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When John Arnold first envisioned the tourbillon at the close of the 18th century, bringing the revolutionary new movement to life with friend and fellow watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, never in his most fevered dreams could he have imagined a watch like the CODE41 T360 Tourbillon. Combining the brand’s signature ultra-modern styling, skeletonization, and use of cutting-edge materials, the T360 Tourbillon takes this typically staid and dressy complication into the modern era in a package meant for everyday wear.
CODE41’s approach to watchmaking is the antithesis of the traditional Swiss model, with an emphasis on transparency and democratic decision-making in the development of new watches. Silence and obfuscation is rampant in the watch industry, which is why CODE41’s commitment to Total Transparency of Origin (TTO) is so refreshing. With TTO, CODE41 provides a breakdown of every component in the watch, including where it was manufactured and what it cost. The result is that you, the consumer, know exactly what you’re paying for, with the markup on the cost of manufacture clear to see and no need to guess as to how “Swiss” your Swiss Made watch truly is.
Using a community-driven approach, CODE41 involves customers in everything from the design process to manufacturing and logistics. This go-round, the message was clear — it was time to make a tourbillon. In doing so, the CODE41 community wanted to ensure that the design language and style CODE41 has cultivated remains the focal point, the watch includes plenty of customization options, and that the price remains as accessible as possible. 192 design variations, more than 12,500 votes cast, and over 400 comments from the CODE41 community later, and the concept for the T360 Tourbillon was born.
To develop the T360 Tourbillon, CODE41 partnered with Swiss watchmakers and artisans to create a 100% Swiss movement. Consisting of 141 components and 19 jewels, the manual-winding tourbillon movement beats at 21.6kbph and features an outstanding 105 hours of power reserve. The movement is then adjusted in five positions to maintain an accuracy of +/- 5 seconds/day.
If you’re going to develop a tourbillon, you need to put it on full display. Luckily, with CODE41’s extensive experience with skeletonization, that wasn’t an issue. Positioned at 6 o’clock with an angular and open-worked cantilever, the tourbillon makes a full rotation within its cage every 60 seconds. By placing the tourbillon within a skeletonized dial, the tourbillon feels like a natural extension of the CODE41 design language, the beauty of micro-engineering and Old World artisanship blending harmoniously.
CODE41 is offering the T360 Tourbillon in two 42mm case options: NativeDNA and Stratom. CODE41 has been producing the NativeDNA case since 2016 and its angular lines and dimensionality have become a hallmark of the brand. Made from Grade 5 titanium, the case is as light as it is strong. The chambered construction and wide, distinctive lugs are unabashedly modern, yet comfort and wearability remain core to the design.
With the T360 Tourbillon, CODE41 is also introducing a new case option. Crafted from the same Grade 5 titanium as the NativeDNA case, the Stratom case has a barrel shape and a sportier visage with exposed screws and a multi-level design. With a short lug-to-lug distance and curves to match your wrist, the Stratom is as ergonomic as it is striking.
Having a community of watch enthusiasts help guide the direction of the brand has brought the T360 Tourbillon to life, but every community is comprised of individuals with their own unique tastes and preference. Along with offering your choice of case, CODE41 is also offering five color combinations for the dial and hands, the option of seconds on the bridge of the tourbillon cage, and your choice of leather, rubber, and steel straps. Whether you opt for a subtle grey with pops of orange or the full titanium rainbow dial, there’s a model for the most reserved or extravagant among us.
CODE41 hasn’t skimped on any details necessary for a watch meant to be worn daily. The case features 100m of water resistance and is equipped with anti-reflective coated sapphire crystals front and back. In addition, the hands, indices, and bridge of the tourbillon cage feature Super-LumiNova for nighttime visibility. Plus, at just 57-68g without strap (depending on whether you chose the NativeDNA or Stratom case), the T360 Tourbillon will be easy to wear in any situation.
Another major requirement in creating the T360 Tourbillon was price accessibility. Typically, tourbillons are reserved for watches starting in the tens of thousands of dollars. With the T360, CODE41 was determined to stay under the $10,000 barrier. With a starting price of $9,598 USD, the brand has done just that. Though by no means inexpensive, the hand-working and craft required to produce a high-end tourbillon come at a cost ($3,048 for the movement, to be exact, as you can find in the cost breakdown for each component). However, with a total markup of just over 2X, the total cost of the T360 Tourbillon is many times lower than what you would find from any major brand.
Pre-orders for the CODE41 T360 Tourbillon are open until 3pm CET on May 17, 2023, with prices starting at $9,598 USD (titanium NativeDNA case with leather strap). Only 150 Creator Edition pieces were slated to be available; however, due to overwhelming demand at launch, that initial offering has already sold out and CODE41 will be creating an additional 100 pieces. To learn more about CODE41 and the new T360 Tourbillon, please visit the brand’s website.
