A tourbillon is a sophisticated mechanism found in high-end mechanical watches, conceived by the British watchmaker and inventor John Arnold, it was developed by his friend the Swiss-French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet and patented by Breguet on 26 June 1801. Its primary purpose is to enhance timekeeping accuracy by addressing the effects of gravity on the watch's escapement.

The name “tourbillon” means “whirlwind” in French, a fitting description for the revolving mechanism at its heart. Breguet’s innovation was driven by the quest for greater accuracy. At the time, pocket watches were the norm, often carried vertically in the pocket. This constant position caused gravitational forces to affect the balance wheel and escapement, leading to timing inaccuracies.

To combat this, Breguet devised a rotating cage that housed the escapement and balance wheel. By continuously rotating, the tourbillon averages out positional errors, significantly enhancing the watch’s accuracy. This ingenious mechanism was a breakthrough in precision timekeeping and remains a cornerstone of high-end watchmaking.

At Bremont, where we blend the traditional artistry of watchmaking with modern innovation, we hold the tourbillon in the highest regard. Our Terra Nova Dual-Time Tourbillon, first unveiled at Watches and Wonders Geneva in 2024, balances high-end watchmaking with the practicality of a tool watch. It’s a work of art designed to be worn and admired.

The complex movement has been developed in collaboration with French, Swiss-based watchmaker Olivier Mory, using his tourbillon module to create a complication dedicated to travel and exploration. Our tourbillon has been intricately hand-assembled by our talented team of watchmakers at ‘The Wing’ in Henley-on-Thames.

Limited to only 30 pieces, this unique variation is crafted from DLC-coated titanium and features a dual-time zone expressed through a 3-dimensional spherical dome. This not only gives a second-time zone but also displays a map of the world with meridian lines to indicate night and day. The hand-wound original 9130 Calibre Tourbillon carries a 100m water resistance, 100-hour power reserve and an accuracy of -3/+7 seconds per day.



MOVEMENT SPECIFICATION

– Tourbillon Dual-Time Calibre
– Mechanical hand-wound tourbillon, free-sprung balance wheel
– 19 Jewelsbr>– 21,600 Alt/h (3Hz)
– -3/+7 Seconds accuracy
– 100-hour power reserve

The simple connecting thread of British watchmaking is one born of practicality. Britain as an island nation relied heavily on maritime capability to connect itself with the world, to establish trading relationships, to explore the globe and to defend its shoreline.

The necessity to understand proximity is central to maritime excellence and to search for Longitude requires exacting and consistent timing. This is a watchmaking culture inherited from the practical necessity to reliably know what time it is and to understand your location when out in the wilds of the world.

This British watchmaking culture became part of the national spirit through a sense of adventure and curiosity.

To climb, to trek and to sail to the far corners of the unexplored parts of the Earth. The spirit of the British adventurers and explorers are central to our brand’s spirit.

This spirit, along with an essential and practical approach to watchmaking gives us our provenance, our reason to be, and our alluring mission to create the world’s most capable mechanical tool watches for those who know no boundaries.