Elite Traveler March-April 2015

ELIZABETH DOERR LIMITED TIME

INFLUENCE

defined as a figure that is driven using the power of a timepiece’s movement. Usually, these are people or animals moving on the dial of a pocket or wristwatch. In the case of the Tourbillon Fleur, the automat is actually a magnolia flower comprising five solid gold, hand-painted petals that open and close every five minutes. What happens when the flower opens is sheer magic: a flying tourbillon (a type of escapement to maintain a high degree of precision) rises up one millimeter from the movement on a long pinion. This movement echoes what flowers do in nature when they open up to the sun. They open their petals in order to better pollinate. The energy for this extra mechanical delight is provided by a second spring barrel within the manually wound movement. The magnolia can also be opened and closed on demand by pushing a button on the case. Richard Mille and his team chose the magnolia because in nature it flowers in an endless cycle of birth and regeneration, and it is also resilient to difficult environments. All of this is housed within an 18 karat white gold case measuring 45.4 x 38.3 x 12.55 mm covered with top-quality diamonds. Limited to 30 pieces worldwide, the RM 19- 02 Tourbillon Fleur starts at $970,000 (without diamonds) and costs $1,090,000 with diamonds. Greubel Forsey’s amazing timepieces generally look as technical as the watches are, which makes for a high-key appearance involving well-finished components performing mechanical ballet in a transparent manner. In contrast to the Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur and the boutique brand’s own collection pieces, Greubel Forsey’s latest timepiece, called Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision, is much more understated in appearance. Let’s start with the name of this watch, which more or less tells us what we need to know about it. The “Tourbillon 24 Secondes” part refers to the fact that the there is a tourbillon escapement within the movement that makes one rotation every 24 seconds. This is unusual because most tourbillons revolve at a speed of 60 seconds. Also, the tourbillon is inclined at a 25-degree angle whereas most are positioned on the same plane as the rest of the movement. Why is any of this important? Partly because, it is highly complicated to make, but also because it all serves the extreme precision of the movement. The “Vision” part of the name refers to two different things: on one side, the cutaway positioned at nine o’clock, on an otherwise minimalistic dial, reveals the fast-paced tourbillon. On the other side, a GREUBEL FORSEY TOURBILLON 24 SECONDES VISION

substantial part of the tourbillon is positioned within a dome rising from the case back. Surprisingly, the sapphire crystal dome (which looks more like a bubble) can’t be felt when the watch is on the wrist. Additionally, the dial, which looks truly “simple” in all its conservative glory, is one of the most complex that Greubel Forsey has ever made. The numerals at 12 and six o’clock as well as the markers standing for the other numbers on the three-part solid gold dial were first engraved then filled with enamel before being oven-fired 10 times. Though this timepiece ranks as the thinnest that the French-English duo based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland has ever made, it is still housed in a 43.5 x 13.65 mm 18 karat white gold case. Generally a watch this size is best worn on a muscular wrist. Greubel Forsey’s Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision is limited to just 22 pieces and retails for $325,000.

The 2015 edition of the Salon de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva saw Richard Mille and Greubel Forsey release new limited edition timepieces that are well worth a closer look

Richard MilleRM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur, $1,090,000

RICHARD MILLE RM 19-02 TOURBILLON FLEUR Richard Mille is a technical brand. And it’s a brand that generally caters to men. But this doesn’t mean that Richard Mille doesn’t make timepieces for women. There have been a number of beautiful watches made just for ladies over the years, but the Richard Mille pieces for women have rarely, if ever, contained a high complication. Well, that little situation was remedied in January when Richard Mille introduced the RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur. This timepiece is eye-poppingly beautiful, but that’s not the most fantastic thing about it. It also contains not only a high complication (this word denotes an added function beyond the task of just keeping time), but the complication is a function that has never before been seen on a wristwatch in this form. This complication’s style might be termed a type of automaton, which is

Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision, $325,000