Luxury being a core element behind the Tourbillon collection, DeMonaco is happy to offer select pieces with extra levels of indulgence, such as this one-of-a-kind 18k white gold Tourbillon Ronde lined with black diamonds. It is actually a rather cool piece if you are into this sort of thing – and allows for a watch to be both diamond covered and still masculine. Even the versions with mother-of-pearl dials have a masculine appeal to them. Perhaps not a rugged sport style of masculinity, but enough that these don’t appear to be feminine – which can sometimes be the case with decorative timepieces in this vein.
The cases follow suit. The sloped edges of the case mix brushed and polished finishes together, as well as angles and curves in a watch that feels very architectural as opposed to looking like traditional watch cases. Little elements nevertheless make it clear that the DeMonaco watches were designed by a watchmaker, such as the crown that screws into the case for protection.
Of course the most spectacular part of the DeMonaco Tourbillon watch collection are the in-house made Caliber XP1 automatic mechanical movements. We find that most all DeMonaco watches are inherently practical when it comes to utility and convenience. We applaud the application of automatic winding to the movement, even though a large part of the dial is see-through. Mounted under a bridge made from a piece of sapphire crystal, the tourbillon sits against an exposed section of the watch where you can see straight through it. As you move your wrist you can see the movement of the automatic rotor through the window.
Much of the movement, both on the front and rear side, are hand engraved. This is especially the case on the vividly decorated rotor that bears the Seal of Monaco complete with crown and shield. The rotor has two shades of gold, which meld well with the many blued steel screws found in various parts of the movement. The view of the movement from the front is especially colorful, as so many materials mix together pleasantly. Many of them, such as silicon, tend to change colors in the light.
Technically the caliber XP1 is a modern movement operating at 4HZ with the time, tourbillon (which acts as the small seconds indicator) and automatic winding. Silicon is used for the escape wheel and lever, which acts to increase stability and accuracy. As we’ve said before, the DeMonaco Tourbillon is a unique combination of both modern elements such as precision sapphire crystal and silicon components, but also a rich level of traditional crafts such as hand-engraved elements.
Each of the versions of the Atelier DeMonaco Tourbillon Ronde and Carre watches are limited to just 18 pieces. These are beautiful and extremely rare watches that are nevertheless horologically astute Prices range from 96,000 – 109,000 Swiss Francs depending on material and style (without diamonds). ateliers-demonaco.com
