Elite Traveler Fall 2019

elite traveler FALL 2019 85

PARMIGIANI FLEURIER Toric Capitole Blue

FP JOURNE Tourbillon Souverain Vertical In honor of the 20th anniversary of FP Journe’s first Tourbillon Souverain, the independent Swiss watchmaker unveils a new twist on the collection: The tourbillon cage is vertical rather than horizontal, and it rotates once every 30 seconds instead of the typical 60 seconds. The vertical placement of the cage and the higher speed of the escapement translate to higher precision. A mirror-polished cone ring surrounds the cage, showing a reflection of the constantly moving tourbillon. The 42mm watch also incorporates a constant-force mechanism and a deadbeat second device (this is mounted on one of the wheels of the constant-force device, and does not affect precision). The 230-part movement offers a power-reserve indication (80 hours), and the hours and minutes are offset in one dial, with the small seconds in its own dial at 6 o’clock. $242,200 in 18K rose gold, FP Journe in New York, +1 212 644 5918, fpjourne.com

A unique piece, the Toric Capitole Blue not only looks fantastic, but is also music to the ears. Inspired by a 19th-century pocket watch created by Perrin Frères (which is now part of the Sandoz Family Foundation collection), the watch offers an unusual sector dial wherein the hours are displayed via three rotating planetary gears. Each gear has four arms where the hour numerals reside and rotate. The minutes are displayed in an arc from 10 to 2 o’clock on a rich blue background. The rest of the dial is hand-engraved and guillochéd in a three-dimensional pattern. Powered by the 386-part, hand-wound PF321 movement, the 45mm watch is equipped with a minute repeater with two cathedral gongs. It boasts 40 hours of power reserve, and is named for the Capitolium in Rome, whose geometric spiral floor tiles inspired the dial motif. $362,100 in 18K rose gold, Cellini Jewelers in New York, +1 212 888 0505, parmigiani.com

This year's Top 50Watches showcase watchmaking at its finest. These timepieces include supreme examples of all areas of horology, from technical advancements in movements and chronometry, to artistic engraving, complex gem setting, astonishing designs, as well as superb sports and classic watches. The finest watch brands regularly push the envelope in creativity, and challenge themselves and their peers to continually attain even higher levels of precision and beauty. This passion makes selecting 50 watches easy; it makes selecting only 50 watches incredibly difficult. To help in this task, we exclusively feature new watches released this year that retail for at least $10,000, and no brand can appear twice. To recognize the growing significance of the women’s market, ladies’ timepieces have fair representation. As the spirit of this feature is to recognize timepieces that are new and different, cosmetic updates to existing watches do not qualify. We believe our selection truly highlights each brand’s innovation, technical prowess and mastery of the art of watchmaking.

by Roberta Naas