Luxury and Classic Fine Watches | A Tourbillon Wristwatch for an Appreciated and Lasting Gift

What kind of wristwatch to give for Christmas?  If you have money, you may have heard of or looked at watches with what is called a 'tourbillon' (French for 'vortex' or 'whirlwind') escapement.

Tourbillon wristwatches are much esteemed because of their unique properties.  Because the works are of such unusual design, the case frequently includes a transparent window or clear back to allow the owner to observe its fascinating movements.

Until the early 1900s, the pocket watch was the primary men's watch.  They were carried, for the most part, vertically in vest watch pockets.  Because of rather esoteric gravitational effects, that continuous vertical position adversely affected their accuracy.  For that reason, the tourbillon movement was invented back in the late 1800s.

The tourbillon escapement counteracts the minuscule, but important, effects of gravity.  It does this by rotating the entire timing mechanism on a regular basis, generally once a minute.  This periodic rotation averages out the effects of gravity, and so makes for greater accuracy.

Extreme precision is required for tourbillon wristwatches.  There are more parts than required for conventional movements.  And they have to fit into the same amount of space.  Because of these exacting requirements, and resulting difficulty of manufacture, tourbillons are very rare and exceedingly expensive.  It is this rarity and expense, as well as the fascinating design and visual effects, that makes them so attractive to those with money.

When wristwatches began to become more popular, in the early 1900s, the tourbillon escapement was successfully miniaturized so as to fit into wristwatch cases.  However, today, it is widely held that such movements are probably no more accurate than other, more conventional, wristwatch movements.  However, a tourbillon wristwatch still makes a preferred gift because of its mystique and luxury.  But if a tourbillon is beyond your budget, there are other luxury watches of more conventional design that you could consider, which while still very expensive, are usually not nearly so expensive as a tourbillon.

Now, if even those other luxury watches are beyond you, never fear.  You can still give a lasting and much appreciated gift.  There are modestly priced watches that are competitive in all aspects -- design, materials, accuracy, workmanship and finish -- with the more expensive wristwatches.

A. Lange & Sohne

Bell & Ross

Breguet

Breitling

Bulgari

Carl F. Bucherer

Cartier

Chopard

Christopher Ward

Ebel

Giantto

Glashutte

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IWC Schaffhausen

Jay Paz & Co.

Montblanc

Roger Dubuis

Rolex

Stauer

TAG Heuer

Ulysse Nardin

Vacheron Constantin

Zenith

What to get for birthday gifts? Hmmm...
How about considering fine watches?

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