G'day,
admittedly: i?m a sucker for everything "traditional" and vintage. And being such, most new designs and many new developments do cause a hard time for me.
But the Excenter Tourbillon is truly different and the first impression on my side was "wow, that IS a really outstanding piece".
While i still can?t get warm with the case shape (although it?s very unmistakenly HWRT), the watch as an entity adds classic and modern elements in a very nice and subtle way.
The case and lugs are bold, manly, dominant. And so is the main plate of the movement, which adds a somewhat "technical" look to it.
Vice versa, it is equalled out by one of the most filigrane and delicate mechanism that are; among all Tourbillons, the cages made by Peter Speake-Marin are very special. Very traditional, a little bit "british" and just beautiful.
The wonderful carriage is then guarded by a dominant tourbillon bridge, which adds a modern yet elegant touch by the gentle "batman wings" curves.
That?s truly a beautiful combination!
In addition, the function is special.
The power reserve "window" makes me scratch my head and i?d love to learn how it is done! It is a helpful indication, but unobtrusive at the same time. A very understated solution that actually adds not only to the function, but to the outer appearance as well. How gorgeous the blue window will look like! And how very matching for a manual wind watch!
The double retrograde indication on the bridge side of the movement is both clever and helpful; this way it allows for large hands (thus a very legible solution) and adds some interesting detail.
Now one may argue the Excenter Tourbillon does look slightly like the Greubel Forsay creation (which, admittedly, i regard one of the most beautiful pieces around); yet it is a much more modern approach and the classic HWRT case as well as the curved tourbillon bridge makes the difference.
And finally - having had the pleasure to meet Mr. Speake-Marin in person, the Excenter Tourbillon is made by one of the nicest and talented guys around!
So there are only two questions:
What are the dimensions of this beautiful watch?
And will it be a limited edition (keeping in mind Harry Winston Rare Timepieces usually equals limited availability)?
A great job well done!
Kudos to Peter Speake-Marin, Max Busser and Harry Winston!
Greetings from germany,
Peter