Introducing: The Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral In White Gold

By Jon Bues

Quick Take

On the face of it, what we have here is a conservatively styled gentleman’s dress watch in white gold with a visible tourbillon. But if you look a bit more closely, you’ll see that this is quite an interesting and innovative take on a complication that has come, nowadays, to be viewed with somewhat less awe than it was several years ago.

The Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral, which first appeared in a rose-gold version about two years ago, is notable not only for its tourbillon – which is controlled by external gearing, giving the impression it is floating within the aperture at 12 o’clock – but also for its peripheral winding mechanism. This system opens up a broad swath of the white gold movement bridge on the back for the owner’s visual enjoyment. The brand has made stunning use of this canvas in the form of an engraving of Lucerne’s Chapel Bridge, a landmark that many familiar with the city will recognize. It is the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe and a symbol of the Swiss city where Bucherer was founded.

Of course, Carl F. Bucherer is not the only watchmaker to make a peripheral winding system for an automatic watch, nor is it the only watchmaker to pair this type of mechanism with a tourbillon. Carl F. Bucherer has become known for peripherally winding watches, though, having presented the CFB A1000 back in 2008, which has led to subsequent in-house calibers using peripheral rotors.

Carl F. Bucherer paired its winding system with a tourbillon two years ago with the Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral, an unlimited version of the same movement that was finished fairly simply with Geneva waves rather than an elaborate engraving. The movement also has the benefit of using a pallet and an escape wheel made from silicon, which reduces friction and the need for lubrication as well as having amagnetic properties. With seconds easily read via a hand on the tourbillon cage, this watch is also a C.O.S.C-rated chronometer.

Initial Thoughts

This watch as an impressive synthesis of horological engineering and the art of engraving. It has an unusual type of tourbillon that is impelled by a peripheral gear system and a movement that is peripherally wound – hence “Double Peripheral.” Carl F. Bucherer says that …read more