Perrelet is an interesting manufacturer known for the use of the automatic winding rotor on the dial side often to showcase animated dials. For summer 2022, they are releasing a new wristwatch in their iconic Turbine line with a multi-colour peek-a-boo dial and a case in carbon fibre.
Press release details and commentary in italics.
New: Perrelet Turbine Rainbow
The Perrelet Turbine Rainbow retails for EUR 4,950 and is a limited edition of 50 pieces on pre-order from 15 August 2022.
Commentary
Perrelet is a historical name, but one which is perhaps at the periphery of many collector’s vision. They trace their roots to Abraham Louis Perrelet who founded the firm in 1777, and is credited for being the inventor of the self winding watch. Perrelet even sold some of the watches to his contemporary A.L. Breguet in 1780, who improved upon the mechanism in his own version of the design, calling his watches “perpetuelles”, the French word for perpetual. The house claims to have been active throughout, but largely unknown until it returned to visibility in 1990 with a concept known as the dial side rotor. Perrelet produced the first double rotor model in 1995 in collaboration with Master Watchmaker Paul Gerber. The firm holds a patent for it. This watch featured a single rotor visible on the dial side, and a second one below. In 2004, the maison was acquired by the Festina Group, and with it the technical access to movement manufacture from sister company Soprod.
In 2009, Perrelet presented the Turbine. This was a commercial success, taking inspiration from aviation and basing the design of the dial side rotor on the jet engine turbine. The movement is still a double rotor, but the dial side is designed to look like a propeller of the jet engine’s turbine.
Today’s novelty is an extension to the Turbine line. Now with the blades of the front rotor revealing and hiding the multi-coloured sub-dial below. This sub-dial is made up of many dots making patches of colour in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. An effect which is vaguely similar to the works of American painter Jackson Pollock.
The rainbow theme is carried on with the muti-colour indices – Arabic for even and bar for odd going from red to violet in a progression like they appear in a rainbow. The indices have SuperLumiNova applied in a matching colour. The hour and minute hands are white and the central seconds hand red.
But also of interest is the case, which is in carbon fibre with a stainless steel bezel and case back in black PVD to match the dark tones of the carbon. The case is an updated design of the regular steel Turbine cases, and has a higher water resistance rating of 100m instead of 50m in the steel variants.
And the movement is the new P-331-MH caliber, which is an in-house manufacture automatic movement. Perrelet embarked on this self sufficient model and manufactures the entire movement themselves, including the regulating organ. The movement not only has COSC certification, but have also passed the more stringent Chronofiable certification issued by Laboratory Dubois of La Chaux-de-Fonds.
In terms of pricing, Perrelet has set the Turbine Rainbow to retail at EUR 4,950 which is a small premium over the black PVD steel version in the Turbine Regular which goes for EUR 4,580. Keeping in mind that the Turbine Rainbow has a carbon fibre case and is a limited edition of 50 pieces.
Release details
Perrelet, the Swiss watchmaking manufacture renowned for its original creations with animated dials, is introducing a new wristwatch in the Turbine line for summer 2022. The iconic Turbine model has been renewed and adopts an innovative carbon fibre case with improved water-resistance to 10 atm / 100m instead of the traditional 5 atm.
Carbon fibre, a material never used before by Perrelet – except for the unique piece “Turbine Hope” conceived for the 9th edition of the Only Watch charity auction in 2021 – is now deployed on a series of new timepieces in the Turbine sporty line. The first model of these creations, with more to follow later this year, is named “Turbine Rainbow” and is a limited edition of 50 pieces.
“Turbine Rainbow” features a high-tech case with a stainless steel bezel and case back with matte black PVD coating and a central body made of polycarbonate and carbon fibre. The properties of carbon fibre include its thermal insulation capacity, its resistance to chemical agents and temperature changes, and its extreme lightness; qualities that make it an ideal material for watchmaking.
The case, measuring 44 mm in diameter and 13.82 in thickness, has a sporty-chic look with its flat, smooth bezel and fluted case band – a signature feature of the brand. The sub-dial, a key component in the Turbine collection, is decorated with a new and exclusive motif. As the 12-blade black anodised aluminium propeller rotates, the beauty of the sub-dial is revealed.
With each movement of the wrist, the Turbine unveils details of the sub-dial, illustrating a different leitmotif every time. A wide range of motifs has appeared over the years, from animalier artwork and symbols of Japanese culture to camouflage patterns. The hallmark double rotor of the Turbine was patented in 2009, converting it into the iconic Perrelet model.
For the new “Turbine Rainbow”, the brand’s creative team chose the colourful ‘rainbow’ theme. Countless small dots, like patches of colour in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet are spread out against a ‘black canvas’ creating an engaging, abstract, multi-coloured pattern. The result is reminiscent of the “drip painting” technique used by the famous early 20th-century American painter, Paul Jackson Pollock.
The shadows of the rainbow, the fascinating optical phenomenon that occurs when sunlight passes through suspended drops of water after a thunderstorm, are reproduced in a precise sequence on the Arabic numerals and indices. The colours start with red at 12 o’clock, followed by orange at 2 o’clock and progress to yellow, green, blue, and finally violet. All of them glow in the dark with matching-coloured Super-LumiNova – a sophisticated touch that underlines Perrelet’s extreme attention to detail in the manufacture of its watches. The hour and minute hands are filled with white Super-LumiNova, while the central seconds hand is shiny red.
“Turbine Rainbow” is powered by calibre P-331-MH, an in-house automatic movement, beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour and supplying 42 hours of power reserve. Having successfully undergone Chronofiable and COSC certification tests, the calibre guarantees high precision and reliability. The stainless steel case back, with black PDV coating, features a sapphire crystal porthole that allows a view of the circular graining on the main plate and the open-worked oscillating weight embellished with the Maison’s logo.
The watch comes with a water-resistant black calfskin strap with a rubber lining and is delivered in a special “tactical box” accompanied by an additional rubber strap and a fastening tool.
“Turbine Rainbow” will be available at prestigious authorised retailers worldwide from mid-August 2022. Those who do not have a shop close to home and live in EU countries or in the United States, can take advantage of the E-Commerce platform by logging onto Perrelet’s website. This is a recent service offered by the Maison, which always strives to do its best to meet the wishes of the brand’s many enthusiasts around the world.
Perrelet Turbine Rainbow Technical Specifications
Ref. A8003/1
Movement:
Perrelet in-house calibre P-331-MH, mechanical with automatic winding, COSC and Chronofiable certified
28.800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
Number of jewels: 25
Power reserve (fully wound): 42 hours
Open-worked and rhodium-plated oscillating weight with Perrelet logo
Functions:
Hours, minutes and seconds
Case:
Round, case body in polycarbonate and carbon fibre, flat bezelin stainless steel with black matt PVD coating
Diameter: 44 mm
Thickness: 13. 82 mm
Sapphire crystal glass with double anti-reflective treatment on dial
Fluted case band
Crown with Perrelet logo
Case back in stainless steel with black PVD coating, sapphire glass porthole with the inscription “Limited Edition X/50.
Waterproof to 10 Atm/100 m /328 ft
Dial:
Black sub-dial with dots in the rainbow colours
Turbine technology
12 black anodised aluminium turbine blades with five tungsten counterweights
Central hour and minute hands with white Super-LumiNova
Red central seconds hand
Arabic numerals and indices in rainbow colours which glow in the dark with matching-coloured Super-LumiNova
Strap
Water-resistant black calf leather with grey stitching and rubber lining
Folding clasp in black PVD stainless steel embellished with the Perrelet logo
Watch delivered in a tactical box with additional rubber strap and fastening tool.
