This year marks 125 years since jeweller and master watch maker Carl Freidrich Bucherer opened his first watch and jewellery shop in Lucerne, Central Switzerland. Today the Carl F. Bucherer watch brand is well known for creating some of the finest complicated watches around, including models complete with power reserve displays, perpetual calendars and chronographs.
To commemorate the anniversary the manufacture is releasing the Carl F. Bucherer Manero Tourbillon Limited Edition, which is also its first tourbillon timepiece.
The production of a tourbillon complication is technically very difficult, and because of this there are only a handful of watch makers throughout the world who are capable of producing such a timepiece. You can find out more about the tourbillon and other complications here.
The Manero Tourbillon Limited Edition is driven by a Calibre CFB T1001 hand wound movement. The tourbillon, which is visible at the position of 6 o’clock, is undoubtedly the main attraction but that’s not to take anything away from the watch’s other complications, which include an extra long power reserve of 70 hours, indicated on the semi-circular dial found at 9 o’clock, with the dial at 12 o’clock being a 24 hour indicator.
If you look closely, from the centre of the dial you’ll notice that the date is indicated by a hand using the scale found on the outer ring of the dial, the numerals of which change orientation at 3 and 9 o’clock so that they can be read at a glance, therefore improving legibility.
Despite the watch including multiple functions, the dial remains clear and easy to read. The wedge shaped hour markers and bold numerals help to create one elegant looking timepiece and are consistent with those found on the other timepieces in the Manero collection.
Crafted from 18k rose gold, the 41.8mm case includes a sapphire crystal lens, complete with anti-reflective coating. The see through sapphire case back means that the watch’s mechanism can be easily admired. The watch is then secured to the wrist by a Louisiana alligator leather strap that fastens with folding clasp which is also in rose gold.
Limited to just 188 pieces and bearing in mind that most tourbillon watches easily cost the best part of five figures, the Carl F. Bucherer New Manero Tourbillon Limited Edition has a guide price of $98,800 (approx £64,000).
