Like many beautiful things worth knowing about, the tourbillon is also rather complicated. However, it’s not actually a complication. Confused? Let us explain.
For many watchmakers and manufactures, a tourbillon represents the ultimate display of virtuosity. Unlike many intricate complications or movement componentry, the tourbillon sits front and centre on the dial, allowing wearers (and admirers) to observe the beating heart of the watch—namely, the balance spring and balance wheel—at work. While they once served a practical purpose, today the tourbillon has been rendered relatively obsolete. However, its popularity hasn’t waned with a tourbillon watch remaining one of the most covetable styles for watch aficionados. Here’s everything you need to know about tourbillons; from why they were invented to the best tourbillon watches on the market.
What is a tourbillon?
A tourbillon (French for ‘whirlwind’) is a regulatory mechanism in the form of a rotating mechanical cage that houses the balance wheel, balance spring, and escapement. The tourbillon rotates these components a full 360° (known as a ‘revolution’) once per minute, thus reducing their exposure to gravity. This is done to nullify the effect of the Earth’s gravitational pull on the isochronal properties of the balance wheel and spring, hence increasing the watch’s accuracy.
The best tourbillon watches of 2024
While today there are many ‘affordable’ tourbillons courtesy of advancements in computer-programmed machinery, we’ll be focusing on luxury timepieces that stay true to the mechanism’s handcrafted origins. Many haute horology tourbillons are released in highly limited quantities (and at extortionately high prices), making them difficult to find, let alone acquire. However, there’s no harm in looking. Herewith, the most beautiful and impressive tourbillon watches to know about.
1. A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskunst
A departure from the German manufacture’s classic round dress watches, the A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskunst is a tourbillon with a stop-seconds function, allowing the oscillating balance inside the tourbillon cage to be reset to the exact second using the crown. Crafted from solid white gold, the timepiece features tremblage and grand feu enamel work on the dial, which appear alongside the signature big date window.
Price: €315,000 (approx. $510,000AUD)
Model: Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskunst
Movement: manual winding
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Power Reserve: 120 hours
Case Size: 29.5mm x 39.2mm
Related: Don’t Sleep On These German Watch Brands
2. Omega De Ville Tourbillon
While Omega is quick to talk about being the first watch on the moon, the Swiss manufacture’s history as the first tourbillon wristwatch goes relatively unmentioned. Here, the maison pays tribute to this oft-forgotten piece of history with the Omega De Ville Tourbillon which places the tourbillon in the centre of the dial. Housed in a 43mm Canopus gold case, the sun-brushed black PVD dial is relatively sparse save for polished Canopus gold hour indices and hour and minute hands, letting the tourbillon in the middle do the talking.
Price: $321,475AUD
Model: De Ville Tourbillon
Movement: manual winding
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Case Size: 43mm
3. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic
When it comes to watches, thin is in. Bulgari has been leading the charge in ultra-thin watches, with tourbillons not immune to the trend. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic holds the record for being the thinnest tourbillon movement with a chronograph, at just 3.5mm thick (or should we say, thin). Housed within a 43mm sandblasted titanium case that’s just 7.4mm thick, the skeletonised timepiece lays it all on the dial. To accommodate the chronograph function and tourbillon while retaining its impossibly thin proportions, the timepiece uses a peripheral rotor which allows it to sit on the same level as the movement plate.
Price: €150,000 (approx. $243,000AUD)
Model: Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic
Movement: automatic
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Power Reserve: 52 hours
Case Size: 43mm
4. H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon
H. Moser & Cie.’s iconic minimalist design receives the tourbillon treatment. Here, an ox eye stone dial is left untouched, save for rose gold leaf-shaped hands and a double hairspring flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock. The timepiece is housed in a rose gold case, which complements the hue of the quartz.
Price: $69,000CHF (approx. $118,000AUD)
Model: Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon
Movement: automatic
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Case Size: 40mm
Related: These Captivating Stone Dial Watches Rock
5. Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph
It’s only natural that the first manufacture to release an automatic tourbillon would continue the mechanical innovation. The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph combines a flying tourbillon with a flyback chronograph. The skeletonised dial places the transparent chronograph counters at 3 and 9 o’clock, while the tourbillon holds court at 6 o’clock.
Price: $240,000CHF (approx. $411,400AUD)
Model: Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph
Movement: automatic
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Power Reserve: 65 hours
Case Size: 41mm
Related: No Bones About It; These Are The Best Skeletonised Watches In 2024
6. Patek Philippe 5316/50P Grand Complication Platinum Tourbillon
Taking a more subtle approach to the tourbillon, the Patek Philippe Grand Complication Platinum Tourbillon houses a host of complications — think retrograde date, moonphase, perpetual calendar, and minute repeater — on the dial, while the tourbillon is visible through the exhibition caseback (along with a charming Calatrava cross).
