Hands On: Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral LE Watch

This year marks the 130^th anniversary of the Lucerne-Switzerland-based Carl F. Bucherer watch brand, and the company is celebrating in style. Recently in New York, the brand’s CEO Sascha Moeri announced the launch of the new Heritage Collection, designed to pay homage to the brands rich watchmaking roots, and unveiled the Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral Limited Edition watch.

Created in a limited edition of just 88 pieces — recalling 1888, the founding year of the independently owned brand — the watch deftly combines state-of-the-art watchmaking technologies with aesthetic prowess. The 42.5mm 18-karat rose gold case is designed to reflect the beauty of the city of Lucerne, Carl F. Bucherer’s birthplace. The case shape and dial, with sunbrush finish, milled rings and diamond-shaped indices were inspired by a variety of Carl F. Bucherer watches from the 1960’s.

The caseback is transparent and allows for viewing of the meticulously engraved mainplate back that features the Lucerne Chapel Bridge – one of the oldest covered bridges left in Europe — spanning across the river. Each engraving is unique and each features a tiny swan swimming somewhere on the water. Every watch has the swan in a different place. The incredible engraving takes a single master artisan at least two weeks to complete.

Not only is the exterior of the Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral Limited Edition watch a beauty, but also the movement is a tremendous work of art and technical prowess. The new caliber, the in-house-made CFB T3000, witnesses both the tourbillon and automatic winding system peripherally mounted. The effect of peripherally mounting the tourbillon gives the effect of a cage floating in air, when, in fact, it is supported only peripherally using three friction-free ceramic ball bearings. Those bearing re built in to the outer case and ensure a stable connection and ultimate precision. Even the escapement design is unusual and uses non-magnetic silicon for both the palette and the escapement wheel. The rotor is crafted in 22-karat rose gold. Making the already impressive double peripheral movement even more enticing is the fact that is a COSC-certified chronometer and offers 65 hours of power reserve.

It is important to note that Carl F. Bucherer was one of the first brands to serially produce a collection using peripheral rotor technology. While some brands introduced limited numbers of peripheral rotor watches, Carl F. Bucherer created a movement powered by a bidirectional automatic winding system with a peripheral rotor, CFB A1000, in 2008 and later began serial production of that Manero Peripheral line. The brand then went on to perfect the peripheral rotor concept and released the COSC-certified CFB A2000 peripheral rotor movement. Now, as the first watch to launch the Heritage collection, we have the Heritage Double Peripheral Limited Edition watch. It retails for $88,888.

“The Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral Limited Edition is the embodiment of 130 years of sophistication at Carl F. Bucherer. We are proud of this exceptional timepiece, which is a tribute to our long tradition and at the same time heralds the arrival of a new range of products: the Heritage collection,” says Sascha Moeri, CEO of Carl F. Bucherer.

Technical Specifications of the Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral Limited Edition

Reference number: 00.10802.03.13.01

Movement: Automatic, CFB T3000 manufacture caliber, chronometer, diameter 36.50 mm, height 4.60 mm, 32 jewels, power reserve of 65 hours, hand-engraved 18 k white gold bridge, 22 k rose gold rotor

Functions: Tourbillon, stop-seconds function, hour, minute, small seconds

Case: 18 k rose gold, double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, case back with sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on one side, water-resistant to 30 m (3 atm), diameter 42.50 mm, height 11.90 mm

Dial: 
Silver, sunburst finish with milled rings decorating its periphery and appliquéd rose-gold-plated indices

Strap: Louisiana alligator leather in dark brown, hand-stitched, 18 k rose gold folding pin buckle

Price: $88,888