From Breguet to De Bethune, Piaget, and TAG Heuer, the centuries-old tourbillon, or whirlwind, mechanism is finding new life in 2024’s diverse offerings
As complications go, the tourbillon is controversial. Is it technically a complication? Many would say no. Patented by the watchmaker Abraham-Louis Bréguet in 1801, the revolving mechanism was designed to counteract the effects of gravity on the gears of a mechanical timepiece. It doesn’t, strictly speaking, add a function to the watch (the definition of a complication).
Semantics aside, there’s no denying watchmakers’ enduring obsession with the device. Often made visible through a cutout on the dial, the tourbillon is inherently showy and a relatively easy way to enliven an otherwise standard wristwatch. That may explain why we continue to see so many new eye-catching variations.
A theme of this year’s tourbillon introductions was minimalism. That may strike purists as counterintuitive—the mechanism has long been seen as a flashy accoutrement—but then again, the device is no stranger to controversy.
Below, we highlight some of our favorite new tourbillon wristwatches. Go on—take a whirl!
Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon “Quai de l’Horloge” 5345
On June 26, 1801, Abraham-Louis Breguet invented the tourbillon. To honor that milestone, the brand that bears his name dropped a 46 mm rose gold wristwatch equipped with not one, but two of the whirling mechanisms. But the horological dance visible on the dial tells only part of the story. A bevy of artisanal techniques on the 588N2 movement (740 components in all!) reflect more than 250 years of watchmaking heritage. They include an entirely new guilloché pattern reminiscent of sound waves applied to the rose gold rotating mainplate and to the rhodium-plated gold bridge below it.
There’s also an engraving on the back of the movement that depicts an aerial view of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s workshop at 39 Quai de l’Horloge in Paris and hand-chamfered details that speak to the brand’s obsessive approach to finishing. All in service of a device that lost its usefulness about a century ago, when the wristwatch supplanted the pocket watch, a development that, according to Breguet CEO Lionel a Marca, transformed the tourbillon into an object of horological beauty. “Observing a tourbillon in action is like watching a heartbeat,” he says. “What’s more, a timepiece is an object of desire and our aim is to continue to intrigue people as well as make them dream – isn’t that a nice challenge?” Indeed! Price on request.
De Bethune DB28XP Kind of Blue Tourbillon
When De Bethune dropped a “Purple Rain” watch earlier this year, we all knew Price was on the radar. Today the “Kind of Blue” Purple nods to the famous Miles Davis album, this time with a tourbillon whirlling at 6 o’clock. that “tourby” will go around every 30 seconds, and the case is a mere 9.1 mm thick, with the hinged lugs further enhancing the svelte fit. And it is a light tourbillon, rendered in grade 5 titanium with the cage weighing a mere 0.18 grams.
Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Blue Enamel
That’s a mouthful, but the watch requires many words to capture all that’s going on. First is the tourbillon, which is crafted along with everything else in Moser’s manufacture, making this truly an “in-house” watch (Moser even makes its own hairsprings). Secondly, this is a chiming minute repeater, which is one of the most difficult complications to produce. Then there’s the equally difficult-to-produce fumé enamel dial in blue, Last, but certainly not least of all this, there is the incredible Streamliner bracelet, which is reptilian in appearance and downright sexy on wrist. Put it all together, and you have what is likely Moser’s most impressive timepiece to date.
Gerald Charles Maestro 9.0 Roman Tourbillon
Gerard Charles continues to the legacy of its founder, Gerald Genta with a limited edition version of its Maestro Tourbillon. Genta first launched the collection in 2005 and today, the line continues with his vision, drawing inspiration from Roman architecture from its unique case design to the choice of Roman numeral hour markers. The showpiece of the new limited edition is a hand-hammered rose gold dial framed by a two-tone bezel in blue titanium and stainless steel. Both of these unique details mark firsts for the brand. The watch is complete with its signature complication skeletonised cage in the shape of the GC logo.
