by Ian Skellern
This is the last in our three-part series on tourbillons from Baselworld 2014. It includes fantastic timepieces from Blancpain, Greubel Forsey, Girard-Perregaux, Hautlence and Vianney Halter.
I have stretched the criteria a little here: while I saw the Greubel Forsey and Vianney Halter watches during Baselworld, neither of them was actually exhibiting at the fair.
And in yet another fudge, the Hautlence HL2.2 is not a toubillon, but it is way cool and its escapement rotates, which is good enough reason for me to include it here.
And for the detail sticklers out there, yes I know the Blancpain is a carrousel and not technically a tourbillon, but again I’m not one to split hairs – well not in my own posts anyway.
Even if it had no tourbillon at all, this Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain would stand out from the crowd, just by virtue of its superlative finish. The fast-rotating 25° inclined tourbillon is icing on the cake. www.greubelforsey.com/en/collection/tourbillon-24-secondes-contemporain
Blancpain claims this new Villeret Carrousel Moon Phase is the first watch to combine a flying carrousel, moon phase and date and I well believe it. I also like the fact that it sports a silicon balance spring and has a healthy five-day power reserve. www.blancpain.com/en/news/first-ever-encounter-between-carrousel-and-moon-phase
The Girard-Perregaux Neo-Tourbillon with Three Bridges features very prominent black PVD titanium bridges, while the spring barrel is visible at 12 o’clock and the tourbillon at 6 o’clock. You will find more on this watch at Girard-Perregaux Presents Neo-Tourbillon with Three Bridges www.girard-perregaux.com/collection/collection-en.aspx.
While it isn’t a tourbillon with its half-trailing hours displayed by a chain, retrograde minutes and rotating gear train, the Hautlence HL2.2 lacks for nothing in the wow-factor department. www.hautlence.com/en/collection/concepts-d-exception/hl2-2
Who would have ever thought that there would be so many triple-axis tourbillons on the market (though there are still not so very many of them, comparatively speaking)? However, Vianney Halter’s Deep Space Tourbillon is really in a parallel universe of its own.
Talk about Russian Matryoshka dolls! This regulator is embedded within the first tourbillon cage to rotate in 40 seconds in a wristwatch. On the other side, another tourbillon rotates in 6-minute intervals, and then the whole thing is suspended in a cradle that is really a 30-minute rotating main plate. www.vianney-halter.com
And if you missed them, click here to view Give Me Five! Tourbillons From Baselworld 2014 Part 1 and Give Me Five! Tourbillons From Baselworld 2014 Part 2.
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