Round Table: Tourbillon

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Round Table: Tourbillon - GPHG 2015
2 minutes read
Our tripartite analysis of the finalists in the tourbillon category at this year’s GPHG ends in a split decision.

David Chokron, WorldTempus contributor
Precision of the movement’s going rate is the raison d’être of the tourbillon. But it needs to be given the resources to achieve it. Aside from its accomplished level of regulation, Bovet’s Amadeo Fleurier Braveheart® tourbillon has a special kind of tourbillon. In order to make it as light as possible, it has a unique, non-annular balance, made entirely of aluminium. It is not a complete wheel but an ultra-light tripod that holds the hairspring, which is cylindrical, has two terminal curves and is produced entirely in-house by Bovet. The tourbillon is held inside a superb bell-shaped cage with three curved supporting bridges in steel that accommodate the height of the spring.

Bovet

The Braveheart has a power reserve of 22 days, which has a direct influence on its precision. This huge autonomy comes not from an increase in the power of the movement but from its sobriety. Everything is lighter, more energy-efficient and therefore more effective. As a result, the Braveheart has a maximum variation in going rate in different positions of four seconds per day, which is exceptional. Experts will be even more impressed by the fact that the balance loses only 10 degrees of amplitude between the horizontal and vertical positions, which is testament to an unparalleled level of balance and movement design.

Bovet

Paul O’Neil, WorldTempus editor-in-chief
Although the competition is tough, notably from the Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision, Bovet’s Amadeo Fleurier Braveheart® tourbillon has been one of the stand-out watches of 2015 for me. On the one hand there is the familiar airiness and beautiful decoration you see in every Bovet timepiece but on another, more hidden, level is the incredible amount of research and innovation that has gone into this piece (see above), notably to ensure a power reserve of 528 hours (22 days). The three-in-one concept of the reversible case and its double-sided time displays are the icing and the cherry on the cake respectively.

Olivier Müller, WorldTempus contributor
It’s rare for a timepiece to stand out effortlessly in its class, but that’s precisely the case when it comes to the Ulysse Anchor Tourbillon, compared to other watches of the same category. Ulysse Nardin's  take on this tourbillon is an essentialist one, seeing it as a regulating organ – to which the firm has accordingly devoted all its relevant expertise. The piece is the fruit of eight years’ worth of R&D, at a level unrivalled by anyone else: using the flexible guiding system to absolute perfection, scaling new heights in energy efficiency, and dispensing with the usual problems of lubrication and performance in one fell swoop.

Ulysse Nardin

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