Tourbillon Watches · Page 4

New: De Bethune DB28XS Sea Tourbillon

De Bethune DB28XS Sea Tourbillon, now in in the xs 39mm mirror polished titanium case with a random guilloché blue accented dial inspired by the sea.

Hands On: Ulysse Nardin Super Freak

Ulysse Nardin (UN) celebrates 25 years of the landmark Freak with the aptly named Super Freak — a timepiece that pays homage to its predecessors while asserting its own distinct identity. Showcased at UN’s eccentric booth at Watches & Wonders 2026, the Super Freak was advertised as the most complicated time-only watch ever made — an ambitious claim that appears to be true.  Blending cutting-edge mechanics with an artisanal touch, the exuberant Super Freak comfortably reaches into the “hyper-watch” echelon, echoing the first groundbreaking Freak launched back in 2001. Ulysse Nardin also celebrates its 180th anniversary this year, so something extraordinary was to be expected.  Initial thoughts Even before going hands on with the Super Freak, just visiting UN’s booth at Watches & Wonders 2026 was an experience. Passers-by were greeted by two humanoid robots and a large sculpture of Dr Ludwig Oechslin’s head, with his eyes peering down over the proceedings.  The extravagant entrance hinted at the research-focused Super Freak, which looks and feels more like the product of some advanced laboratory rather than a 180-year-old manufacture. A very dynamic watch, the Super Freak’s face now more than ever resembles a space craft.  The Super Freak pays tribute to 25 years of the Freak while also adding something truly new to the mix. The result is the UN 252, the first Freak movement featuring running seconds and two flying tourbillons (2010’s Freak Diavolo was ...

L. Leroy brings us its second offering in its comeback with the Elyor flying tourbillon

A classical take on the flying tourbillon with modern twists that will please modern collectors and traditionalists alike.

Hands-On: The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Tourbillon Lumen

The watches of A. Lange & Söhne very rarely gets a chance to step out of the stoically traditional design language the brand has established since its relaunch in 1994, but one collection from the brand offers a unique respite from it all. Lange's Lumen series is now in its 16th year since the introduction of the Zeitwerk "Luminous" back in 2010, with its inaugural display of smoked sapphire, blacked-out details, and, of course, luminous numerals for the hour and minute discs. But while that model was the first to be executed, the following Grand Lange 1 Lumen in 2012 was the first model officially given the name "Lumen." Last month, at Watches and Wonders, Lange introduced the seventh Lumen in the lineup, with the new Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Lumen. Following the absolutely bonkers Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon in Honeygold released in 2025 for the Datograph's twenty-fifth anniversary, this new glow-in-the-dark take on the very complicated Lange 1 model marks a pattern of increasing complication (and resulting price points) for the Lumen series. A closer look reveals that there's a lot going on, and for nerds, it's certainly a feast for the eyes. In person, the cold, austere look of the chunky, 41.9mm case in platinum immediately struck me, as it was a welcome return to the combination of a smoky, black look with white metal from the past two Lumen iterations in Honeygold (that Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon and its predecessor, the Zeitwerk). For a design ...

First Look - A Fusion of History and Modernity, the Louis Moinet 1816 Tourbillon Chronograph

Louis Moinet (1768-1853) wanted an accurate instrument to track celestial motions and built the Compteur de Tierces in 1815-1816. Endowed with a start, stop and reset function and a balance wheel beating at an impressive high frequency of 30Hz, his novel stopwatch could time events to the 60th of a second. Considered one of the precursors […]

Introducing - The Daniel Roth Extra-Plat, now in Platinum

Ever since the return of the brand under the umbrella of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton (alongside Gerald Genta), Daniel Roth has focused on bringing back the emblematic ellipsocurvex design of Monsieur Roth, as well as the refined execution of earlier creations. Following the debut of the Tourbillon model, available in yellow and rose […]

Daniel Roth’s Latest is Extra Plat-inum

Daniel Roth’s latest addition to its time-only portfolio is the Extra Plat Platinum. A familiar face in a new colourway, the Extra Plat offers the Tourbillon Platinum‘s stealthy look in a more accessible two-hand format. Powered by the DR002 in-house calibre developed by Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), this regular production model brings a decidedly subtle look to the brand’s simple dress watch. Initial thoughts It’s been interesting to observe Louis Vuitton’s confident foray into haute horlogerie through the revival of Daniel Roth. Despite the corporate structure, astute collectors continue to speak of Daniel Roth in the same breath as other leading independent watchmakers. To the independent-collecting cognoscenti, the platinum Extra Plat should prove a compelling option – rooted in the early history of the independent watchmaking movement but built to meet contemporary expectations. Following Daniel Roth’s launch of the Tourbillon Souscription, the time-only, manually wound Extra Plat — “extra flat” for non-French speakers — debuted in an 18k yellow gold souscription edition followed closely by regular production models in rose gold, with and without skeletonisation. The new platinum Extra Plat rounds out the set. Combined with the matching dial with contrasting finishes, it creates a rather stealthy profile for this otherwise opulently finished dress watch. Extra Plat-inum The platinum double-ellipse case shares the wrist-friendly d...

