The Franck Muller Giga Tourbillon

Gentlemen – how do you like your Tourbillon?  So far this year there has been a compendium to choose from, Greubel Forsey inclined theirs at 25 degrees and elevated it on a superb sapphire bridge, Jaeger-LeCoultre were the darlings at SIHH this year with their compelling double-axis creation, or perhaps you prefer one which is symbolic of its creators, Vacheron Constantin’s Maltese Cross logo forms the carriage of theirs…. and those are just a few examples.

Franck Muller branded his with an “M” and made it so large that it dominates the dial.  I say dial, but in fact there is none, the Giga Tourbillon watch features a movement which has not only been intricately skeletonised but it has also been fiddled with so the bridges are on the dial side, the winding mechanism is on the back and the hour hand has been placed on top of the minutes hand, and yes – this is a monumental timepiece, more than worthy of its name.

This is an unusual timepiece, powered by an equally unusual caliber, the FM2100 may be a manually wound movement but it has a power reserve of 10 days fed from no less than four barrels each of which is 4mm larger than you’d normally expect.  Such watchmaking prowess is not simply showing off – that tourbillon, at 20mm across is a power drainer so the extra energy is a necessity.  That such a caliber could be constructed with the extra power-giving technology while appearing in its delicate squelette labyrinth is a triumph of watch making skills.

The Franck Muller Giga Tourbillon comes housed in a 49mm white gold case and is presented on a black alligator strap.