Together with Concepto Watch Factory, Bugatti has introduced analogue displays and watch movement tech in the aptly named Tourbillon instruments, a first for both brands.
In an age of soulless EVs without an engine note unless it is computer-generated, motoring passion is reserved for ultra- and hypercars. Behind the wheel, concentrating on the road ahead is increasingly challenging thanks to expansive screens that distract attention. Bugatti aims to change this trend by embracing high-end watchmaking on an instrument-sized scale, a move that enthusiasts will surely applaud.
Each hand-built cluster is designed and manufactured following the principles of Swiss haute horology, featuring sapphire crystals and skeletonised dials, crafted by the Concepto Watch Factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This includes adapting to electric motors and sensors, and a small rectangular concession to digitality in the speedo-cum-rpm display, all set within a sculpted aluminium frame. The skeletonised ‘movement’ within the central speedometer is visible, offering an expansive view of gears and bridgework, with automotive details never seen before, such as bevelling and exposed, large-size jewels.
Eschewing digital for handcrafted tech seems to embody the best of both worlds and is a first for both Concepto and the Bugatti design team. There is a central table-sized screen, but this remains hidden within the dashboard until needed. The instrument cluster comprises a large central speedometer, where a second, also central, hand serves as a tachometer, showing the engine’s RPM. Notably, the speedometer reaches a baffling 550km/h. This sits in a polished aluminium frame, its gears finished as you would expect of a skeletonised watch, with an evocative engine power distribution readout on the right, including the hybrid powertrain data.
The numerals on the inner aluminium disc are laser-cut and filled with ceramic. This power gauge also features a fascinating display of the gears within, a first for any hypercar. Each hand and pointer within the cluster, including the gauges on the left, are controlled electronically by a $600 Falhauber precision step motor, which translates the electronic signals from the Tourbillon’s central computer into smooth, precise mechanical movement. The development included eight specialised engineers and is now headed by Concepto’s Iceland-born expert, who showed me the instrument test rig in action.
Adding another dimension to the project, the instrument cluster itself has expansive customisation options. While still under development, like many watches from high-end independent brands that Concepto supplies, the instruments can be personalised. We asked Bugatti’s Senior Interior Designer, Alexandra Adélaïde De Castro Tavares, to tell us more: “There are a multitude of options available, including stone dial finishes and Aventurine, and also the application of different materials. I worked with Concepto to understand what was possible based on my design proposals, and we agreed on what we could apply and on which part. Because, for technical reasons, being an instrument, you cannot add too much thickness or weight.
On the process with Concepto, Alexandra says: “It has been an ongoing exchange of ideas between Concepto and the design team at Bugatti, to understand what we could do. And from there, with my knowledge of the project, I was able to talk to the customers. Depending on what they wanted for the exterior of the car, as an example, I will come to suggest the application of mother-of-pearl to the instrument dials if the car has a fully white exterior”. The process of dialogue has already started for some clients, who have been able to come to Molsheim since April to begin the process of configurating their bespoke Bugatti Tourbillon: “In our meetings we’lle show samples and explain to them how much more they can personalise the cluster, which is not visible in the online configurator. Therefore, it’s essential for them to visit us, to meet the designers and experience the physical samples firsthand”.
Concepto Watch Factory is an independent Swiss movement specialist founded in 2006 in La Chaux‐de‐Fonds by the Jaquet family. Concepto has been a discreet “engine” (movement) supplier for over 30 prestigious watch brands, including Hublot, Louis Moinet, Romain Jerome, and Sinn. Concepto has also developed the record-breaking micro tech of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo and has a full vertical integration with 150 machines producing 30,000–60,000 movements annually.
We asked CEO Valerien Jaquet to tell us more about this surprising project and partnership, and he told us: “It all started with an email received on December 24, 2021, from Mate Rimac himself, who wrote to tell me about a project he wanted to develop, mixing the automotive and watchmaking worlds, but nothing was very specific. I quickly realised that Mate’s aim was not to integrate a clock or a simple watch into its future new model, but to develop an innovative product that would bridge the worlds of the automobile and watchmaking… However, things became more concrete after my first flight to Zagreb in early January 2022”.
Valerien Jaquet informed us that the process has been lengthy, spanning over three years of development. And for Concepto, it has also introduced the novelty of working with different dimensions than their watchmakers are used to: “It’s a different scale from watchmaking, with much larger components than usual. To do this, we also had to equip ourselves with new machines, enabling us to machine larger components. Beyond the size of the components, we had to combine mechanics with electronics and lighting, introducing new constraints that helped us challenge ourselves and push beyond our limits.
Being present at Concepto last week opened our eyes to the amount of work behind this project, and a surprising new avenue for both Bugatti and Concepto. As I have a closer look at a milled aluminium dial rim with its laser-cut numerals to be retro-filled with translucent ceramic, I ask Valerien whether this opens up a new future for Concepto: “Even if we can’t predict the future, there’s no doubt that this project will have enabled us to acquire a sufficiently high degree of knowledge to be able to imagine developing further and further in this field, mixing automobiles and watchmaking to accompany Bugatti’s creative power”.
We will indeed stay (highly) tuned to the future of both brands, while secretly wishing for a Molsheim test drive later this year.
Gallery
Find out more at Concepto.
