Elite Traveler Fall 2021

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HERMÈS ARCEAU LIFT TOURBILLON MINUTE REPEATER

In this grand complication by Hermès, the master watchmakers skilfully blend the brand’s equestrian history with its visionary watchmaking abilities. Essentially, a large aperture in the shape of a horse head occupies most of the space on the lacquered dial, hugging the case curves and allowing for a magnificent view of the complicated minute-repeater movement. A circular aperture at 6 o’clock reveals the tourbillon escapement. The stirrup-shaped lug at the top of the Arceau case (originally designed in 1978 by Henri d’Origny) lends the perfect equestrian finish to the look. The mechanical hand-wound movement, H1924, was developed by the brand and features a two-gong minute repeater that chimes the time on demand using multiple notes to clearly ring the hours, the quarter hours past the hour and the minutes past the quarter hours. This version in rose gold with white lacquer dial made its appearance late last year, but this fall Hermès is unveiling 28 new one-of-a-kind versions in a variety of dial colors and materials that will range in price from $300,000 to $325,000. $269,000, available at Hermès in New York, +1 212 785 3030, hermes.com

BREGUET CLASSIQUE DOUBLE TOURBILLON 5345 QUAI DE L’HORLOGE A big name for a big watch is perfectly fitting. Unveiled late in 2020, this Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon is crafted in platinum and boasts a sapphire box-like crystal to offer extreme transparency from all angles when viewing the highly complicated skeletonized movement. It even has a sapphire dial and features an outer chapter flange for the Breguet Roman numerals, so that the view inside is unobstructed. The manually wound Caliber 588N movement consists of 738 hand-finished components and is numbered and signed. It features two tourbillon escapements (that compensate for errors in timekeeping due to the effects of gravity on the watch when it is in certain positions on the wrist) opposite one another that are mounted on a revolving hand-engraved main plate. This means that the tourbillon escapements are not only constantly moving on their own axis at a speed of one minute, but also constantly moving around the dial — making a complete revolution every 12 hours. Similarly, the interconnected regulating organs make a double rotation on the dial, all translating to a beautiful dance on the wrist. The back of the watch is engraved with the House on the Quai, the house in Paris where Abraham-Louis Breguet worked. $639,000, available at Breguet in New York, +1 646 692 6469, breguet.com