Price: $POA
Model: Grand Complication Platinum Tourbillon
Movement: manual winding
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Power Reserve: 38-48 hours
Case Size: 40.2mm
History of the tourbillon watch
The tourbillon was invented by Abraham Louis Breguet (yes, that Breguet) in 1795 and patented in 1801. The tourbillon came about as a solution to the issue that pocket watches tended to run a little too fast or too slow depending on the position of the watch, due to gravity tugging on the regulating components (usually the balance wheel and balance spring) in a different manner depending on whether the watch was facing crown up or not.
Being a trained mathematician and physicist in addition to a watchmaker, Abraham Louis Breguet devised the solution of placing these components inside a mobile cage, his theory being that if the regulating organ of the watch was constantly in motion, the positional errors would be averaged out. From 1805 to his passing in 1823, Breguet made around 40 pocket watches with tourbillons, with wealthy monarchs and aristocrats among his clientele.
Breguet’s patent on the tourbillon was valid for ten years. Thereafter, other watchmakers started adopting the mechanism. Constant Girard, who founded Girard-Perregaux with his wife Marie Perregaux, was among the first watchmakers to recognise the tourbillon for not only its functionality, but its aesthetic potential. In 1867, Girard released a pocket watch which saw a tourbillon mounted on three golden bridges, a design which is tributed in the Swiss manufacture’s Bridges collection today.
The following century Alfred Helwig, a watchmaker and teacher at the German Watchmaking School in Glashütte, invented the flying tourbillon. His version did away with the two supporting bridges other tourbillons previously employed in favour of a single cantilevered bridge on the bottom of the cage. This offered a more unobstructed view into the escapement.
In 1947, Omega invented the calibre 301, the first tourbillon wristwatch movement in the world. Unlike most tourbillons, this version made a full revolution once every 7.5 minutes (rather than the typical once per minute).
In both the Omega wristwatch from 1947 and the pocket watches that preceded it, the tourbillon was kept under wraps and only visible by opening the caseback. Franck Muller was the first to bring the tourbillon dial-side, with the release of his 1984 wristwatch. Two years later, in 1986, Audemars Piguet was the first to release an automatic tourbillon, with the calibre 2870 featuring in the Swiss manufacture’s oblong-shaped cases which saw the tourbillon appear in an aperture on the top left corner.
In 1988, Breguet released its calibre 387 in a gold wristwatch that saw the tourbillon placed on the dial at 6 o’clock with an off-centre hours and minutes display at 12 o’clock. This format has served as the blueprint for many of its successors to follow, with 6 o’clock remaining the most popular tourbillon placement.
The widespread popularity of tourbillon watches began in the early 2000s, with many maisons attempting the style. While a handmade tourbillon is an undeniable sign of watchmaking prowess and was once solely the domain of haute horology manufactures, the advent of computer-programmed machinery has somewhat democratised the mechanism, with tourbillons available through mid-range watch brands. Notably, Chinese watch brand Seagull sells a hand-wound tourbillon movement (the calibre ST8000) for just $369USD, as well as similarly affordable wristwatches.
Types of tourbillons
A traditional tourbillon is mounted with two supporting bridges that connect it to the movement on both sides. As mentioned earlier, the flying tourbillon invented by German watchmaker Alfred Helwig sees the tourbillon mounted from the bottom on a single cantilevered bridge, giving it the appearance of hovering within the movement and providing an unimpeded view of the mechanism. There are also double tourbillon watches, with the first being the Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30º which debuted in 2004.
Is a tourbillon useful?
Upon its invention, a tourbillon was designed to counter the effects of gravity on the movement of a pocket watch to improve its accuracy. As we wear wristwatches rather than pocket watches, the movements in our watches are constantly in motion, thereby negating the practical need for a tourbillon. That said, they remain pretty cool to look at and are a beautiful display of a watchmaker’s savoir faire.
Is a tourbillon a complication?
A complication is any function added to a watch in addition to the standard display of hours, minutes, and seconds, such as a chronograph, moonphase, calendar mechanism and even a date window. While tourbillons are often referred to as a complication, they are in fact a regulating device.
Why are tourbillon watches popular today?
Following the quartz crisis of the 1970s and early 1980s, Swiss mechanical watchmaking experienced a revolution. This time around, mechanical watches are viewed more as luxury goods than practical necessities, admired and appreciated for their craftsmanship, aesthetics, display of virtuosity, and often, their financial value. In line with this, the tourbillon — despite serving no practical purpose in a wristwatch — is revered for its mechanical complexity and aesthetic appeal. The tourbillon adds motion to the dial and offers a sense of wonder that many equally high-calibre complications do not.
FAQ
A tourbillon is a regulatory mechanism that sees a rotating mechanical cage house the balance wheel, balance spring, and escapement. It was designed to counter the effects of gravity on the isochronal properties of the movement, an issue that arose with pocket watches.
Abraham Louis Breguet invented the tourbillon in 1795 and patented the invention in 1805.
Enjoyed this article? Why not check out our Ultimate Guide To Watches here; covering everything from the anatomy of a watch to watch styles and complications.
Words by Theo Rosen
