It is time for us to pander to our fascination of the tourbillon. Here are our recommendations for the best of the best from recent years.
Das Tourbillon: six recommendations for the best of the best
Tourbillons. In a way they do nothing. Not modern ones anyway. They are just a mechanical fascination which attracts many of us who are intrigued by mechanical virtuosity. But it was not always like that. When A.L. Breguet invented the tourbillon, it had its use. It could quite effectively equalise the effects of gravity on a pocket watch sitting in one’s waistcoat pocket in one orientation all day long. Often, this orientation, due to the position of the chain it naturally slips into the pocket in a crown up position. Gravity causes the hairspring of the standard escapement to sag, so that the spacing above the pivot point is smaller than the spacing below. This causes irregular breathing of the hairspring, leading to positional errors. But today, the watch is normally worn on the wrist, which moves throughout the day. Effectively the wrist becomes the tourbillon, and its average position normalises the positional errors.
Also, tourbillons have smaller escapements, as these need to be miniaturised to fit into the carriage. Miniaturisation always take a toll on precision, however small.
Technically, the tourbillon is not a complication, as it does not add function to the watch, but rather is a different kind of escapement system. It can, with proper design, construction and adjustment provide performance gains, but it may not always be the case. So for the most part, the tourbillon is relegated to a fascination for the mechanically inclined. But it is a visual treat, and because traditionally it used to be a virtuoso product, the legacy continues. Put a tourbillon into a watch, and its perceived value goes up. Often by the high ten thousands of dollars.
But we will be the first to admit that we are totally fascinated by the tourbillon. The mesmerising display of virtuosity in the little platform which carries the entire escapement making its own revolution is stupendous.
After all, the mechanical watch itself is an anachronism. All of us almost always have our phone with us, and time displayed on any smart phone is far more accurate and precise than any mechanical device. With this in mind, we abandon the practical, and pander to our fascination. And present our recommendations, of what is to us, the best of the best of the tourbillons released in recent years.
Ba111od Chapter 4.8 GMT Tourbillon Greenwich Limited Edition
We begin being friendly to the wallet. Ba111od have always been the king of the affordable tourbillon. With prices as low as CHF 8.35k for the Chapter 4.1 TVD. Though the price has increased significantly since we reviewed the watch in 2023, then it was only CHF 4.9k + tax, it is still the least expensive Swiss Made tourbillon in the market. Our pick would be the Chapter 4.8 GMT, with the sage green dial, with the additional complication of a GMT display cased in a raw Grade 5 titanium case. The watch currently retails at CHF 9.6k. Still, by far the least expensive Swiss Made tourbillon watch in the market today. And trust us, we investigated this Swiss Made claim thoroughly, and can confirm that the movement is made by Olivier Mory of BCP Tourbillons, and all materials for the watch is sourced within a short driving distance from La Chaux-du-Fonds, and thus certifiable as full Swiss Made.
As we said in the original review of the TVD, the watch “worked well during the 3 weeks or so it was with us, taking everything a corporate life can throw at it in an urban environment. It looked great, and though not in the company of regular folks, it was the center of attention of any gathering of watch collectors. Most of whom have wowed and oohed at the fact that this was a well designed, well made tourbillon selling for less than the least expensive Rolex.”
Le Régulateur Tourbillon Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein
Next up is the Louis Erard, with just a modest increase in the asking price, and we are at CHF 15.9k before taxes. This is a fun watch to wear. The case is in titanium, and thus very light. The case is a cylindrical capsule in matte finish held by a tonneau shaped frame in polished titanium. Two rings act as lugs to carry the NATO style strap. Very cool and dégagé looking. And of course, the use of bright colours and shapes typical of an Alain Silberstein design makes it even more playful and less serious.
The movement is also by BCP Tourbillon. The movement is not exactly the same as that supplied to Ba111od, but is based on the same design. Olivier Mory explains how he is able to do a very high level of customisation to his movements and keeps the low price in this interesting and exclusive interview.
We had a lot of fun with this watch. The aesthetics are playful and whimsical in its outward appearance, but this is a serious watch. The tourbillon and regulator layout are serious complications for serious collectors. We think this niche is well exploited by Manuel Emch and Alain Silberstein. And thus, we can make a compelling case for ourselves that this is a great watch.
New Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon in Rose Gold
Next, we take a rather big price jump, and reach the traditional realm of tourbillon pricing. This next recommendation is for the JLC Reverso Tribute Douface Tourbillon. The JLC Reverso is one of my favourites, and a Reverso Platinum Two occupies a pride of place in my personal collection. But the Platinum Two is no longer available, indeed I purchased it toward the end of its run in circa 2001. So our next best pick is the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon in Rose Gold. The pricing is pushing skywards at USD 139k in 2023. (The current JLC website lists the watch as POA).