A Closer Look: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”

Video: Thomas Baillod talks to us about the new Ba111od Horlogerie Holdings

Thomas Baillod announced that Ba111od has acquired their supplier - BCP Tourbillons. Here is a video of him talking about the acquisition and the new watch.

Hands On: Victor Kullberg Tourbillon Pocket Chronometer

Phillips’s upcoming sale The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII is packed with spectacular watches, including some already well known to collectors like the extra complicated La Royale by Louis Audemars, an unsual Patek Philippe worldtime ref. 2523, and the Golay Fils & Stahl astronomical watch. But among the finest is a simple watch that tracks only the time and state of wind, yet is comprised of several hundred parts: Victor Kullberg No 6583. Behind those three hands is a one-minute tourbillon equipped with an Earnshaw detent escapement, a massive free-sprung compensation balance, anti-magnetic helical balance spring and reverse chain and fusee, making it one of the most elaborate three-hand watches imaginable. Even at its high estimate of US$102,000, this pocket chronometer amounts to something of a steal, especially in an auction where multiple steel sports watches carry much greater estimates. The cult of the chronometer Swiss and English horologists disagreed on a great many things, from the ideal shape and material of escape wheels to the definition of a chronometer. To the Swiss, the title of chronometer was bestowed based on merit as a timekeeper. Any watch could be one if it kept good time, especially with a trusted, independent attestation of its accuracy. Watches submitted to observatory trials — or tested according to the ISO 3159:2009 standard today — are chronometers by this reckoning. England was dominated by the cult of the [marine] chronometer, unsurprisin...

New from WWG26: Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Onyx

Arnold & Son extends their Ultrathin Tourbillon collection with two new references with onyx dials. Now available in 5N red gold or in platinum.

Introducing: The Vanguart Orb Pink Ceramic (Live Pics)

What We Know If there's a young brand that's certainly made an aggressive push in the realm of industrial-aesthetic haute horlogerie, it's Vanguart. Mark Kauzlarich told the brand's founding story last year, highlighting a team with an absolutely stacked resume in high-end watchmaking. So today, we're taking a look at the brand's newest take on its second watch, the Orb, with its newest treatment—pink ceramic. It's a unique offering in the space, certainly due to its all-pink livery, but also thanks to its collaboration with retailer Material Good for this 25-piece limited edition. The Vanguart Orb Pink Ceramic's exclusivity with the retailer is probably no surprise, given the large push by Material Goods' Yoni Ben-Yehuda to promote the upstart brand through its sales channels. Here, what was originally an aggressive machine in black and silver gets toned down in shades of powdery pink thanks to the inclusion of colored ceramic within the 41mm by 10.5mm titanium case, seen in both the side of the case as well as the function selector pusher in the crown (more on that in a little bit). The accent extends onto the openworked dial of the watch, which is more a three-dimensional city of components that puts the flying tourbillon on full display. The handset, skeletonized and filled with lume at the ends, sits above everything else. Though telling the time probably isn't the strict mission of the Orb, a nicely decorated minutes track sits between strips of pink, color and tex...

Spotted: The Key Design Themes from Watches and Wonders

Welcome to the first installment of a new monthly column called Spotted. Here, I’ll break down the latest themes I’m seeing in the horological landscape. While trends are inherently fleeting, the observations we’ll look at in this series may stay or go away – only time will tell if these are fads or in fact historical markers of this era of watchmaking. In addition to spying and identifying the overarching patterns taking shape in watch design, I’ll help us bring them down to earth in our own collections and on our wrists.  For our inaugural edition of Spotted, it feels important to distill some key observations from Watches and Wonders. Here, we have one of the largest sample sizes of new releases all hitting the market at once, and there are a few themes that struck me across the whopping 66 brands who participated in this year’s event. The first concept I want to look at isn’t super straightforward to articulate, so stick with me here – I’m going to start by succinctly naming it “complex superlatives.” Complexity in watchmaking can take many forms from actual horological complications that allow watches to perform functions beyond basic timekeeping to more subtle complexities like intricate finishings, record breaking feats, or material innovations. The examples that stuck out of this somewhat amorphous idea come from Jaeger-LeCoultre and its Gyrotourbillon Stratosphere Triple-Axis Tourbillon in contrast with Ulysse Nardin’s new Super Freak. Jae...

