The fine guilloché on the plates and bridges necessitated moving the original drillings by less than 1/20th of a millimeter, and the entire movement needed to be carefully disassembled, adjusted and reassembled as part of the process. The guilloché even extends to gear wheels, and the 12 guillochéd bridges and cocks are also coated with rhodium and rose gold. The watchmakers at Grieb & Benzinger also replaced the tourbillon’s original gold drive wheel with a new “mysterious wheel,” which is visible from the back. The result of all this craftsmanship is what the company says is the first visible skeletonized tourbillon based on a Patek Philippe movement. (“Whirlwind” is the English translation of the French word “tourbillon.”)
The watch also features another Grieb & Benzinger hallmark, a base plate coated with blue platinum. The skeletonized, sterling silver dial is arranged in a regulator style and sports the classic Breguet frosted finish, a technique currently used only by this brand. The platinum case is 43 mm in diameter. The Grieb & Benzinger Blue Whirlwind is a unique piece, priced at $850,000 — significantly less than the unique Patek model that contained this movement, but still a hefty investment for one lucky collector. Click below for a video on Grieb & Benzinger’s watchmaking techniques.
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Beautiful,just beautiful.