From a £7,800 Swiss flying tourbillon to a £300 impulse buy, here are the best tourbillons on the market that won’t cost you a house deposit.
The tourbillon has carried a five or six-figure price tag for decades now. Abraham Louis-Breguet’s gravity-defying mechanism is a staple of haute horology maisons. But what if we told you that you could get a tourbillon under £10,000? How about much less?
There’s been a push for accessible tourbillons over the last few years, especially with the rise of Chinese watchmaking and their temptingly affordable style of fine watchmaking, and the tourbillon has been front and centre of that discussion. While there’s not a huge race to the bottom to create the cheapest tourbillon watch available, there are still plenty of watchmakers producing great, affordable alternatives to prestige Swiss watches.
From skeletonised flexes of haute horology from BA111OD to the Aesop complication with a price tag lower than most accessible automatic watches, here are the best accessible tourbillons under £10,000 of 2026.
Accessible Tourbillons, £1,000 – £10,000
BA111OD Chapter 4 Skeleton T.V.D
Let’s start with the first and only Swiss watch on this list, from disruptive independent BA111OD. If you’re wondering, it’s pronounced ‘Baillod’ (or ‘Bayot’ if you need it anglicised). The Chapter 4 Skeleton looks and feels like a proper Swiss tourbillon, from the architectural, skeletonised bridges to the French engravings on the mainspring barrel. The substantial 43mm case has been given an anthracite treatment which helps the blue ring around the periphery stand out, even against the visible movement underneath. Unusually, the tourbillon itself is at 7 o’clock rather than the usual 6, which not only helps visually separate the Chapter 4 from other efforts, but illustrates BA111OD’s in-house development. If you need a tourbillon in your life and want to buy Swiss, this is where you should start.
Model: BA111OD Chapter 4 Skeleton T.V.D
Case/dial: 43mm diameter, 904L stainless steel, anthracite DLC treatment
Dial: Skeletonised
Water resistance: 50m
Movement: BA111OD calibre BA.01, manual wind, 21,600vph, 19 jewels, 120h power reserve, tourbillon at 7 o'clock
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon
Strap: Black crocodile calfskin, deployant clasp
Price: £7,800
More details at BA111OD.
Memorigin Mermaid
Until recently, Hong Kong-based Memorigin had only built tourbillons, and while their latest is the time-only Mercuri 001, they know their way around the gravity-defying complication. Indeed, there’s a lot in their catalogue to choose from, so we went for one of the aesthetic standouts: the Mermaid. Coloured like the inside of a conch, this Atlantis-themed watch is actually a flying tourbillon, where the cage is invisibly supported from beneath. From the 12 o’clock crown to the 6 o’clock moon to the tourbillon itself framed in iridescent pink, it’s a lot to take in. And yes, that is a stingray strap, too. This is about as un-Swiss as you can get.
Model: Memorigin Mermaid
Ref: AT9527
Case/dial: 43mm × 13.5mm, colourful-plated stainless steel
Dial: Pink/iridescent, Atlantis themed
Water resistance: 50m
Movement: Memorigin calibre, flying tourbillon, automatic, 28,800vph, 18 jewels, 40h power reserve, tourbillon at 3 o'clock
Functions: Hours, minutes, GMT, flying tourbillon
Strap: Stingray strap
Price: £4,750 (HK$49,527)
More details at Memorigin.
Sea-Gull Ultra-Thin Tourbillon
As China’s most popular movement maker, Sea-Gull have become a big player in international horology and their own-name watches are a showcase for what they can do. Case in point, the Sea-Gull Ultra-Thin Tourbillon. Measuring just 9.4mm thick – very slim for a tourbillon, which tend to range between 10mm and 14mm – it draws from Chinese aesthetics, particularly the guqin, an ancient, fretless stringed instrument. It’s similar to the instrument played by the blind, musical assassins in Kung Fu Hustle. Here, it’s referenced in the texture of the Grand Seiko-adjacent dial. With a classic 6 o’clock, 60-second tourbillon, this is an incredible piece and not just for the money.
Model: Sea-Gull Ultra-Thin Tourbillon
Ref: 818.12.8850
Case/dial: 42mm × 9.4mm, 316L stainless steel
Dial: Guqin-textured
Water resistance: 50m
Movement: Sea-Gull ST8610, automatic, 28,800vph, 34 jewels, tourbillon at 6 o'clock
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon
Strap: Leather
Price: £3,750
More details at Sea-Gull.
Stührling Triumph Tourbillon
Stührling has in the past had a reputation for producing ‘tourbillon-like’ watches, with open hearts rather than true tourbillons. Not so with the Triumph. Indeed, the New York-based, Chinese-made brand has gone all out with Swiss finishing: Clous de Paris across the main dial, Côtes de Genève across the cutaway to the movement bridges, blued screws and blued Breguet hands. The crown guards are a little confusing in a watch like this but if you want all the finishing of a fine Swiss watch thrown into a 42mm high complication package, this is it. While the classic version is the silver, the black, complete with darkened bridges, is that little bit cooler.
Model: Stührling Triumph Tourbillon
Case/dial: 42mm diameter
Dial: Silver or black, Clous de Paris, Côtes de Genève
Water resistance: 50m
Movement: Manual wind, tourbillon
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon
Strap: Leather, deployant clasp
Price: £2,290
More details at Stührling.
Zeroo T4 The Archer Tourbillon
The first take on the modern, tonneau tourbillon on this list, the Zeroo T4 The Archer wears its Richard Mille inspirations on its sleeve. The skeletonised dial shows off the two mainsprings powering the 9 o’clock flying tourbillon, it’s one to admire, which is easy thanks to the mineral crystal used for the curving sides of the case. It’s available in a good number of colours (many of which, as of publishing, are unfortunately sold out), which pair the blacked-out case with various colours across the rehaut, strap, crown and various highlights. If you really want that RM racing style, the black and red ZT004BRD is the way to go.
