When it comes to the corpus of traditional Swiss watchmaking, one thinks of places such as the Vallée de Joux, the home of high complication, or the UNESCO World Heritage sites of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle, cities literally shaped by the 19th-century structures and processes of the burgeoning Swiss watchmaking industry. Speaking of the watch business in the modern era, however, one city drives the bulk of commercial activity related to timepieces in Switzerland — Lucerne.
Celebrating the city in an exclusive series of watches that house two of its signature mechanisms is Carl F. Bucherer, with the Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral Limited Edition. Available in white gold, this model features a hand-engraved movement depicting Lucerne’s most famous attraction, the Chapel Bridge spanning the River Reusse. The relief-engraved scene is showcased in full thanks to one of the systems referenced in the name of the watch — the signature Carl F. Bucherer peripheral rotor.
Long pursued as a watchmaking mechanism, the peripheral rotor combines the strongest advantages of the manually-wound watch — its clear view of the movement plates and bridges — with the convenience and efficient energy replenishment of an automatic winding assembly. Unlike conventional automatic winding systems, which are mounted on a central arbour and visually obscure a significant percentage of the movement (even when highly skeletonised), the peripheral rotor winds the movement barrel via a high-inertia element that orbits the movement at its outer circumference. Previous attempts at such systems were hampered by winding inefficiency and the high level of manufacturing precision required. When Carl F. Bucherer debuted its calibre A1000 in 2008, it caused a sensation as the first peripheral-winding movement to be successfully produced at large volumes.
The second “peripheral” in the name of the Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral Limited Edition refers to the rotating escapement seen at the 12 o’clock position of the watch, another exclusive Carl F. Bucherer feature. Ever since the tourbillon was patented in 1801 as a mechanism designed to compensate for the negative effects of gravity upon the regulating organ of a mechanical watch, it has been regarded as a sign of prestige and outstanding chronometric performance. The Carl F. Bucherer floating tourbillon is a variant of this complex mechanism that draws on their in-house expertise in peripherally powered systems. Supported entirely at its circumference without the need for stabilising bridges at its vertical extremities, the Carl F. Bucherer floating tourbillon offers exceptional visual appeal for those who enjoy seeing these micro-mechanical wonders in action.
In this limited edition, Carl F. Bucherer not only celebrates the city in which it is headquartered — acknowledging the unique place that Lucerne holds within Swiss fine watchmaking — it does so with the most advanced and refined expertise at its disposal.
