WatchTime New York 2019 is just days away on October 25-26, and this year we’ll be showing a host of amazing watches from the 37 participating brands. One category that always generates a tremendous amount of excitement is timepieces with tourbillon movements. Tourbillons, famous for their rotating cages, difficulty of production, and commanding prices, are frequently a favorite among collectors, and this year, about one third of our partner brands will be showcasing at least one. Here are eight impressive tourbillon watches to see at this year’s WatchTime New York event.
Greubel Forsey will be revealing its new Double Tourbillon 30° Technique Ceramic at this year’s event, a watch that combines the brand’s flagship Double Tourbillon 30º Technique with a new ceramic case and updated movement with sapphire components. This movement is known as the first of Greubel Forsey’s proprietary “Inventions,” in which the company approached the concept of a tourbillon as a regulating device differently than most manufacturers. In the Double Tourbillon 30º Technique, a single 60-second tourbillon is inclined at a 30º angle and surrounded by an outer tourbillon that makes its own rotation every four minutes. In effect, this averages out positional errors brought on by effects of gravity on the watch’s oscillator to a much higher degree than typically seen in a tourbillon-enhanced timepiece. The new watch will be limited to 11 total models, and will be available exclusively to U.S. collectors.
The new Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter One combines a sapphire version of Bovet’s famed “writing desk” sloped case with an array of complications. The watch features Bovet’s patented, double-face flying tourbillon, which debuted in Bovet’s 2015 collection, and occupies a large aperture at the 6 o’clock position, and also serving as the seconds display. In this model, the entire case construction is built of sapphire, and the asymmetrical shape of this case, in combination with the material, presented its designers with some unique challenges. Ultimately, the company was able to overcome these, and produce an impressive, skeletonized haute horlogerie model unlike any other.
For 2019, Neuchâtel-based Kerbedanz will be presenting one of its most famous timepieces: the Maximus. The Maximus was first introduced in 2017 with the tagline, “There is no greater than Maximus,” and it backed up that statement by claiming the largest tourbillon movement inside any wristwatch. And it’s true — with a cage diameter of 27 mm, the Maximus’s tourbillon is indeed immense. The Maximus also features a 49-mm case diameter and unique dial features surrounding the massive, centered tourbillon. With all these elements together, the Maximus undoubtedly stands out in a crowd.
The Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon follows up on the groundbreaking, original Vertical Tourbillon first introduced last year. The watch places its tourbillon cage in the middle of the dial on a vertical axis and inclined at a 90ª angle — according to Cyrus’s technical researchers, the angle at which the tourbillon is almost always in a vertical position on the wrist. In this new openworked version of the movement, the wearer is afforded a clear view into the heart of the watch, including the rhythmic rotations of the tourbillon, while reading the time off of two retrograde hands. The watch is available in titanium with black DLC (pictured), a second in 4N rose gold, and a third combining rose gold with black DLC, with each limited to five editions.
Breguet is possibly best known for its expert work in tourbillon movements, and this year the brand will be showcasing a watch that combines the technical savoir faire of a tourbillon with the intrigue of a skeletonized dial in the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395. The piece features the Caliber 581 tourbillon movement at its center, with the beautifully finished movement serving as the overarching aesthetic of the model throughout. On the dial, the model features other subtle but distinctive elements such as blued steel hands and translucent hour markers, while the caseback further showcases the expert finishing and inventive peripheral rotor of the movement.
Among the watch maisons joining us this year is Arnold & Son, a brand that pays homage to the horological innovations of 18th-Century English watchmaker John Arnold. One of those tribute pieces, on display at the event, is the new Time Pyramid Tourbillon. With a design based on John Arnold’s historical, distinctive regulator clocks displaying hours, minutes and seconds on different axes, the Time Pyramid Tourbillon is equipped with the skeletonized Caliber A&S8615, whose pyramid-shaped tourbillon appears to float between two sapphire crystals. The Time Pyramid Tourbillon comes in a round, 44.6-mm-diameter case made of either 18k rose gold (pictured above) or stainless steel, both limited to 28 editions.
First seen at SIHH in January, the new Angelico timepiece from independent watch artisan Christophe Claret combines a tourbillon with a long detent escapement and a cable-type fusee transmission system. This combination is a first in wristwatch history and was more commonly associated with the usage of marine chronometers in the 18th century. Not only does the Angelico feature this noteworthy first application; it is further complemented by a jumping dual-time display, a day/night indicator, and a power-reserve display to showcase its 72 hours of running autonomy courtesy of two parallel-mounted mainspring barrels. The 45.5-mm watch will be limited to limited to 20 total pieces: 10 in 5N red gold, and 10 in grade 5 titanium.
Geneva-based Czapek is a crowdfunding-supported brand named for François Czapek, a 19th-century Polish watchmaker who opened what is believed to be the first high-end watch boutique on France’s famed Place Vendôme. Czapek’s Place Vendôme collection pays tribute to that history, and the newest addition to the haute-de-gamme series, the Place Vendôme Ombres, is the next iteration in this homage. This new watch is known by its unique symmetrical dial scheme, as well as its Caliber SXH2 tourbillon movement, which Czapek developed with the complications specialists at Chronode SA. This newest model by the Swiss brand will be limited to only 25 editions.
Don’t miss out on seeing these and dozens of other new and fascinating timepieces this weekend! Order your tickets for WatchTime New York 2019 today!
Learning a lot about tourbillon watches