Model: Zeroo T4 The Archer
Ref: ZT004BRD
Case/dial: 41mm × 48mm tonneau, 12.5mm thick, 316L stainless steel, mineral crystal sides
Dial: Skeletonised
Water resistance: 3ATM
Movement: Cal:ZT01, manual wind, 28,800vph, double barrel, flying tourbillon at 9 o'clock, 60h power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon
Strap: Fluoroelastomer
Price: $3,000 (approx. £2,255)
More details at Zeroo.
CIGA Design Hunter Tourbillon
If this is the first time you’ve come across CIGA Design, you’re welcome. As we’ve covered before, the Chinese brand is one of the most intensely disruptive forces in accessible haute horology. It’s not just that the Hunter Tourbillon is a high complication for £1,500 – though that’s a good starting point – it’s the fact that with its intensely machined exoskeleton, open dial and maximalist aesthetic it makes even some of the more extreme tourbillons look tame. That’s true of all three variations, but most so of the carbon edition with black case and bridges with green highlights. Chinese watchmaking is in its ascendency and CIGA Design are at the crest of that wave.
Model: CIGA Design Hunter Tourbillon
Case/dial: 47.45 × 41.50mm tonneau, Grade 5 Titanium, micro-sandblasted
Dial: Skeletonised, Carbon/Silver/Blue
Water resistance: 50m (5 ATM)
Movement: CIGA CD-011, manual wind, 28,800vph, 26 jewels, twin barrel, 72h power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon
Strap: Fluororubber and Grade 2 Titanium bracelet
Price: $1,999 (approx. £1,500)
More details at CIGA Design.
HAOFA Automatic Tourbillon
From a distance, you might well assume that this is a Richard Mille, which is kind of the point. From the oversized crown to the grained titanium magnesium alloy case, this is designed to look like the £100,000+ Swiss watchmaker. Skeletonised bridges, visible bezel screws, even the double barrel layout all seem reverse-engineered to their most accessible. The part that doesn’t feel very RM is actually the tourbillon itself, which in brass, steel and blued screws, looks more like it’s from a very different, much more traditional timepiece. Whether or not that mix appeals is down to personal taste, but £1,200 for a tourbillon is objectively impressive.
Model: HAOFA Automatic Tourbillon 1901
Case/dial: 49mm × 42mm tonneau, 14.5mm thick, titanium-magnesium alloy, carbon fibre bezel
Dial: Skeletonised
Water resistance: 50m
Movement: HAOFA E.3H41, automatic, 28,800vph, 35 jewels, double barrel, 72h power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon
Strap: Rubber
Price: $1,599 (approx. £1,200)
More details at HAOFA.
Impulse Buy Tourbillons, Under £1,000
Sugess Tourbillon Master
Now we’re getting into the realms of impulse buy tourbillons, something that previously seemed impossible without a few million in the bank. Based in Shenzhen, China, Sugess primarily use Tianjin Seagull movements, which is the only reason they can offer a tourbillon at this price. In the Tourbillon Master, their most classical expression, they’ve paired that open, 6 o’clock complication with an aventurine-adjacent star dust dial and 12 o’clock moon phase. It’s not small at 42mm across but makes for a celestial timepiece without the price tag going to the moon.
Model: Sugess Tourbillon Master
Ref: S429
Case/dial: 42mm × 11mm, 316L stainless steel
Dial: Aventurine star dust
Water resistance: 50m
Movement: Tianjin Seagull ST8235, manual wind, 21,600vph, 40h power reserve, tourbillon at 6 o'clock
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon, moon phase
Strap: Alligator leather
Price: $999 (approx. £750)
More details at Sugess.
Agelocer Original
A skeletonised flying tourbillon for less than most entry-level automatics. The Agelocer Original is, on paper, too good to be true. And yet it’s been designed by Etienne Ruffieux, a man who has worked for Zenith and Parmigiani amongst others; it’s racked up design awards, and the 80-hour power reserve – all point to this being a genuine, prestige timepiece. It looks it, too. With blued bridges and rehaut webbed across almost nothing, ‘architectural’ only begins to describe it. This is everything Swiss watchmakers should be worried about.
Model: Agelocer Original
Case/dial: 40mm × 10mm, 316L stainless steel
Dial: Skeletonised
Water resistance: 50m
Movement: Cal.A9001, manual wind, 28,800vph, 80h power reserve, flying tourbillon
Functions: Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon
Strap: Leather
Price: £525.97
More details at Agelocer.
Aesop Blue Sandstone Galaxy Tourbillon
A 6 o’clock flying tourbillon, a blue sandstone dial with painted planets and constellations and an elegant, 42.5mm case, Guangzhou-based Aesop have built something that channels classical watchmaking right down to the large onion crown. It’s the kind of watch that’s easy to get excited about, the definition of an impulse buy. It might not have the level of finishing and reliability you’d expect from the grand old maisons of the Vallée de Joux, but at that kind of price it’s worth a try. Worst case scenario, you have a conversation piece.
Model: Aesop Blue Sandstone Galaxy Tourbillon
Ref: 7025PBWL
Case/dial: 42.5mm × 11mm, 316L stainless steel
Dial: Blue sandstone with planets and constellations
Water resistance: 50m
Movement: Manual wind, 28,800vph, 48h power reserve, flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock
Functions: Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon
Strap: Cowhide leather
Price: $398 (approx. £300)
More details at Aesop.
Great watches .. bot a Ballliod in January .. waiting for sept delivery