Buyer’s Guide: 7 impressive hyper-accurate tourbillon watches

When it was invented in the twilight years of the 18th century, the tourbillon was lauded as a revolutionary piece of horological engineering. Created to turn the escapement and balance wheel continuously within a rotating cage, it negated the effects of gravity on the commonly worn pocket watches of the era and thus ensured the heightened precision of the timepiece.

Today, with wristwatches now dominant, tourbillons are no longer critical to maintaining timekeeping precision. Yet, they continue to grace high-end wrist adornments as a testament to a watchmaker’s skilled craftsmanship. Here, we highlight seven recent creations that have eye-catchingly incorporated this mechanical marvel.

1. Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus

First is Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus. A stunning ode to fine watchmaking, this statement timepiece features a staggering 16 complications, including calendar and astronomical indications as well as a minute repeater. The tourbillon proper takes pride of place at six o’clock on the front dial, while sidereal time is displayed at the back. The 47mm case is also etched with intertwining grapes and vines as a tribute to the Roman god of wine.

2.Girard-Perregaux La Esmeralda Tourbillon “A Secret” Eternity Edition

Another prime example of haute-horological skill comes courtesy of Girard-Perregaux’s La Esmeralda Tourbillon “A Secret” Eternity Edition. Based on the prize-winning La Esmeralda pocket watch that debuted at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, its blue enamel dial similarly features three dominant gold bridges, with the tourbillon positioned at the bottom. The equine inspiration of yesteryear has also been revived in this 18-piece limited edition, with two hand-engraved galloping horses straddling the dial. A further three horses punctuate the blue enamel caseback, which opens to reveal the GP09600-1506 self-winding movement underneath.

3.Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked

For a more streamlined – though no less mechanically impressive – design, look no further than Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked. Produced to mark the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary, this 41mm stainless-steel timepiece is burnished with the brand’s first self-winding flying tourbillon open-worked movement – the Calibre 2972 – showed off to perfection by its skeletonised motif. Eschewing any unnecessary elements, it boasts an almost industrial appeal.

4.Bulgari Octa Roma Blue Carillon Tourbillon

Similarly boasting an open-worked aesthetic – though with a sleek blue on platinum and white gold vibe – is Bulgari’s Octa Roma Blue Carillon Tourbillon. Visible beneath its fascia is the hand-wound calibre BVL428 movement, replete with a tourbillon minute repeater whose chiming is the product of three hammers and gongs. In a smart move, the grille-like accents on its dial are designed to have as few obstructions as possible in order to allow clear passage of sound from within.

5. MB&F Legacy Machine Flying T Allegra

Bulgari also teamed up with renowned independent label MB&F to create the Legacy Machine Flying T Allegra. Blending high-end horology with haute joaillerie, this opulent design – available in white or red gold and limited to 20 pieces each – sees the eponymous flying tourbillon take centre stage beneath a distinctive domed dial. The pavéd diamond hour-and-minute subdial, meanwhile, is propped against it at a slant. Almost every visible inch of this bejewelled creation is carpeted with gemstones, as the likes of topaz, amethyst, tsavorite and tourmaline punctuate the plentiful diamonds.

6. Bovet Virtuoso VIII Chapter Two Reimagined DLC-SLN

Another exquisite limited-edition wrist implement is Fleurier-based Bovet’s Virtuoso VIII Chapter Two Reimagined DLC-SLN – the reimagining and the abbreviations involve a grade 5 titanium case coated in black Diamond Like Carbon. Its fascia features two subdials (a 10-day power reserve indicator on the left and another with a date aperture and model number on the right), while the tourbillon is visible at six o’clock. Just eight pieces each of six colourways – blue, salmon, turquoise, violet, green or yellow – will be made.

7. Roger Dubuis Excalibur Gully Monotourbillon

Rounding out our list of top tourbillon designs is Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur Gully Monotourbillon – a collaboration with French graffiti artist Gully. Here, his interpretation of the Excalibur Monotourbillon’s iconic star motif is evidenced by abstract angular accents, some in a riot of colourful accents. It’s a deft touch, as the multihued touches also spell out his name, with the ‘U’ neatly ringing the tourbillon in question. Adroitly fusing haute horologerie with street art, this outré timepiece playfully explores new bounds of watchmaking without ever once skimping on precision engineering.

Tourbillon Timepieces: These horological complications are in a class of their own

The tourbillon is treasured by all true haute horlogerie aficionados – and with good reason. More than merely beguiling to observe in motion, this complex kinetic movement represents the culmination of centuries of chronographical evolution.

*Tourbillon watches have enthralled horology enthusiasts for centuries*

For the uninitiated, these mechanisms, true pinnacles of precision engineering, house the escapement and balance wheel – the all-important ticking bits – in a continuously rotating cage. Its carefully-controlled gyration counteracts the effects of gravity, consistently correcting any positional errors and delivering the ultimate in chronographical accuracy.