Here we have the meeting point of the excellent craftsmanship of JLC with the quintessential design cues of the Reverso that we all know and love. It stands out against the competition by being rectangular, being able to swivel to display two separate timezones. Plus as one flips the watch over, it exudes a completely different character. On the one side, elegance and class, and on the other one finds a craftsman’s sandbox.
Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon
One next step up in the pricing game, is the Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon. But with this increase in price, we get an increase in complexity on the movement side of things. Instead of just one tourbillon, we get two. But we get ahead of ourselves. The Double Tourbillon by Arnold & Son is available in different guises, and the one we most favoured is the white gold cased model with the beautiful green malachite dial. The watch is priced at CHF 226k. An eye-watering price tag, but par for the course for double tourbillons.
Essentially, the Double Tourbillon is two watches in one, without the hullabaloo of having to employ differentials to power two escapements from a single train. Here, there are two barrels, two gear trains, two independent tourbillon regulators, two crowns and two dials displaying time independently. This allows for maximal flexibility as the dials can display the same time or any different time, including any and all time zones, even those offset by quarter hours. So, in a sense, this Double Tourbillon is an over-engineered dual time watch. That doesn’t sound overly positive but it is actually what a mechanical watch connoisseur digs – elaborate mechanical constructs, finely decorated. Between its two tourbillon bridges, crowns sit the atypical malachite dial and domed sapphire crystal. There is plenty to love about the Arnold & Son’s latest Double Tourbillon.
Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold
The next step up in the pricing charts, we get the Daniel Roth Tourbillon. Our pick is the regular production piece from the Louis Vuitton Daniel Roth offering, and not the Souscription series, which was in yellow gold, a closed case back and limited to 20 pieces. This one will be in a rose gold case, and open case back. It will be a limited production and will have a retail of SGD 255k, so it is actually a bit less than the Arnold & Son. But this is a more straightforward single tourbillon. Executed to perfection.
The movement is made by Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps, and is magnificent. The original Daniel Roth styling of a form movement true to the case shape remains. Finishing remains superb, including the beautiful case, the magnificent guilloché on the dial and the movement. I examined this watch in quite a bit of detail at IamWatch, where it was presented by Jean Arnauld. And though the old master has never touched this series of watches, it remains every bit as exquisite as the original.
Greubel Forsey Nano Foudroyante
Perhaps the inclusion of this amazing watch is not a surprise for regular readers. I have written about being besotted by it in my Christmas wishlist for 2024. The watch has many firsts for Gruebel Forsey. Their first foudroyante. Their first flying tourbillon. Their first flyback chronograph. And best of all, their smallest wrist watch, at a super wearable 39mm. Pricing is a challenging CHF 465,000, but methinks that one gets quite a lot of watch for the (admittedly humongous amount of) money.
I stand to repeat myself, but I guess, this is perhaps the best expression that I could have mustered: “I did manage to handle and play with it a bit. Michel Nydegger, Greubel Forsey’s CEO had kept a lookout for me after the GPHG ceremony in Geneva on November 13, 2024. And he managed to find me. After salutations, he promptly handed me the watch off his wrist. And it was even more beautiful than I had imagined. The foudroyante is spectacular, running furiously around inside its tourbillon cage which is making a more sedate progress around the sub-dial.”.
Concluding thoughts
So here is our list. What is yours? In case this listicle sounds a little deja vu, well, we have covered the topic before. Albeit the latest being in 2022, with two articles:
- Top six recommendations for a tourbillon released in recent years 2022
- Five more tourbillons from our list – this time, a bit more wallet friendly 2022
But we have really been doing it fairly regularly since 2015.
- Throwback Sundays: Six Recommendations for a Tourbillon Timepiece from Independent Watchmakers In Our Archives 2015
- Throwback Sundays: Six Recommendations for a Classic Tourbillon Watch from Our Archives also 2015
- Throwback Sundays: Six Different Tourbillon Watches Modern to Classical 2017
- Throwback Sunday: Six tourbillons for when you win the lottery 2018
- Recommendations for six watches with more than just a tourbillon on Throwback Sundays 2020
So there! Told you we were fascinated by the tourbillon. Tell us if you are too!
1 Comment
“Effectively the wrist becomes the tourbillon, and its average position normalises the positional errors.” A very enlightening comment and article. I keep looking for accuracy ratings or studies in tourbillon watch reviews and have yet to see one.