Daniël & Maria Reintjes Leave Christiaan van der Klaauw

As the new year begins, so too does a new chapter for Daniël and Maria Reintjes as they bid farewell to their beloved Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches. After an incredible 15.5-year journey filled with creativity, innovation, and unwavering dedication, they are passing the torch with great pleasure and full confidence to Pim Koeslag and the talented CVDK team.

Although their official journey began in 2009, their story with Christiaan van der Klaauw started much earlier, in 1999. It all began with a request to Christiaan to produce their Dark Rush watch design. He enthusiastically accepted the project, marking the start of a professional and friendly collaboration. In the years that followed, Christiaan produced the watches for Dark Rush, Daniël and Maria’s lifestyle brand, while they advised him on design. This partnership laid the foundation for their watchmaking adventure.

Daniël Reintjes (born 1962 in Amsterdam) and Maria Reintjes (born 1975 in Utrecht, the Netherlands) are a designer couple specializing in strategy, design and concept development. With a successful history in these fields, they founded and managed several design companies. Both graduated from the Academy for Art Direction & Design in Amsterdam, combining their creativity and strategic insights in all their endeavors.

In 2009, a new era began. Having gracefully reached the shores of retirement, Christiaan van der Klaauw entrusted and sold his atelier to Daniël and Maria. After 10 years of friendship and collaboration, Christiaan asked them to succeed him. With their expertise they were the perfect choice to take over the atelier.

The designer couple Reintjes immediately started repositioning the brand. The new directors decided to focus exclusively on astronomical watches, and ‘Astronomical Watches’ was added to the name. Under their stewardship, the brand underwent a complete metamorphosis, a new collection and beautiful astronomical complications ensued - including the CVDK Real Moon series with the most accurate 3D moon phase in the world.

With this astronomical path they also designed a new astronomical ‘CVDK Signature Design’, ensuring recognition in every CVDK watch from that moment on. Furthermore, they chose and designed a distinctive signature dial material: the now iconic Aventurine Glass dials.

In addition, two special Planetarium masterpieces were developed exclusively for the high jewelry Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, in 2014 the ‘Midnight Planétarium’ and in 2018 the ‘Lady Arpels Planétarium’ winning the prestigious GPHG Award in 2018 - category Ladies’ Complication.

Daniël and Maria elevated their CVDK brand into a niche of its own - becoming the only watch atelier in the world that is completely devoted to the design and the production of exclusive, hand-made astronomical watches.

In 2016, their commitment to excellence was recognized as an Haute Horlogerie atelier of the respected Fondation Haute Horlogerie (FHH). Only 65 luxury watchbrands in the world qualified and could claim the respected term of ‘Haute Horlogerie’.

In 2021 Daniël and Maria received the ultimate acknowledgement in watchmaking being awarded the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) - Calendar and Astronomy Watch Award for the ‘CVDK Planetarium Eise Eisinga’ at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The ‘Oscars’ of watchmaking.

In 2024 they presented together with Pim Koeslag the ‘CVDK Manufacture Movement’ and the Haute Horlogerie masterpiece ‘CVDK Grand Planetarium Eccentric Manufacture’, celebrating the 50 years of Astronomical Complications anniversary.

Having achieved all their dreams during their journey, it is now time for Daniël and Maria to bid farewell after 15.5 years of dedication and the pursuit of astronomical excellence. Under their leadership, they created a unique brand in the world of watchmaking, distinguished by their innovation and creativity.

Daniël & Maria Reintjes

Active 2009 - 2025

Their Highlights and CVDK watches:

2009 ‘Astronomical Watches’ - the only atelier in the world that is completely devoted to the design and the production of exclusive, hand-made astronomical watches.
2009 The CVDK Signature design
2010 CVDK Retro Moon
2010 CVDK Orion
2010 CVDK Astrolabium II
2011 CVDK Real Moon 1980
2011 CVDK Ceres 1974
2012 CVDK Real Moon Joure - the most accurate 3D moon phase in the world with a deviation of only 1 day in 11,000 years
2012 CVDK Planetarium Tablewatch
2013 CVDK Planetarium II - the smallest mechanical Planetarium in the world
2014 Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium - collaboration
2014 CVDK Hypernova
2015 CVDK Real Moon Tides
2016 CVDK Supernova
2016 CVDK Titan Perpetual
2016 Official recognition as HAUTE HORLOGERIE (FHH)
2016 CVDK Real Moon Joure Scorpio
2017 CVDK Real Moon Stella Nebula
2017 CVDK Planetarium Zodiac Sign Sagittarius
2017 CVDK Real Moon Joure Horizon
2018 Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Planétarium - collaboration - winner of the GPHG 2018
2019 CVDK Watch Configurator
2020 CVDK Planetarium Eise Eisinga - winner of the GPHG 2021
2020 CVDK Real Moon Tides Interscaldes Edition
2022 CVDK Real Moon Joure Green Meteorite
2022 CVDK Planetarium Dunes of Mars
2022 CVDK Atelier & Brandstore
2024 CVDK Manufacture - together with Pim Koeslag
2024 CVDK Grand Planetarium Eccentric Manufacture - presented by 3 generations of CVDK

2011 Winning the Watch of the Year 2011
2012 Winning the European Watch of the Year 2012
2014 Winning the European Watch of the Year 2014
2021 Winning the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2021 (GPHG), Calendar & Astronomy Award