Normally the introduction of yet another new Tourbillon would not be cause for announcement by me. Sure I have great appreciation for the complication, but in my opinion they are grossly over-priced and over lauded. On the other hand, when a tourbillon complication is tastefully incorporated in to a beautiful watch, it is worth noting. New for SIHH 2008, Piaget presents the Polo Tourbillon Relatif Paris. An absolute tribute to city of Paris.
The face of the Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif Paris is of remarkable interest. Use of contrasting black and white colors (a favorite of mine) results in a patterned look of attention grabbing proportions. The tourbillon is integrated into what looks to be the hour hand; meaning that while the tourbillon itself revolves on its axis once each 60 seconds, the entire tourbillon mechanism travels around the watch as the hour hand. Alternatively, this is a one handed watch, where by one hand travels around the face each 12 hours. Those who will wear this watch won’t care much, as this timepiece is more for visual, rather than precision, splendor.
Also on the face of the watch are the names of important Parisian personalities. A cute touch, but completely eclipsed by the amazing artwork on both sides of the watch. Unlike anything I’ve ever encountered, highly intricate etchings of famous Paris landmarks adorn the sides of the Piaget Tourbillon Relatif Paris. The detail is simply amazing, far better than anything on a coin even. The pictures clearly shows etchings of such buildings as the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and several others. I can imagine wearing this watch, and constantly checking it out from the side to see the view.
Not the type of watch one can wear everyday. The white gold case needs to stay pristine in order to preserve the intense detailing and aesthetic mastery of this watch. This will undoubtedly not be a high production watch, but I am glad Piaget spend the effort to create another beautiful artistic watch. Certainly a flagship showpiece.
See Piaget watches on eBay here.
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