The third generation of Backes & Strauss tourbillon is here and it’s every bit as extravagant as a diamond-obsessed oligarch could ask for: the inimitable Backes & Strauss Piccadilly 45 King Tourbillon.
In case you didn’t see our recent feature on the British jewellery horologists (you can find it here), Backes & Strauss don’t go in for half measures, whether that’s the quality of their stones or the Franck Muller movements inside. This time however Backes & Strauss are moving into far more modern realms of design.
In this version of their tourbillon, the entire bottom of the dial has been cut away to reveal the tourbillon in full swing, resulting in one of the most interesting-looking Backes & Strauss watches to date. Sure, they’re no strangers to skeleton timepieces, but this is different.
What dial hasn’t been lost has been covered in ideal-cut diamonds, complete with a generous helping of mother-of-pearl and emerald indexes. Add in a diamond-set white gold case where even the lugs have their fair share of baguette-cut stones and you have a real Backes & Strauss masterpiece. It’s not exactly shy and retiring.
You might want to look a little closer than the stones though – except in direct light, that’s not great for your eyesight. The open case back has been engraved with the London skyline, while the tourbillon cage is embellished with the hearts and arrows that denote an ideal-cut diamond under a loupe.
For a brand that, not too long ago, focused almost exclusively on pure jewellery watches, Backes & Strauss has come a long way in their tourbillons. The Piccadilly 45 King Tourbillon is probably the clearest interpretation of the meeting of masters that is Backes & Strauss and, even if that weren’t the case, it’s one hell of an impressive timepiece.
Price & Specs:
- Model name: Backes & Strauss Piccadilly 45 King Tourbillon (Ref. PC45.KINGTOURBILLON.WG.EG)
- Dial/Case: 45mm, 18kt white gold set with 48 baguette diamonds, 14.79 cts
- Movement: Automatic tourbillon, of which the bridge is set with 204 white Ideal Cut diamonds, 1.22 cts
- Price: £372,000
More at: www.backesandstrauss.com