While less essential for wristwatches, it transformed the reliability of vertically-worn pocket watches. Abraham-Louis Breguet, the founder of Breguet, created the first tourbillon way back in 1795. It’s an impressive achievement, especially when considering that so complex was its construction that up until 1970, less than 1,000 tourbillons had ever been made.

Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Tourbillon — *Vacheron Constantin’s Traditionnelle Tourbillon*

More recently, 21st century technology has upped the production level a little, with more than 3,000 new tourbillons going into circulation every year. Despite that, there remains something particularly alluring about each additional iteration…

Given its unique connection to all things tourbillon, it’s no surprise that Breguet remains the true master of this particular complication, with its brilliantly-designed, nautically-styled Marine Équation Marchante 5887 (featured in our story on perpetual calendar watches here) a more than apt testament to that.

*Blancpain Villeret Tourbillon Volante Heure Sautante Minute Retrograde*

Similarly enchanting is Vacheron Constantin’s Traditionnelle Tourbillon, which showcases minimalist timepiece tech at its very finest. Featuring the debut of the marque’s 2160 self-winding calibre, the tourbillon takes place of pride at the 6 o’clock spot. An opaline-silver dial, replete with pink gold hour markers, hands and bezel, complete its singularly stylish look.

While seemingly more simplistic, Blancpain’s new Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde actually features a truly stunning flying tourbillon movement, while its understated dial also boasts the renowned marque’s first-ever jump hours and retrograde minutes complications. Available in an attractive red gold case, a limited-edition platinum version is also on offer.

*Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic*

Arguably pushing boundaries further is Bulgari’s astonishing Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic, the winner of three watchmaking records – world’s thinnest watch, the thinnest-ever automatic tourbillon and the thinnest tourbillon overall. While just 3.95mm deep, it has skimped on nothing in terms of sophistication.

Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Mysterious Double Tourbillon — *Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Mysterious Double Tourbillon*

Cartier’s latest offering meanwhile is its Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Mysterious Double Tourbillon. Its pre-eminent asset is a superb double tourbillon mechanism, which seemingly hovers unsupported at the very centre of the watch’s open-worked dial. With a stark, skeletonised face punctuated only by Roman numeric indicators, this is a true fusion of artistic finesse and precision design.

Hublot, too, has opted for see-through sophistication, the hallmark of its new Big Bang Sapphire Tourbillon. Indeed, every element of this unusually transparent timepiece is laid bare – from its mesmerising mechanism, right down to its semi-clad straps. While the standard model sees its skeletonised movement captured within a sapphire crystal case, its premium incarnation boasts the addition of 48 baguette-cut diamonds.

MB&F Horological Machine No.7 'Aquapod' — *MB&F HM No.7 ‘Aquapod’*

Eschewing such non-opaque affectations though, MB&F turned to matters maritime to find inspiration for the platinum iteration of its HM7 Aquapod. Its every design conceit has drawn from that deep sea denizen, the jellyfish – from its radially symmetrical structure to its flying tourbillon-housing dome. The movement, the winding rotor and the hour and minute numerals all have the kind of lingering luminescence essential for deep-down nautical navigation.

*Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton Tourbillon Hyperspace*

Arguably, though, it’s Ulysse Nardin that has taken the up-teched tourbillon to a galaxy far, far away with its Executive Skeleton Tourbillon Hyperspace said to be inspired by Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon. The watch features a ‘hyperdrive’ flying tourbillon set above an open-worked dial.

So, then, nearly two centuries after first being acclaimed as the true high watermark of the watchmakers’ art, tourbillons continue to beguile and bemuse in equal parts, and remain much admired and sought out, an outcome that would have, no doubt, delighted Abraham-Louis, that most consummate of complication masters.

Text: Tenzing Thondup

Whirlwind Romance: Watch aficionados swoon over tourbillons, but what exactly do they do?

In June 1801, Abraham-Louis Breguet patented the watch component he named the tourbillon, which is French for whirlwind, or vortex. The entire escapement – escape wheel, balance and spring – were mounted in a moving carriage to offset the effects of gravity by averaging out positional errors.

The name tourbillon turned out to be an apposite one. It created a storm in watchmaking circles, and today’s timepieces from the world’s greatest makers more often than not incorporate the device. As yet, no one has improved upon the invention that is well over 200 years old, though there have been a number of variations, such as the flying tourbillon, which is mounted at just one point. While tourbillons feature on most complicated watches, they are not, strictly speaking, complications themselves.

For tourbillon lovers, the technical details are just as important as precision timekeeping and, of course, the watch’s ability to simply look good on the wrist. Most timepieces that house the devices display them with pride through a special window on the face, or dispense with the face altogether in favour of a skeletonised movement that bares all. To guide you through the maelstrom of variations, Gafencu has chosen eight of the best.

We would be remiss not to begin with Breguet. The Marine Équation Marchante 5887 is a nod to the fact that Breguet was appointed the official chronometer maker to the French Royal Navy in 1815. The “equation” in the name refers to the watch’s ability to calculate the difference between Mean Solar Time and True Solar Time. Two distinctive minute hands indicate each, and a perpetual calendar executes the calculation while also taking leap years into consideration.

