You Spin Me Right Round

From the largest to the most complex tourbillon wristwatches, Franck Muller has done them all-and appears to have more surprises up its sleeve.

- Alvin Wong

Say it quietly: you don’t really need a tourbillon wristwatch, do you? As far as watch mechanisms go, the tourbillon is as antiquated as they come: invented more than 200 years ago to ensure precision in pocket watches. And with the avalanche of watches that connoisseurs are spoilt with these days, a tourbillon, which requires a measure of horological maturity from collectors to fully appreciate its origins, functionality and appeal, can feel like a bother or stretch to enjoy.

Or not. While all of the above are true, a tourbillon is one of the most coveted complications among aficionados. It’s desired by collectors who know their stuff, and made only by a handful of watchmaking houses with the knowledge and capability to do so. More pertinently, the tourbillon’s enduring interest and longevity can be attributed to one brand: Franck Muller.

The tourbillon was invented in 1801 by legendary master watchmaker, Abraham-Louis Breguet, but it was Franck Muller who revived the centuries-old mechanism by putting it on a pedestal on modern wristwatches.

Breguet’s invention was rooted in practicality. Back when pocket watches were the de facto timekeeping device, Breguet was trying to figure out why they were getting increasingly inaccurate as the day wore on. He discovered that, because the timepieces were kept mostly in an upright position in waistcoats, the pull of gravity was having an impact on the pocket watches’ inner workings.

To solve the problem, Breguet devised a rotating cage to house the key timekeeping components to counter the force of gravity and improve the watch’s precision. Inspired by the way the cage rotated, Breguet called his invention a tourbillon, which is a French word for ‘whirlwind’.