Martin Braun is proud to introduce the Hyperion - the first tourbillion with a retrograde moon phase in the world. Recently introduced at the Basel Fair in April 2009, the Hyperion includes Braun's own retrograde moon phase that has the moon moving step-by-step through each of its phases. Upon reaching the full or new moon, the disc begins to turn backwards. It also incorporates the most precise adjustable moon phase on the market, accurate for 122 1 years. The Hyperion features Martin Braun's very own tourbillon movement, the MAB 108, a flying one-minute tourbillon with a power reserve of 60 hours. Mark Bernardo, editor of WatchTime magazine said "the Hyperion is one of the most gorgeous tourbillons I have ever seen - what a fabulous dial"!

"A Tourbillon is the crowning glory of watchmaking; it must be present in the portfolio of any important luxury watch maker," says Martin Braun, explaining his desire to add a Tourbillon to his collection of astronomical timepieces.

"The Tourbillon fits perfectly into our collection," Martin Braun explains. "The revolving cage, the rotating earth, the moon making its revolutions around the earth…what better symbolism could a specialist for astronomical complications find to underscore the fascinating kinetics of astronomy on the wrist."

The Hyperion is housed in Martin Braun's signature case. An impressive 44 mm in diameter, it includes the striking coin-edge case band fans of the brand have come to know and love. The lugs are screwed through to the movement holder inside the case. This safety system avoids shifting inside the movement should the watch be subjected to shock and guarantees that the system can be perfectly centered during assembly. Gaskets underneath the screws also guarantee that the case is water-resistant to a minimum of 50 meters. As with all Martin Braun cases, the bezel is screwed down to prevent it from coming off by accident should the watch be subjected to rougher treatment.

The Hyperion features Braun's first ever Tourbillion and will take its place at the head of the Martin Braun pantheon. Eos was the Greek goddess of the sunrise and the matriarch of Martin Braun's now legendary family. Martin Braun's EOS featured the world's first ever sunrise-sunset complication and set the stage for its progeny: Boreas (2003), Astraios (2005) and Kephalos (2008), Eos's mythological lover and the bearer of both a new case and a retrograde moon phase for Martin Braun.

In Greek mythology, Hyperion was a Titan, the son of Gaia-Mother Earth-and Uranus, the sky. Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian from the first century BC, explains, "he was the first to understand, by diligent attention and observation, the movement of both the sun and the moon and the other stars, and the seasons as well, in that they are caused by these bodies, and to make these facts known to others; and that for this reason he was called the father of these bodies, since he had begotten, so to speak, the speculation about them and their nature."
(source: Wikipedia)

The Tourbillon was patented in 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. Breguet sought to improve the rate of pocket watches by negating the effects of gravity on the escapement. Thus, he housed it in a continuously revolving cage to ensure that its position always changed, compensating for the effects of gravity by rotating around its own axis once every minute. The Tourbillon has been found in wristwatch movements since 1986 and has become an important element of luxury watch collections, thanks to the fascinating visible display of mechanics.