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Antoine Prezuiso’s $310,000 Monumental Tourbillon

Claimed by its maker Antoine Prezuiso as the world’s largest tourbillon wrist watch, the Monumental Tourbillon is something to behold.

Harking back to the days when pocket watches were in style, the movement is based on a pocket watch blank that dates back to 1928, perfected at the watchmaking school Vallée de Joux. 
This particular calibre, which is fitted with a Breguet balance-spring with a screwed balance that beats more than 18,800 vibrations per hour, won the first prize for chronometry in the 1930s – a feat that’s never been equaled. This mechanical movement is showed through the open-looking red gold dial, that is engraved, chiseled and satin-polished in low relief.
 
Unconventionally, along with being displayed in its traditional location on the case-back, the serial number is also displayed on the front, substituting for the numeral “12.” The rest of the numerals are written in Roman. The location of the tourbillon is more conventional, located on the side of the case-back, housed in a 2.5 cm oversize frame. 

Featuring drum-type architecture that has top and bottom bezels screwed on to the middle by twelve lateral pillars, the stunning appearance is illuminated. The choice of using titanium makes the structure incredibly light, making this one of the more comfortable watches to wear.

To echo the dial, the pillars, crown, and the mobile horns are in red-gold. Making it easy to service and repair, each component can be removed without disrupting the others. The Monumental Tourbillon comes with a leather strap teamed with a buckle that matches the case perfectly, making it one of the biggest ever made for a wristwatch.

Opening a new boutique in the exclusive Dubai mall Wafi, Prezuiso created the Monumental Tourbillon to be its crown jewel. His work will be in select company, as the Wafi mall also houses such brands as De Grisogono, Chopard, Hublot, JLC, Montblanc, Omega, Parmigiani, Patek Philippe, Piaget, and Rolex. Prezuiso’s factory – which resides in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland – only produce about 1,000 watches each year, but has also, collaborated with such prestigious brands like Harry Winston and Tiret.

Limited to only five (one of them is already on its way to Dubai), this extremely rare gem carries with it a $310,000 price tag.

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