Since its original introduction in 2009, the Perrelet Turbine collection has built a well-earned reputation for bold, often controversial styling, paired with a striking, kinetic central gimmick. With such a dramatic central theme, the Turbine is at its best in its wilder, more uninhibited variations, and for its latest release Perrelet turns the visual volume all the way up with a neon-splashed, eye-catching rendition inspired by the work of Jackson Pollock. Combining an ultra-modern integrated carbon case with a gleefully vivid, “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”-era color palette, the new limited edition Perrelet Turbine Splash is anything but tastefully restrained, but packs an impressive amount of visual spectacle.
At 44mm wide, the Perrelet Turbine Splash’s carbon fiber and (suspiciously ambiguous) polycarbonate integrated case is anything but subtle on the wrist, but it’s a fun and funky take on the now-commonplace integrated sports watch concept. The basic design is shared with the rest of the carbon Turbine family, and while it may seem streamlined at first glance, it’s deceptively complex. For a start, take the integrated lug assembly. Perrelet’s distinctive three-lug pattern is present and accounted for here, adding some visual mass to the extremities of the case, but beyond the familiar angular shape, there’s more detail to be found here. These are technically, perhaps confusingly, attached lugs as well as integrated lugs, with a flaring, angular design that extends past the case edges to create a sharper silhouette. Then, there’s the main case itself. Rather than simple vertical or rounded case sides, Perrelet adorns the Turbine Splash with a series of four deep notches on both the 3 o’clock and the 9 o’clock side, giving the case an edgier, more lightweight appearance. Perrelet tops this shape with a PVD stainless steel bezel, kept narrow and matte to maintain as much focus on the dial as possible. Although it does have factors like the slimming power of black and the light weight of carbon fiber on its side, it’s hardly possible to say this 44mm wide, 13.8mm thick case is compact on the wrist. It’s a deliberately bold, oversized wearing experience, but the wraparound effect of the downturned lugs and integrated strap keeps it from “floating” on average-to-small wrists. To complete the case, Perrelet fits the Turbine Splash with a sapphire display caseback, featuring a limited edition serial number and a respectable 100 meters of water resistance.
Like any Turbine, the dial of the Perrelet Turbine Splash demands to be the center of attention, but this one is more attention-grabbing than most. There isn’t much that can steal the thunder from the line’s signature 12-bladed anodized aluminum turbine, but the Turbine Splash’s neon-splattered base dial manages it. Coated with flecks of electric yellow, hot pink, turquoise, lime green, hazard orange, and candy purple against a black backdrop, this chaotic cavalcade of colors captures the vibrant, audacious style of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s in broad, dynamic splotches. Even when mostly hidden behind the blades of the turbine, these colors still make the Turbine Splash stand out immediately from across a room. Perrelet continues this full-throttle approach to color theory with the Turbine Splash’s indices, which use Trigalight tritium gas tubes surrounded by printed borders in a rainbow of hues. By comparison, the rest of the dial design is elementally simple. Perrelet’s extra-wide alpha handset is paired with a vivid red stick seconds hands, while the only “dial text” of note (the 12 o’clock Perrelet emblem) is printed on the underside of the sapphire crystal. Of course, all of this downplays the real fun of the Turbine Splash during wear. It’s as much a luxury fidget spinner, executive toy, or an industrial-grade conversation starter as it is a practical timepiece, and the sheer kinetic joy of watching the dial turbine begin to twitch and spin with even a gentle wrist movement accounts for much of the entertainment to be had here.
Inside the Perrelet Turbine Splash beats the in-house P-331-MH automatic movement. Beyond being handsomely decorated, with crisp perlage for the bridges and a rhodium skeleton rotor finished with arabesque brushing and matte blasting, this is also a genuinely solid performer. Not only is the P-331-MH COSC chronometer-certified for accuracy, it also receives the stringent Chronofiable standard from the Laboratoire Dubois, which adds additional criteria for performance under shock, extreme temperatures, magnetism, and underwater. The power reserve, on the other hand, is more pedestrian, measuring in at 42 hours at a 28,800 bph beat rate.
Of course, any integrated watch hinges greatly on the strength of its bespoke strap or bracelet, and the Perrelet Turbine Splash is no different. The thick, malleable rubber-lined alligator-texture black leather strap fitted here is not only impressively comfortable, it also includes one of the most intelligent deployant clasp concepts I’ve seen in quite some time. Rather than punching unsightly adjustment holes clear through the strap or relying on a pressure-fit hole-less system (which tends to wear out straps especially fast), Perrelet instead places notches on the underside of the strap that correspond to a peg on the clasp. The end result is secure, comfortable, and completely seamless on the wrist. It’s an elegant design choice that more brands can and should learn from.
The Perrelet Turbine has never been a subtle, understated watch – its spinning turbine blades and offbeat triple-lug integrated design ensure it stands out from the pack in any guise. With the new limited edition Perrelet Turbine Splash, however, the brand delivers perhaps its wildest, most joyously, unapologetically attention-grabbing variant to date. Only 99 examples of the Perrelet Turbine Spalsh will be made, and the watch is available now through authorized dealers. MSRP for this watch stands at $5,450 USD as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