Hands On: A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar

A. Lange & Söhne has repeated last year’s bifurcated release format with the launch of the compact, value-oriented Saxonia Annual Calendar alongside the flagship Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”. Available in both 18k white and pink gold, the Saxonia Annual Calendar is not a limited edition, but will be made in small numbers as a consequence of the brand’s diverse portfolio and limited output of about 5,000 watches per year. Initial thoughts The Saxonia Annual Calendar was one of the more talked-about watches of the fair, not because it’s particularly novel or exciting, but instead because it gets all the small things right. It looks good on the spec sheet, with nearly perfect dimensions, the brand’s signature big date complication, and an upgraded and well-dressed automatic base calibre. But as good as the Saxonia is on paper, it’s even better up close. The brand’s typical alpha-shaped hands — common to all Lange models — are brilliantly sharp, and the dial text is finely printed. A detail I especially like on the white gold model is the nearly tone-on-tone typography for the ‘Made in Germany’ text, which is something I’d like to see more of from the brand. A new aesthetic detail is an additional facet at the outer end of each hour marker, effectively creating a tiny pyramid, akin to Cote de Paris. This design appears to be a subtle nod to the previous generation of the Saxonia, which featured baton indexes punctuated with gold stu...

First Look - Vanguart Releases New Versions of the Orb Flying Tourbillon in Coloured Ceramic

Independent watchmaker Vanguart presented its first timepiece, the impressive Black Hole Tourbillon, in 2021, followed by a “slightly more accessible design,” the Orb Flying Tourbillon (2024). Despite its more approachable concept, this creation remains one of the more unconventional in contemporary haute horlogerie. Now, two new executions soften the radical model: the Orb Pink Ceramic […]

Hands On: Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon à Stratosphère

A tourbillon within a tourbillon, itself within yet another tourbillon. The Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon à Stratosphère is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s sixth-generation multi-axis tourbillon, 22 years after the first Gyrotourbillon launched in 2004. The revised tourbillon architecture now covers close to 100% of possible positions in space to dilute the effects of gravity across nearly all possible orientations. But is it a genuine precision instrument, or an exploration of the limits of contemporary mechanics? Evolution or revolution? The calibre 178 that powers the Stratosphère builds on more than two decades of research into multi-axis tourbillons, during which Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) has explored variables such as axis multiplication, different hairspring geometries, miniaturisation, and new forms of energy management. This logical evolution of the Gyrotourbillon concept remained theoretical until recently. “Its realisation has only been possible thanks to the current maturity of the Manufacture’s expertise and technologies – it would have been difficult to envisage just a few years ago,” notes Takahiro Hamaguchi, Product & Innovation Director at JLC. This capability also stems from the brand’s internal structure, which enables the conception and production of a movement from scratch, and is reflected in the new Hybris Inventiva line, which will grow into a showcase of watches that isolate a single innovative complication developed through multi-year inte...

Home-Made Grande Sonnerie Wins 2026 F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition

Shin Ohno is the winner of the 12th F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition. The young Japanese watchmaker clinched the prize with the Fuyu-Geshiki, a small grande et petite sonnerie tourbillon clock inspired by the winter landscape of Nagano, a northern prefecture of Japan. Made by one man with a watchmaker’s lathe, desktop CNC mill, and not a lot of sleep, the ebony-cased timepiece is one of the most impressive works produced by the competition yet. From Nagano Mr Ohno describes Nagano as “defined by the purity of its air, by the flow of spring water, and by melting snow”. It is also the heart of Japan’s watch industry, boasting the country’s largest movement assembly plant (Citizen’s Saku plant) and is home to Mr Ohno’s employer — Seiko Epson. Specifically, Mr Ohno works as an engineer within the company’s watch division, but it should be noted that this timepiece is entirely unrelated to the (now discontinued) Credor Spring Drive Sonnerie and Credor Minute Repeater. Mr Ohno designed the movement from the ground up, citing the creative works of past winner Norifumi Seki and Masahiro Kikuno as key inspirations. A closer look at the tourbillon cage. The teeth are polished to catch the light like slick stones. While he learned how to design watch parts at his day job, it was someone else’s job to manufacture them. With the Fuyu-Geshiki, Mr Ohno had to master production as well as design. He cites his colleague, master watchmaker Ikukiyo Komatsu, as a mento...

