One of Blancpain’s highlights at this year’s Baselworld is the L-evolution Tourbillon Carrousel, a highly complicated piece with a futuristic dial and case design to match. Tourbillons and carrousels both rotate their cages within a movement, but understanding them can also get your head spinning. So let’s take a moment to break down the differences between them.
When Blancpain introduced its first Tourbillon Carrousel in 2013, the technical innovation made some enthusiasts do a double take: aren’t a tourbillon and a carrousel basically the same thing? Both mechanisms have the same goal – to make the timekeeping more consistent by counteracting the effects of gravity. However, they come at it in slightly different ways. While a tourbillon keeps the escapement in constant motion by rotating around the fixed seconds wheel, the carrousel is powered by a separate gear. Thus, a carrousel uses one gear train to power its rotation and another to deliver power to the escapement. For the Tourbillon Carrousel watch to operate both elements it has a designated barrel for each, and uses two differentials to average their rates and to chart the remaining power reserve.
Click on the image below for an exclusive YouTube video, taken inside Blancpain’s manufacture, that demonstrates the differences between tourbillons and carrousels:
The combination of the two elements is definitely high-tech, but the 2013 Tourbillon Carrousel, a rose-gold model and part of the Le Brassus collection, was designed to play up heritage more than innovation. By contrast, the L-evolution version feels much more cutting-edge. The L-evolution collection involves avant-garde case designs and materials, while also capitalizing on lengthy power reserves to ensure the watch maintains its rate.
The L-evolution Tourbillon Carrousel is larger than its forebear, with a 47.4-mm case diameter. The case, in platinum, has an innovative design, with many hard angles and its top and bottom extending out towards the integrated lugs. The tourbillon is placed at 11 o’clock; the carrousel, at 5 o’clock, bears a miniature Blancpain lyre logo at its center. The movement is highly skeletonized, as are the hands. The bridges and base plate have received an NAC coating to give them a dark gray color. There are sapphire crystals on both front and back, and when you flip the watch over you can also see the cosmetic geared ring outlining the movement.
This movement is a development off of the Caliber 2322 used in the original Tourbillon Carrousel; appropriately, the new version is called 2322V2. It is hand wound and has a 168-hour power reserve. The power-reserve indicator is placed on the back of the watch. The movement has 350 components and runs in 70 jewels.
The L-evolution Tourbillon Carrousel comes on a black alligator strap. It is water resistant to 30 meters. Only 50 pieces will be available of this limited-edition run, priced at $373,130.
We at WatchTime had a chance to check out the Blancpain L-evolution Tourbillon Carrousel during our visit to the brand at Baselworld 2015. Below are a few shots we snapped showing what it looks like on the wrist.
Dear Sir, I have not received any recent issues of watchtower magazine. Thank you in advance
We enjoy to see the result of our tools, cuting and molding different weels of the watch. Thanks Blancpain for the challenging experience.
I used to hate skeleton watches as well but I recently acquired one and my preference towards them has changed. Mine didn’t cost $373,000 of course but it didn’t come from Switzerland and it is not a tourbillon. It is just a skeleton hand wind watch .
Is is only me, or have Blancpain really changed their style in the creation of this watch?
I hate so-called skeleton watches where the internal workings of the watch can be seen through the front dial. It just looks cluttered. I just want to look at my watch dial and see a clean, crisp design. Such a shame because the watch is otherwise very attractive.