That’s nothing to be sniffed at, of course, but the calibre is able to breathe and submit itself to the stylistic demands of the in-house design team because it doesn’t need to do that much to carry this piece off with aplomb. A relatively simple gear train runs through the centre of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Star of Infinity Double Tourbillon watch, but has been cleverly concealed by its creators. Its visual importance is diminished thanks to the dull anthracite coating that camouflages it against the skeletonised mainplate and bridges. The high-polished tourbillon bridges and gold-coloured balance wheels demand your attention. The train of wheels responsible for delivering the barrel’s power to the escapement is a willing second fiddle, and plays its part to perfection.

Now, it would be fair to say that, at first glance, the watch face looks a little bit mental, but there is method in the madness: the points of the star-shaped bridges actually point to the hour markers, which are further defined by small counter-sunk screws set in to a surrounding chapter ring. Perhaps, the most striking thing about this Roger Dubuis Excalibur Star of Infinity Double Tourbillon edition is the abundance of diamonds. The case and movement are generously decorated and expertly set with baguette-shaped diamonds. The white gold case is studded with 312 stones, weighing in at 14.93 carats; the barrel bridge itself boasts 34 diamonds weighing 0.96 carats, while the adjustable folding buckle (the buckle, for heaven’s sake) is adorned with 32 gems, with a combined weight of 1.33 carats.

This fanciful fusion of jewelry and watchmaking bears the Poinçon de Genève. The white gold case is 45mm, and 15.50mm thick. The in-house movement, called the RD015SQ, is manually wound, features 28 jewels, and a 50 hour power reserve. The sizeable 16¾ ligne movement is a perfect fit for this case and fills it as a specially-tailored calibre should. The double tourbillons each rotate once a minute, performing a never-ending dance keeping you interested no matter how often you check the time. The price is just around $600,000. rogerdubuis.com