First Look - Chapter Two in the Revival of L. Leroy with the New Elyor Flying Tourbillon

Parisian watchmaking maison L. Leroy was founded by Basile-Charles Le Roy in 1785 and became the official watchmaker to King Louis XVI and later to Napoleon I and Queen Victoria. Expanding operations to Switzerland, L. Leroy produced marine chronometers for the French Navy and amassed 384 gold medals in chronometry competitions. Iconic masterpieces like the […]

Hands On: Imaginative Automata from Jacob & Co.

It is somewhat counterintuitive to think that New York-based jeweller Jacob & Co. is one of the fastest growing brands in the mostly stagnant Swiss watch industry. In fact, Jacob & Co. is now a watchmaker first and a jeweller second by turnover – watches account for 75% of the brand’s revenue today. This success is party due to the brand’s open-minded approach to movement making and the surprising (and often risky) projects it has produced, from the first 31-day wristwatch in 2006 to the world’s fastest tourbillon in 2026. One of Jacob & Co.’s specialties is dial-side automata - micro-mechanical sculptures that that can be activated on demand. Alongside the launch of the flagship Godfather II, Jacob & Co. expanded its range of automata watches with new sapphire editions of the Bugatti Tourbillon, a malachite-dialled Casino, and new editions of the provocative Oil Pump. The Bugatti Tourbillon Sapphire Jacob & Co. is not the first watch brand to collaborate with celebrated carmaker Bugatti, but the collaboration is more than a mere commercial tie-up. In fact, the two companies share a manufacturing partner - Concepto - a La Chaux-de-Fonds-based specialist in components and white-label movements. Bugatti enlisted Concepto to produce the fully analogue instrument cluster of its latest hypercar - the aptly named Tourbillon. This was a delightful return to tactility in a world of digital displays and ubiquitous touchscreens. This three-way collaboration contin...

Introducing - The new De Bethune DB28XS Sea Tourbillon

With its unmistakable avant-garde design, the DB28 is De Bethune’s most recognisable model. Making its debut in 2010, the DB28 is characterised by its futuristic silhouette with floating lugs, a delta-shaped bridge at the centre of the dial reminiscent of the Starfleet Commando logo in Star Trek, and a crown at noon. Ever-evolving, the DB28XS […]

BA111OD strengthens its watchmaking credentials with BCP Tourbillons acquisition and new Chapter 4 Tourbillon T.V.D.

BA111OD announces the acquisition of BCP Tourbillons, bringing tourbillon development in-house, and proves it with a new tourbillon noveltyThe post BA111OD strengthens its watchmaking credentials with BCP Tourbillons acquisition and new Chapter 4 Tourbillon T.V.D. appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Watches & Wonders: Bremont Goes Upmarket With the Supernova Tourbillon and a Vintage-Styled Chronograph With a Historic Movement

For Watches and Wonders 2026, Bremont is aiming for the stars: not only with the Supernova Chronograph, a new space-oriented lineup that will actually go to the moon, but also showcasing what the British brand can do with a pair of upmarket, collectible chronographs. One of them features an in-house tourbillon movement, while the other resurrects an vaunted historic movement in an elegant, limited-edition, and vintage-inspired design.  The Supernova Chronograph, also making its debut in Geneva at Watches & Wonders, is the first of a new line for Bremont, a steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet and a generously-sized 41mm case. But Bremont is also using its architecture to debut the brand’s second tourbillon movement, following 2024’s Terra Nova Dual Time Tourbillon. This time around, the Supernova Tourbillon exhibits a skeleton design with all of its movement bridges and tourbillon cage displayed around a black ceramic bezel and a sapphire crystal, with red jewels as the Supernova’s only exhibition of color.  Dramatically, the markers, bridges, Dauphine hands, and the tourbillon’s three markers glow with a bright blue Super-LumiNova, a nod to the space theme that the Supernova is aiming for.  If the Supernova Tourbillon is aimed at the future, Bremont’s other release has a distinctly vintage feel-starting from its movement. Bremont is resurrecting the Valjoux 23 two-register chronograph movement into its new Altitude Chronograph Pulsometer: a restor...

Good Vibrations: Armin Strom reveals  the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition

We all know that watchmakers love complications. Throughout history, the quest for ever greater chronometric precision has produced a wide range of mechanisms, like the tourbillon, which has been mastered by many and improved. The post Good Vibrations: Armin Strom reveals  the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition appeared first on Quill & Pad.

Hands-on - The New Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronometre Collection

Back for a second tenure at Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jérôme Lambert’s 2025 return as CEO has brought fresh momentum to the brand. While spectacularly complex models like the Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon a Stratosphere might eclipse the limelight at Watches & Wonders this year, there is a second release that deserves attention: the new Master Control Chronometre collection. […]