Showing at WatchTime New York 2017: Ateliers deMonaco Tourbillon Casino de Monte-Carlo


Haute horology brand Ateliers deMonaco will be making an appearance at this year’s WatchTime New York event, joining 29 other brands at Manhattan’s Gotham Hall on October 13-14 (click here for event details and to purchase tickets). Among the watches the brand will be presenting will be a new, unique piece meant to honor the historical casino found in the indie brand’s hometown of Monaco: the Tourbillon Casino de Monte-Carlo.

Ateliers deMonaco Casino Tourbillon - soldier

The Casino of Monte-Carlo is one of the most famous buildings within the city-state of Monaco. It was founded in 1863, with major renovations to the building following in 1910, and since its beginnings has been a regional hub for cultural life. Ateliers deMonaco wanted to produce a watch that showcased this history, and from this inspiration came the unique piece.

The watch has a 44-mm white gold case with a titanium core featuring both hand-brushing and polishing throughout, and is secured to the wrist using a black alligator strap with a white-gold and titanium folding buckle. The dial is where much of the homage lies, with three distinct layers of white gold hand-engraved to display a picture of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, and with “lozenge”-style applied hour indexes meant to symbolize the brand and the crest of the principality. The three gold dial plates together display the palm tree-lined avenue and the steps of the Casino, leading up to the building’s front and its famous domes; at the top of the dial are the clouds and sky of Monaco overhanging the monument. Towards the bottom of the dial is an open-heart tourbillon, with a sapphire bridge meant to represent the Casino’s central fountain, and passing over the expert engraving are two dauphine hands for the hours and minutes.

Ateliers deMonaco Casino Tourbillon - front

Beneath the dial is one of Ateliers deMonaco’s first patented in-house movements, the automatic dMc-980 caliber, also known as the Tourbillon XP1. This movement operates at 28,800 vph, or 4 Hz, for a power reserve of 42 hours, and maintains its precision to an impressive 0/+2 seconds per day. The movement is visible through a sapphire caseback and features hand decoration on all its bridges, chamfering and circular graining along with a satin finishing, and a hand-engraved, 22k gold rotor flying over it all. Finally, the caseback is engraved with the notation, “Pièce Unique Casino de Monte-Carlo,” which calls out the exclusivity this one-of-a-kind watch offers.

Pricing for the watch is currently unavailable, but you’ll be able to see it and many other exclusive pieces at this year’s WatchTime New York event coming up this weekend, with tickets available now!

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