Tourbillons have become routine in luxury watches these days. But there are some that stand out. Here are some of the best Tourbillon watches launched in 2021
BREGUET CLASSIQUE TOURBILLON EXTRA-PLAT AUTOMATIQUE 5367
This extra-thin self-winding tourbillon from the brand that pioneered the tourbillon more than two centuries ago, comes in a 41mm platinum case and a deep-blue Grand Feu enamel dial featuring Breguet open-tipped hands. The case is just 7.45mm thick, thanks to the 3mm thickness of the caliber 581 movement, making it Breguet’s thinnest tourbillon. With its high-energy barrel, the watch boasts an 80-hour power reserve, and comes with a blue alligator leather strap.
BOVET 1822 VIRTUOSO VIII CHAPTER TWO
The first version of this watch stirred things up when it was launched last year, with its strikingly imaginative design and a patented flying tourbillon. This year, it is back in a limited edition, with a 44mm titanium case with black DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating, alligator leather strap, and Super-LumiNova-coated luminescent dials in blue, yellow, green, violet, turquoise, and salmon. Only eight watches of each dial colour will be produced, thereby ensuring exclusivity. The hand-wound caliber 17BM06-GD movement comes with 10 days of power reserve.
JAQUET DROZ GRANDE SECONDE SKELET-ONE TOURBILLON
A fine example of precision watchmaking, this tourbillon watch is housed in a 41mm, 18K red gold case. The tourbillon cage follows the geometry of the skeleton movement, with a triple cross shape which, once a minute, aligns perfectly with its bridges. The twin dials incorporate slender, elegant hands for displaying hours, minutes, and seconds. The larger dial is crafted from sapphire and is affixed with gold indexes, while the smaller one is made from smoky Swiss quartz; the multi-tier design, with different levels of transparency, creates a particularly pleasing visual effect. Power reserve of seven days.
BVLGARI OCTO ROMA CARILLON TOURBILLON
This three-hammer chiming tourbillon produces clear, beautiful sounds that are almost ethereal. Timekeeping is powered by a manually wound caliber BVL428 movement that’s 8.35mm thick, and is housed in a 44mm matt-finish titanium case crafted for clearest possible diffusion of sound. The two-barrel movement is optimised for the functioning of the watch’s intricate sound mechanism, and comes with a power reserve of at least 75 hours. Limited to 15 pieces.
JAEGER-LECOULTRE MASTER ULTRA THIN TOURBILLON MOON
As its name implies, this watch combines two of watchmaking’s most admired complications — a moon phase and a tourbillon. It also features the company’s signature ‘jumping’ date complication, which automatically stops the date hand from obscuring the tourbillon. Comes in a 41.5mm Le Grand Rose gold case, a new pink gold alloy. The eggshell-white dial features elongated, arrow-shaped, golden indexes, and discreet touches of red. The new self-winding calibre 983 movement has a power reserve of 45 hours.
CARL F. BUCHERER MANERO MINUTE REPEATER SYMPHONY
With a 65-hour power reserve, the MR3000 automatic winding movement of this watch has a peripheral winding system, a peripherally suspended floating tourbillon, and a minute repeater with a peripherally mounted regulator. The regulator is mounted via three low-friction ceramic ball bearings; a blue dot shows when the crown is pulled out, and a musical note lets the wearer know that the minute repeater function is activated. Comes in a 43.8mm rose gold case, white gold dial, and brown alligator leather strap. Limited to 88 pieces.
HUBLOT BIG BANG INTEGRAL TOURBILLON RAINBOW
If you ever wanted to wrap a rainbow around your wrist, Hublot has you covered. This tourbillon is resplendent, ablaze as it is, with all seven colours of a full-blown rainbow. The 43mm case, in 18K King Gold or 18K white gold, with an integrated bracelet, is studded with seven different types of baguette-cut precious stones including bright red rubies, fuchsia pink sapphires, ultraviolet amethysts, klein blue topaz, leaf green tsavorites, lemon yellow sapphires, and bright orange sapphires. Calibre HUB6035 self-winding movement has a 72-hour power reserve.
AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SELFWINDING FLYING TOURBILLON FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH
This self-winding timepiece combines a flying tourbillon with a flyback chronograph, the latter making it possible to restart the chronograph without stopping or resetting it. Comes in a 43mm sandblasted titanium case with 18K white gold hands, glare-proof sapphire crystal, and black ceramic push pieces. There is a choice of easily swappable black rubber and hand-stitched alligator leather straps. The calibre 2967 movement has a 65-hour power reserve. Limited to 100 pieces.
MONTBLANC STAR LEGACY SUSPENDED EXO TOURBILLON LIMITED EDITION 18
The latest iteration of Montblanc’s patented Exo Tourbillon complication with its spectacular view of the tourbillon in motion with a balance wheel (which is slightly raised and seems to float above the dial) positioned outside of the tourbillon’s rotating cage. The dial is constructed in eight different parts, each decorated entirely by hand, with a handmade guilloché pattern. Comes in a polished 44.8mm case in 18K white gold, with a sapphire crystal case back and blue alligator leather strap. Powered by Montblanc’s calibre MB M16.68 movement, and is limited to 18 pieces.
BREITLING PREMIER B21 CHRONOGRAPH TOURBILLON 42 BENTLEY LIMITED EDITION
Breitling and Bentley Motors, two luxury brands that are leaders in the worlds of watchmaking and car manufacturing respectively, have been partners for almost 20 years. The new watch, in a 42mm case in 18K red gold, features a distinctive green dial, rectangular chronograph pushers, brown alligator leather strap, and a sapphire case back that puts the magnificent movement on display. Powered by Breitling’s automatic, COSC-certified caliber B21 tourbillon movement, with a power reserve of 55 hours. Limited to 25 pieces.
GUCCI G-TIMELESS DANCING BEES TOURBILLON
The watch gets its name from the 12 bees, in 18K gold, that are set on the watch’s dial. It features a moving tourbillon cage at the 12 o’clock position. Comes in five variants, including a platinum version with a dramatic bull’s eye dial, two 18K yellow gold designs with a falcon’s eye stone dial, and limitededition tiger’s eye stone dial with more than 200 diamonds highlighting the case, dial, lugs, and buckle. The 18K white gold version comes with a blue aventurine dial and more than 800 white diamonds set across the bracelet, case, and dial, with a Gucci star set on the tourbillon. The 18K yellow gold iteration features a tiger’s eye dial, with more than 800 diamonds.
LOUIS VUITTON TAMBOUR CURVE GMT FLYING TOURBILLON
Extrapolated from the Möbius strip, the 46mm case middle on this timepiece, made of shot-blasted titanium, deconstructs the circle. Stretched and elongated, it catches the eye with the convex curve of its bezel and crystal. Designed to display a second time zone on the dial, it features two push-pieces on its right side. These are used to simplify the setting of the GMT, allowing the dedicated indicator, positioned within the open counter at 3 o’clock, to move forwards or backwards. Comes entirely in titanium, or with horns, push-pieces, and winding crown in 18K pink gold, or in an entirely titanium version with its dial carved out of the Gibeon meteorite that landed in Namibia, and hour markers set with baguette-cut diamonds. The dial is openworked without being truly skeletonised. It is crafted in two separate parts in order to present a strong, minimalist architecture. The V logo punctuates the dial on the flying tourbillon carriage at 9 o’clock. Calibre LV82 self-winding mechanical movement has a 65-hour power reserve.
TAG HEUER CARRERA HEUER 02T
The Carrera Heuer 02T is a style statement in blue and classy, understated titanium. Comes with a 45mm titanium case, ceramic blue fixed bezel, blue sunray brushed dial, titanium pushers, and anti-reflective sapphire crystal. With polished, rhodium-plated hands, titanium bracelet, carbon and titanium tourbillon cage, and Tag’s calibre Heuer 02T COSC-certified movement, this is an all-around accomplished Swiss watch. Limited to 250 pieces.
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