Borna Bosnjak
Tourbillon watches can be described with a whole series of superlatives – opulent, magnificent, accurate – but rarely do you hear someone call a tourbillon “affordable”. This makes sense – they’re highly complicated to produce, and require a good deal of actual craftsperson hours to be put in, rather than just being assembled on an automated line. Well, for the most part, anyway. Certain Chinese manufacturers have been able to bring the cost of a tourbillon-equipped watch down to as low as a few hundred dollars, though they’re technically carousels, rather than tourbillons – but that’s a different story altogether. Having said that, the fact that they’re able to automate many of the processes doesn’t make the intricacies of a rotating escapement any less finicky, resulting in less-than-ideal performance with questionable reliability. For those reasons, I couldn’t include them in this article in good faith, but I also have to acknowledge their existence and target audience – if you want a bit of fun and don’t care about potentially spending $500 or so, go for it, they can be a lot of fun. Instead, this list concerns itself with proven manufacturers that offer the tourbillon experience at an unprecedented price point – think under US$20,000, rather than US$200,000.Olivier Mory – Ba111od, Yema, Delma, Louis Erard, and moreA prototype of the BCP Tourbillons T02 movementOlivier Mory must’ve discovered some sort of cheat code when developing his T02 tourbillon movement. Manufactured by his company BCP Tourbillons alongside a long list of contributing partners, variations of the T02 can be found in numerous watches, many under the US$10,000 price point. Rather than having Mory’s work occupy most of this list, I thought I’d compile a few watches that use the T02, and their accompanying price points all in one spot. Approachable cost didn’t impact the T02’s performance side of things, sporting a 3Hz beat rate and a very impressive 100-hour power reserve. Aside from the three listed here, the Morteau-graduated Frenchman and BCP Tourbillons have worked with Aventi, Patria, Louis Erard, and Code41.The whole idea behind Ba111od was to launch a brand that can offer complicated watches at attractive price points, with the likes of the CHPTR_ and Mory tourbillon-equipped Chapter 4.1 at the forefront of this endeavour. The Chapter 4.7 Onyx Tourbillon pares things back a tad, showcasing the large tourbillon at 6 o’clock, and enveloping it in an inky black dial. Price: US$7,350Given its dive watch heritage, you wouldn’t expect a brand like Yema to have a tourbillon under its belt, and yet, the latest Yachtingraf took the form of one, equipped with a tide indicator, too. Limited to 75 pieces per material, you’ve got a choice of steel or bronze, all for under US$10,000. Price: US$9,990Much like Yema, Delma is a brand that mostly focuses on tool-adjacent watches, whether that be tough divers or Valjoux-powered chronographs. Wanting to commemorate 100 years since its founding as A. & A. Gilomen in 1924, the brand chose to celebrate with a tourbillon. As many of its collections are still value-oriented, it made sense to go with a value-oriented tourbillon, too. The DT100.1 in the 1924 Tourbillon does sport slightly more impressive decoration than its Ba111od and Yema counterparts, hence commanding a higher price tag, too. Price: US$13,900Horage Lensman 1.1When I think of affordable tourbillons, I think of Horage. Aside from the brand’s transparency around its component origins, that has been its main claim to fame, which is especially impressive considering they’re all basically in-house. While prices have certainly climbed in the last few years (as with everything else), Horage still offers watches like the Lensman 1, with a titanium case, 100 metres of water resistance, and actually unique styling – in this case inspired by rangefinder cameras. The in-house, flying tourbillon K-TOU movement offers a five-day power reserve, with a German-made silicon escapement, and accuracy that falls within the -4/+6 COSC standard. Price: CHF 9,990 (~US$11,550)Frederique Constant Manufacture Classic TourbillonHaving early success with its offering of affordable, classically Swiss watches, Frederique Constant has certainly floated upmarket in recent years, especially so with its in-house movement collection. The Manufacture Classic Tourbillon is essentially the brand’s crown jewel at the moment, but the brand hasn’t forgotten its affordable roots, pricing it comfortably under US$20,000 despite the handsome level of finishing. And yes the image is of the rose gold version, but let’s not get hung up on the details, hey? Price: CHF 14,995 (~US$17,300)TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph TourbillonThe TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 Tourbillon long stood as the most affordable Swiss tourbillon, which just goes to show how much technology has advanced to allow other brands to undercut it by some margin. Having said that, the Carrera is not fighting a fair fight, and very much deserves an inclusion on this list as it also incorporates a column wheel chronograph complication alongside the tourbillon, as well as COSC certification. While the Carrera Tourbillon’s design has evolved over time, now also including the Glassbox, the original’s angular titanium and ceramic case does capture TAG Heuer’s brawny spirit that has since left many of its models. Price: US$21,250
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