We’ve looked at the , and the , and even the . Now we turn our attention to the very best watches in the world. A tourbillon is an escapement housed in a rotating cage, which was invented by hundreds of years ago to counter the effects of gravity.
Since then, the problems of gravity have been otherwise mitigated in watches, but the challenge of creating, and the beauty of viewing, a troubillon continue to fascinate makers and collectors alike. Placing the tourbillon mechanicsm at the center of the watch movement, and thus the dial, is especially challenging, and doing so requires unique technical and design innovations. The central tenet of the central tourbillon is that there can be no central hands.
The pivots in the center of the dial are occupied by the , so although seconds can often be read off the tourbillon carriage, if it is a , there must be a creative solution to the problem of where to place the hour and minute hands. In most central tourbillons, the hands are mounted on disks that rotate around the cage, with tracks under the tourbillon cage or along the dial periphery. Another solution is to use the jumping hour plus retrograde minute scale combination, a potentially more legible solution since the hands on rotating disks tend to take the form of short arrowheads, which can sometimes be hard to read.
It makes you appreciate the efficacy of long central hour and minute hands on traditional watch dials, something we tend to take for granted. The central tourbillon is something of a trend at the moment – as a panel member of the , I noticed at least seven central tourbillon entries in this year’s first round of judging. In my view, the complication is a cleaner, more elegant look than the double, triple, spherical, gemset variations we have seen over the past 20 years, and the large escapements point to greater reliability and fun optics, as they are invariable covered with domed crystals.
Here are 10 tantalizing examples of the Central T. Sign up for . For the latest news, follow us on , , and .
This triple-axis central tourbillon with a minute repeater powered by a high-frequency movement is proof, if anyone needs it, that Hermès is more than just a volume luxury fashion brand. The in-house caliber H1926 runs at 36,000 vph, powering three tourbillons that run at 300, 60 and 25 seconds, under a dramatic dome crystal. Hours and minutes are indicated by blue arrows on rotating disks.
In a fun, equestrian-theme branding touch, the minute repeater hammers are shaped like horse heads. : 43 mm : 48 hours : H1926 : $401,400 The CMT in the name stands for Central MonoTourbillon. Seconds are indicated by a hand attached to the 60-second tourbillon.
Hours and minutes run on concentric disks with the words “hours” and “minutes” conveniently spelled out to differentiate them. The hour markers are coated with Super-LumiNova. Like all Roger Dubuis watches, it is finished to Geneva Seal standards and will be made in a series of 88 pieces.
: 45 mm : 72 hours : Manual wound RD115 : On request Franck Muller adds a dash of drama to this central flying tourbillon in two ways: It is mounted on four pillars suspended between curved sapphire crystals above and below, so it appears suspended and is visible from all sides, and the bridges have an electric blue anodized aluminum coating. Hour and minute arrows rotate concentrically around the tourbillon, and high finishes abound: perlage, anglage, diamond polished jewel sinks, circular snailing, mirror polishing and satin finishing. : 36 mm wide x 52.
65 mm long : 96 hours : FM CX 36T-CTR-SQ : $162,200 Bulgari uses a jumping hour at 12 o’clock and minutes along a retrograde scale on the lower half of the dial as a creative alternative to the hour/minute arrows on rotating disks. It does use a rotating disk for the deployment of the minute hand: it is equipped with two diamond shapes that take turns telling the time. As it rotates, the diamond doing the telling rotates 90 degrees to form an arrow pointing to the correct time.
The glow of green Super-LumiNova makes it both readable and very cool. : 44 mm : 60 hours : BVL 348 : $119,000 This massive (20 mm) tourbillon escapement is raised under a domed crystal to give it a dramatic presence. It is the brand’s fifth manufacture caliber, its fourth tourbillon, and the first automatic.
Two peripheral indicators clock hours and minutes over an index ring made of blue sapphire. The clear sapphire case and lugs ensure the tourbillon and hour ring are the star of the show, and reduce the visual bulk of the watch. It officially launches in September.
: 43 mm : 60 hours : Selfwinding : $147,000 The tourbillon isn’t the only central feature here. The mainspring is also mounted at the center of the watch, and it’s a big one, giving the watch an impressive 120-hour power reserve. The winding crown is hidden on the caseback and linked directly to the barrel.
Hours and minutes are peripheral, using a planetary gear system that orbits around the tourbillon. The hand-shaped indicators are more readable than the usual arrow heads. : 42 mm : 120 hours : Manual wound KS 7 006 : CHF68,000 This year, Kerbedanz is releasing a ladies’ version of its Maximus GR8, the world’s largest tourbillon – the cage is 27 mm wide.
The case measures a whopping 46 mm x 19.9 mm thick – good thing it’s titanium. The movement, with two patents, is a central flying tourbillon with a cage that rotates every two minutes.
It runs on four barrels in parallel for a 54-hour power reserve. Gold hour and minute hands run on concentric rotating disks. It hits the market (with a thud) in October.
: 46 mm : 54 hours : Manual wound KRB08-2 : $256,000 This elegant collaboration interprets the Murakami floral motif as the case outline, composed of 12 petals made entirely of sapphire, a very Hublot case material. The horological substance takes the form of a central skeletonized flying tourbillon, with hours and minutes indicated by the tips of two hands that run peripherally. The co-axial construction means the hands literally pass beneath the tourbillon cage.
Size: 42 mm Power reserve: 120 hours Movement: Manual wound HUB9015 Price: $316,000 MB&F’s modern pod-like home-for-the-wrist is so visually fascinating that it’s easy to forget it is, impressively, a one-minute reverse-rotation central flying tourbillon. The watch draws inspiration from the futuristic architecture of the 1960s and 1970s and accordingly, has four rooms or pods, each opening a window on a different function: time; power reserve; thermometer; and a crown for time setting. Rotating the watch to view the various pods also winds it – 10 complete rotations fully wind it.
It comes in two colors, one with PVD-coated blue plates, and the other in 5N gold – 25 pieces each. : 42 mm : 96 hours : HM11 manual wound : $230,000 Omega has been making wristwatch tourbillon movements since the 1940s, and in 1994 it introduced the first self-winding central tourbillon. The De Ville central tourbillon takes it up a notch as the first Master Chronometer-certified manual-wound central tourbillon.
For good measure, it also claims a magnetic-field-resistance of up to 15,000 gauss. Aside from that, this is one of the most elegant examples of the genre, in 18k rose gold with gold bridges and mainplate and a ceramized titanium cage. The minute hand is attached to the tourbillon cage.
: 43 mm : 72 hours : Co-Axial caliber 2640 : $198,500.