HYT Conical Tourbillon Infinity Diamonds
High level gem setting and technical prowess come together for this piece unique watch from HYT. The Conical Tourbillon Infinity Diamonds features a whopping 533 components and 575 diamonds for the perfect balance of function and form in a bold and fully blinged out timepiece. At the heart of the dial, you’ll find a conical tourbillon powered by HYT’s exclusive hydro-mechanical technology. Here, the tourbillon completes a full clockwise rotation every 30 seconds and is beautifully framed by three 64-facet diamonds set around the periphery. These diamonds rotate harmoniously at different speeds—the first completing four rotations per minute, the second five rotations per minute, and the third six rotations per minute—and give way to the snow-set ring containing the hour makers as well as the snow-set bezel.
Jacob & Co. x Bugatti Tourbillon Watch
What sets this Jacob & Co. x Bugatti collaboration apart from other automotive watch collabs is the car’s horological dashboard cluster—repleat with skeletonised titanium dials, a sapphire crystal, and over 600 components. But that’s not all. The incredible machinery inside the watch recreates the Bugatti Tourbillon car’s V-16 engine with a fully mechanical auotomata driving the tiny valves. This is no longer a watch immitating a car’s branding; this is ground-up, two-way conversation between brands. Price and availability have yet to be announced.
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold ‘Lumen’
It’s been a quarter century since Lange introduced its beloved Datograph. To honor the anniversary, the German maker combined a flyback chronograph with a precisely jumping minute counter, perpetual calendar and tourbillon with a stop-seconds mechanism in a Honeygold case that’s been “lumified.” Unlike most wristwatches equipped with tourbillons, the model does not place the spinning device front and center, instead making the tourbillon cage visible through the sapphire caseback. Were it not for the radiance of its luminous display, the piece would be the epitome of quiet luxury. Price on request.
Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Skeleton Pt
For lovers of mechanical artistry, the new platinum Ultrathin Tourbillon Skeleton from Arnold & Son offers a clear window on to their obsession. With its generous curves and wide apertures, the 41.5 mm piece, available in a limited edition of 28 pieces, houses a one-minute flying tourbillon that’s just 3.3 mm thick, one of the slimmest skeleton tourbillon calibres in existence (but please resist the urge to compare it with Piaget’s wafer-thin model below!).
H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton and Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine Limited Edition
A follow-up to the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton, introduced in 2022, the Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton is only Moser’s second skeletonized model. But in keeping with the brand’s reputation as a master of minimalism, the piece manages to accommodate a one-minute flying tourbillon with a double hairspring in its elegant, transparent casing. The piece is joined by the Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine Limited Edition, a nod to Moser’s new collaboration with Alpine Motorsports, the F1 racing team. While the former comes on an integrated steel bracelet, and the latter on a bright blue rubber strap, the two models are virtually identical. Note: The Alpine edition, limited to just 100 pieces, features a cylindrical hairspring positioned at 6 o’clock.
Franck Muller Cintrée Curve Imperial Tourbillon Baguette
The distinctive Cintrée Curvex case of Franck Muller’s Imperial Tourbillon Baguette is already recognisable across a crowded room. Now that it’s set with nearly five carats of baguette-cut diamonds, it’s the horological equivalent of a sign that says, “Look at me!”
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon 150th Anniversary
Piaget celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, but you wouldn’t know it based on the daring youthfulness of its key Watches and Wonders novelty: the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon. A sliver of a watch, the piece measures just 2 mm, the same thickness as its 2018 predecessor, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, even though this model features a flying tourbillon. To appreciate the innovation required to produce such a strikingly slender model, view the AUC Tourbillon in profile—it’s barely thicker than the credit card you’ll need to pay for it.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Titanium Monotourbillon
Long known for its expertise with tourbillons, Roger Dubuis made the feature a center piece of its Watches & Wonders Geneva introductions. Among the brand’s four new tourbillon models, the minimalist Excalibur Titanium Monotourbillon caught our eye. Limited to 28 pieces, the lightweight 42 mm wristwatch boasts a power reserve of 72 hours and water resistance to 10 bar, making it safe to wear to the beach. This is not Abraham-Louis Bréguet’s tourbillon, but were he alive to see it today, we think he’d approve.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon
How to jazz up one of the industry’s most recognisable sport watches? No. 1: Add a splash of vivid green to the dial. And No. 2: Incorporate a tourbillon into the mix. The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph places the mechanism in the standard 6 o’clock position. Thanks to the model’s curved sapphire crystal, it’s now easy to watch it whirl.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA
