Swiss brand Carl F. Bucherer makes some beautiful watches. Whatever your opinion of the brand, its catalog, or its pricing, you’d be lying if you argued that none of its timepieces are beautiful. Admittedly, based on the comments on reviews, people aren’t wowed by some of the brand’s sportier offerings, and even though I quite like the chronographs and think the Black Capsule collection had its bright points, many weren’t as enthused. Where it does seem to excel is at the higher end, with its tourbillons and minute repeaters, and even some of its more elegant time-only dress watches. That’s just what the brand has focused on, with some added flair, with the new, limited-edition Carl F. Bucherer Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral, available in a trio of bright colors.
Building on the existing Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral platform, the 18k rose-gold case measures 43.1mm across and 11.57mm thick. While that may seem a bit large at first blush, considering this is an automatic tourbillon, the thickness and proportions are excellent, and I found it to wear well on even my 7-inch wrist. Despite only mustering 30m of water resistance, the watch is paired with a sporty textile strap that perfectly matches the dial and gems; the strap is quick-release (according to the press materials; the sample I tried was not) and has a matching 18k rose-gold folding buckle. Surrounding the sapphire crystal and turning the glitz and glam up to 11, are 40 baguette-cut amethysts totaling 3.5 carats. Credit must be given here: These are all natural stones, and the effort put in to match them so perfectly to both the dial and strap is impressive (and likely has to do with why only 18 of each color are being made). Part of me would like to have seen this in the Heritage case, which is a bit slimmer and has longer lugs, although another part of me recognizes that a dial like this really benefits from extra space, even a small bit.
The baguette-set bezel is but an accent for the laser-cut guilloché dial, though. Available in blue, green, and purple, the dial features a pyramid guilloché pattern with the coloring concentrated in the troughs and the peaks having a paler tint. Rose-gold-plated dauphine hands tell the time against 11 diamond hour markers. Not willing to create a completely sterile dial (though also not prone to overcrowding dials with text), CFB has printed the logo and brand name on the underside of the crystal, along with the “Double Peripheral” text above the 12 o’clock tourbillon. The peripherally mounted tourbillon one-ups flying tourbillons for an even floatier appearance. While the movement has some nice striping and anglage, the tourbillon is a bit too industrial in its finishing to be paired with such a brilliant dial. The polished rose-gold pointer is fine, but I found basically every other component of the tourbillon to be a bit lackluster. This doesn’t ruin the watch, by a long stretch, but punching it up would really make the package more complete.
The Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral features the brand’s manufacture tourbillon movement, the CFB T3000 developed, designed, and assembled by CFB. No, it’s not a dangerous Skynet killing machine, but it is still pretty cool (and kudos to CFB for being honest in calling it a manufacture caliber; plenty of brands would say that if they develop, design, and assemble a movement, it’s in-house, but that’s not really true, as in-house requires (or should require) at least some level of parts production. The movement features the brand’s hallmark peripheral winding rotor, allowing it to be thinner than a traditional automatic movement, more efficient than the other thin auto alternative of a micro-rotor, and keep the view of the movement uninterrupted. I’m quite fond of the cutout zigzag that lets you see the gear train in action, and the watch also boasts a stop-second mechanism that halts the tourbillon cage and allows it to be set to the second (uncommon for tourbillon movements. The silicon escapement increases longevity and occasionally gives you a little shimmer when the light catches it, and the movement runs at 21,600 vph with a power reserve of 65 hours.
This new, embellished version of the Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. While it may not boast of the handmade or hand-finishing of other brands, it certainly matches the beauty. These models are less about offering something to the market than they are about showcasing what the brand is capable of doing. With spectacular light play and a wearability that defies the watch’s dimensions, these watches are a dazzling treat on the wrist, even if they are out of reach for most. The Carl F. Bucherer Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral is priced at $158,500 USD and is limited to 18 pieces in each color. For more information, please visit the Carl F. Bucherer website.
