Winding back: The Top 5 Tourbillon Watches of 2024

Created by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801 to resist the effects of gravity on a watch’s escapement, a tourbillon stands for accuracy and artistry in haute horlogerie. Some of the most amazing breakthroughs, combining precision engineering with elegant artistry, have been witnessed in the field of tourbillon watches in 2024. Watchmakers have indeed pushed the boundaries of creativity, putting forth references that range from ultra-modern, skeletonised marvels to timeless, exquisite pieces with traditional finishes. Innovative materials have been employed to improve durability and reduce weight while intricate hand-finishing processes have elevated their movements to the level of art. 

Here are the top five tourbillon watches released this year, which simply took our breath away. 

Breguet Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887

Breguet's Tourbillon Equation Marchante is housed in a 43.9 mm platinum case. The lugs are integrated within the case; the crown at 3 o’clock has wave-shaped crown guards. The watch also gets a polished bezel. The dial is crafted from white gold and has black finishing, hand-guilloché, ‘wave’ motif. The 18 ct gold appliqué black Roman hour markers are placed below a brushed silvered circle. There is a date with a retrograde hand from 9 to 3 o'clock, graduated from 1 to 31; one can also spot applied 18 ct rhodium-plated gold windows for the day at 10:30, and month and leap year at 1:30. 

The rhodium-plated hour, minute hands have Breguet tips in 18 ct gold, faceted with Super-LumiNova®. The tourbillon opens at 5 o'clock. Powering the watch is Calibre 581DPE, numbered and signed ‘Breguet’. This self-winding movement has a flat silicon spiral, a silicon escapement wheel, an inverted rib anchor, and silicon horns with a single barrel offering an 80-hour power reserve.

Price: Rs 27,00,000 (approx.)

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TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana

Limited to 255 pieces, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana has a 42 mm stainless steel bezel-free construction with a domed sapphire Glassbox crystal. It also retains the overall design with the crown at 3 o’clock, and the classic round chronograph pushers at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock. 

The silver skeleton dial of the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana variant has black shimmery chronograph counters at 3 o’clock for 30 minutes and 9 o’clock for 12 hours; it is designed to “mirror the wheels of the 550 Spyder”, as the brand puts it. A rhodium-plated tourbillon can be seen at 6 o’clock. Both the chronograph hands and the central chronograph hand are yellow-lacquered. Powering the watch is Calibre Heuer TH20-09, featuring a new gear train. This column-wheel chronograph calibre, equipped with a tourbillon regulator, operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and provides a 65-hour power reserve.

Price: Rs 34,00,000 (approx.)

Frederique Constant Classic Tourbillon Manufacture

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This watch has a 39 mm 18 ct white gold case, lugs, and a crown. The single-piece blue aventurine dial features diamond-cut hour markings, and polished hour and minute hands. At 6 o'clock rests a one-minute tourbillon, inside which the second hand revolves. The wide cut-out at 6 o'clock displays the valuable escapement, whose bridge has the model's restricted series number engraved in gold letters. Powering the watch is Calibre FC-980-4, a self-winding movement, wherein the escapement and the anchor are made of silicon. The movement delivers a 38-hour power reserve.

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Price: Rs 36,00,000 (approx.)

Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon

Bugatti released its latest hypercar, hybrid V16 Tourbillon, this year. Jacob & Co. too launched its Bugatti Tourbillon, limited to 150 pieces. This timepiece has a black PVD titanium casing that matches the car's strong exterior and distinctive features, such as the front grille, side radiator inlets, and huge sapphire side windows. The timepiece measures 52 mm x 44 mm and the three-subdial setup replicating the instrument cluster is protected by a single sapphire crystal. A 30-second flying tourbillon begins on the left. 

The retrograde indication for both jumping hours (with a red hand) and minutes (in a blue hand) in the centre is similar to the rev counter and speedometer on the newest Bugatti model. The Bugatti Tourbillon's engine automaton is based on the tiny new V16 (instead of W16!) engine block. It consists of a single sapphire block with 16 cylinders to house the same number of titanium pistons. This limited-edition Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon is powered by Calibre JCAM55, a manual winding movement with a 42-hour power reserve.

Price: Rs 3,00,00,000 (approx.)

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362

‍The 41 mm white gold watch has a deep blue, sunrayed dial with elongated, dauphine hour, minute hands. The hour markers are highlighted with simple batons and the minutes by white dots. The use of crystal gongs and trebuchet hammers improves the chiming quality. The gongs, which are directly attached to the watch's glass, turn the sapphire crystal into a resonator, utilising the material's exceptional acoustic capabilities. The articulated hammers recover the vast majority of the energy lost in traditional minute repeater design, producing a chime of unprecedented strength. 

When there are no quarter hours to strike, a silent timelapse reduction patent included in the striking train shortens the pause between the chimings of the hours and minutes. Jaeger-LeCoultre researchers also patented a new, subtle unlocking button at 8 o'clock to activate the minute repeater while JLC engineers created a retractable push button at 10 o'clock. Calibre 362 powers the watch and provides a 42-hour power reserve. Jaeger-LeCoultre also created a novel flying tourbillon with a balance wheel to attain the requisite thinness at 6 o'clock.

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Price: Rs 4,30,00,000 (approx.)

*Prices in India are subject to taxes and exchange rate fluctuations, and may vary accordingly.‍