drawn to the movement has the same manual calibre and reserve bar in either case; the decision is whether the watch should declare its steel perimeter or recede into a darker silhouette. For a watch whose purpose is to make mechanical energy visible, that is a sensible place to put the choice.

BENU Power Reserve pricing and availability

Moritz Grossmann's German online boutique lists both the brushed-steel and DLC-coated versions at €40,800 each, including 19 per cent VAT. The brand limits production to 18 pieces in each version. The boutique offers configuration of the case version, while the 30 September announcement specifies black kudu leather for both. No Australian price or Australian availability has been announced; the quoted euro figure is the German regional list price, not a currency conversion.