The tourbillon, which comes in a titanium carriage, is displayed in a window at the 5 o’clock position and has a one-minute rotation cycle. The case comes in either 950 platinum or rose gold, with a sapphire-crystal case-back. And in homage to its nautical heritage, Breguet has made it water-resistant to 100m.

Unlike Breguet, Cartier is best known for its jewellery watches, but the brand doesn’t shy away from complications. The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon has a tourbillon that takes 60 minutes to rotate, but the sapphire-crystal disc in which it’s mounted takes five minutes to do a full rotation. The open-work display and contrasting black rhodium plating further highlight the fine work within.

The watch houses a minute repeater, and for this Cartier has maximised the acoustic properties of the timepiece. The hammers, for instance, are made of hardened steel, ensuring a richness of sound. The timepiece is certified “Poinçon de Genève”, which attests to the expertise of the maker’s craftsmen.

Montblanc, on the other hand, incorporates its patented mechanism into a distinctly feminine timepiece. Montblanc says its Bohème ExoTourbillon Slim watch is superior for two reasons: the weight of the tourbillon cage is disconnected from the balance wheel, and the weight of the cage itself has been minimised, resulting in a higher degree of precision.

Four of the 18 screws on the balance wheel can be adjusted for fine tuning, while the watch has a power reserve of two days. The MB M29.24 movement features the Côtes de Genève decoration en éventail (fan-shaped Geneva stripes) on the bridges and micro-rotor, as well as mirror polishing on the tourbillon bridge and satin-finishing on the main plate. It has a diamond pavé of 144 Top Wesselton diamonds and a further 58 on the bezel, all set in a rose-gold case.

Vacheron Constantin’s tonneau-shaped Malte Tourbillon also uses a distinctive design – the Maltese cross. It appears on the face and also forms the tourbillon bridge. Available in rose gold with a sapphire crystal case-back that reveals the movement, this dark-faced timepiece makes a bold statement.

Its manually-wound 2795 movement has been specially built to fit a tonneau case, and it bears all the fine detailing one would expect from one of the world’s oldest watchmakers. Eleven baton-shaped hour-markers and one rose-gold Roman numeral mark the time, while the timepiece can be left to its own devices for nearly two days thanks to its long power reserve.

Likewise, Roger Dubuis has never been shy of daring, innovative designs. The Excalibur Spider Carbon Skeleton Flying Tourbillon is nothing if not eye-catching – a watch aficionado’s dream of precision engineering in masculine red and black. The use of carbon, and its subsequent weight reduction, gives it a power reserve of 90 hours. The watch takes the automotive world as its inspiration, and according to the maker, the base plate and bridge represent a chassis, with the case resembling a car body and the tourbillon akin to an engine. Production is limited to just 88 pieces.

From Swiss watchmaker Piaget comes The Altiplano Tourbillon High Jewellery 41mm, featuring an ultra-light and ultra-thin tourbillon carriage. After all, the watchmaker is renowned for its fine, thin timepieces. This particular watch was made to celebrate 60 years of the Altiplano range, and it proves to be a fitting tribute.

The 18-carat white gold watch is set with no fewer than 265 brilliant-cut diamonds and 48 baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel; the face features a hand-crafted guilloché pattern on gold, coated with translucent blue-grey enamel. The flying tourbillon indicating the seconds at 2 o’clock nicely balances the main dial at 8 o’clock. The look is topped off with a stylish black alligator leather strap.

Another standout piece, A. Lange & Söhne’s Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, is a rare beast. For one thing, the maker has decided not to showcase the tourbillon through a window, perhaps out of concern that to do so would be ostentatious. Fear not, though – it can be viewed through the case-back. Secondly, the watch has three complications and five sub-functions, yet manages to display all indications on the face in a highly organised and, dare we say, Teutonic way.

In addition to having a column-wheel chronograph complication, the watch features a perpetual calendar and moon-phase indicator which, after 122.6 years, will deviate by just one day. The maker’s signature outsized date in two adjacent windows is at the top of the face, while the power-reserve indicator is between 9 and 10 o’clock.

If a conventional tourbillon just doesn’t float your boat, Hublot has introduced one that spins on two planes. In addition to rotating in a normal fashion, the entire device rotates a full 360 degrees on a perpendicular axis at the rate of twice a minute. The MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis is therefore quite a chunky affair, and a window on the side of the case showcases the spinning gizmo in all its glory.

The automatic movement has a generous five-day power reserve, while the date – which can be moved backwards and forwards with the lever positioned at 9 o’clock – is indicated in one of two semicircles below the main dial.

Even for those who aren’t versed in the more mundane mechanics of tourbillons, these classic timepieces – for all their fine craftsmanship and bare-all attitude – are just too cool to pass up.

Text: David Cornwell