2.13.2010

Chaumet Marc Alfieri Tourbillon-New Collaboration



The name Chaumet is synonymous both with luxury and innovation. The brand is renowned for its collaboration with master watchmakers to create truly stunning and unique timepieces. In their most recent foray the luxury brand has partnered with one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary designer watchmakers Marc Alfieri to introduce their latest complication, the appropriately named Tourbillon Marc Alfieri.

Bold And Beautiful
This new watch represents an ethos shared by both jeweler and designer, ‘be bold’. The company claims that the piece was designed with four key objectives in mind: the quest for the exceptional, the affirmation of powerful designs, complete design freedom and an uncompromising approach to watchmaking.

I’m not so sure if they have achieved all of that but the end result is an undeniably stunning yet subtle piece. The watch is presented in Chaumet’s trademark subdued codes and colours; a smooth black dial is complemented by the black titanium case with white gold highlights. The azure blue finishing provides a nice contrast to what is a rather busy dial and accentuates the diamond setting around the tourbillion carriage.


Powering this unique collaboration is a manual-winding mechanical movement, caliber TM 01, tourbillion which features a carbon-fibre main plate and an X-shaped bridge in blue PVD for a macroscopic vision of carbon fibre.

There is a single push-button and single counter fly-back chronograph, second time zone, day/night indicator of second time zone, vertical indicator of power reserve and a vertical accuracy indicator (“trust index”)

The watch is presented with two straps, one in alligator skin and the other in a high-tech fabric and comes in a numbered presentation case.

The watch almost has a sort of sporty feel to it which is rather unusual in my opinion given that only someone of excessive wealth would have the nerve to wear such a watch for sporting occasions. However, given the caliber of the piece and its highly limited production of only 12 pieces I would suggest excessive wealth is a prerequisite to purchase.

No doubt a stunning collaboration, this piece whilst in its own right impressive simply does not suit my tastes.


thewatchlounge.com

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