Wyler Geneve Tourbillon New Red Gold and Tantalum Models

For Baselworld 2008, Wyler Genève presents the successor model to its limited-edition Tourbillon launched last year, available in 18-carat gold and tantalum and powered by the brand’s unique manufacture movement.

Thanks to their distinctive new case design with in-built shock absorption, the 24 limited-edition Tourbillon models launched by Wyler Genève at Baselworld in 2007 were oversubscribed several times over. As a result, deliveries of the brand’s 2008 Tourbillon models will be limited only by the painstaking nature of their production, both for the case and the movement.

Because of its anti-shock design, the Wyler Genève watch case alone is much more complicated to produce than a standard watch case, but offers much greater protection of the precious tourbillon movement as a result. The movement is sealed inside a titanium container held in place by a carbon-fibre resin frame that is sandwiched between two metal plates. The four polished titanium screws holding this construction in place are mounted on springs, allowing the movement holder to move up and down within the frame and therefore absorb shocks. A patented crown protector, which is attached directly to the carbon-fibre frame and must be opened on both sides, offers additional protection for the watch’s time-setting mechanism.

A wide arc cut out of the bottom part of the dial reveals to the keen eye the subtle difference that makes the Wyler Genève tourbillon unique. Two small springs visible either side of the tourbillon cage mount the cage to the tourbillon bridge, leaving the tourbillon cage suspended in a similar fashion to the watch case and thus offering an additional form of shock protection. The base of the dial itself reproduces the carbon-fibre-like pattern found on the watch’s rubber strap, which is the core element in Wyler Genève’s corporate identity.

The “rice grains” of the pattern are hollowed out, as are an oversized “12” in the appropriate position and the Wyler name, giving a new lightness to the dial and further opening up the view of the manufacture movement beneath it. Everyday practicality is ensured by a power reserve indicator between 9 and 11 o’clock (the hand-wound movement has a power reserve of at least 5 days) and a big date window at 12 o’clock.

The Wyler Genève Tourbillon is available in 18-carat red gold or tantalum, with the hour markers and subdial rings matching the colour of the case. The natural rubber strap, which is imprinted with the same pattern found on the dial, is fastened by a buckle in the same metal as the case. Like all Wyler Genève timepieces, the Tourbillon comes with a two-year international warranty and its inner movement case is water resistant to 50 metres.