The 7 Best Tourbillon Watches of 2024 (So Far)
As complications go, the tourbillon is controversial. Is it technically a complication? Many would say no. Patented by the watchmaker Abraham-Louis Bréguet in 1801, the revolving mechanism was designed to counteract the effects of gravity on the gears of a mechanical timepiece. It doesn’t, strictly speaking, add a function to the watch (the definition of a complication).
Semantics aside, there’s no denying watchmakers’ enduring obsession with the device. Often made visible through a cutout on the dial, the tourbillon is inherently showy and a relatively easy way to enliven an otherwise standard wristwatch. That may explain why we continue to see so many new eye-catching variations.
A theme of this year’s tourbillon introductions was minimalism. That may strike purists as counterintuitive—the mechanism has long been seen as a flashy accoutrement—but then again, the device is no stranger to controversy.
Below, we highlight some of our favorite new tourbillon wristwatches. Go on—take a whirl!
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