Elite Traveler March-April 2016

elite traveler MAR/APR 2016 81

“We are on an exciting journey,” says Jerome Lambert, CEO of Montblanc, which earlier this year unveiled a new 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Limited Edition with hand-painted dial. “The more we open ourselves to higher complications, the more we keep coming up with new ideas.” Additionally, many of today’s top watch brands also turn to engineers and scientists to augment the talents of their watchmakers, and to bring innovation to all new heights worthy of the 21st century. They continually vie with one another for top ranking when it comes to creating these timepieces and to making them ever more alluring. invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet and then patented by him in 1801 (although the final version did not become commercialized until 1805). After years of research, the precision driven Breguet developed a new regulator, wherein the main parts that power the watch were installed inside a mobile carriage HISTORIC RACE The first tourbillon was

because it shows the heartbeat of the watch,” says Jean-Claude Biver, chairman of Hublot. “It is so spectacular. When you look at a tourbillon watch you are not even looking at the time, A tourbillon timepiece is so enthralling that at the recent renowned luxury watch exhibition in Geneva, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), more than half of the elite 24 benchmark brands exhibiting unveiled astonishing new tourbillon timepieces. Many of the newest cutting-edge tourbillons often sell at prices in excess of $500,000 and are technical delights that push the boundaries of watchmaking. Among the standout tourbillon watches that wowed was the Cartier Rotonde de you are looking at the wonderful movement.”

Brace yourselves before reading on…We are

embarking on a story about a tiny watch part that is no bigger than half an inch in diameter , but which is one of the most fascinating stories in watchmaking. This part, with roots dating back to the late 1700s, has sparked a renewed race among watchmakers over the past two decades as they challenge themselves to create the best of its kind. That part is the tourbillon. Among the most coveted complexities in haute horology, the powerful tourbillon, named after the French word for whirlwind, remains a rare breed in the watchmaking world. The escapement invention is more than 200 years old, but continues to be one of the most sought after feats in horology. Beloved for its rarity and mesmerizing appeal, the mechanical tourbillon escapement, which is always in motion, compensates for errors in timekeeping due to the effects of gravity on the watch when it is in different positions. Imagine viewing a set of wheels and balances continuously rotating on the watch dial like a carefully orchestrated dance. It is a thing of artistry and mystery that captures the eyes and hearts of watch lovers. “It is an incredible, spectacular movement

(escapement) that rotated once every minute. Throughout the one-minute rotation, the flaws in timing due to the impact of gravity in different directions compensate for one another, effectively canceling each other out, making for a more accurate watch. The brilliant, but incredibly complex, tourbillon was perhaps the finest horological invention of all time. Its ability to compensate for inaccuracies in handmade watches (in those days every part was hand cut and hand assembled) elevated

Cartier Astromystérieux Caliber 9462 MC watch. This is a watch which, for the first time in history, combines tourbillon complexity with the intriguing Cartier Mystery watch concept, itself over 100 years old. The Astromystérieux 9462 MC was years in the making and the result is a watch whose entire tourbillon escapement seems to float in space, sandwiched between two sapphire crystals and replacing the traditional dial. Similarly, brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Parmigiani Fleurier and Audemars Piguet all unveiled advanced new tourbillon timepieces. Make no mistake, though, these tourbillons are not common. Challenging to create, they each require as much as 10 years research and development to bring them from concept to fruition. Nanotechnology, ever more precise micromachining and other advances have speeded up that development process. Without these, the watches shown at the SIHH would not have been possible.

This rare Breguet Tourbillon no°1176 is Abraham-Louis' first four-minute tourbillon. In 2014 it was acquired by Breguet at auction for $645,400

Montblanc ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Limited Edition North America has an oversized tourbillon escapement in a slimmovement. $45,000

Rotonde de Cartier Astromystérieux Caliber 9462 MC combines a tourbillon escapement with the mystery watch concept. $181,000

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Spherotourbillon Moon watch houses the Caliber 389 with rotating tourbillon cage. From $270,000