Date:05/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/05/stories/2006050520990300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

This watch costs Rs. 3.6 crore

Special Correspondent

Breguet unveils `Tourbillion and Grand Strike' 1907 pocket watch

PEACH OF A TIMEPIECE: The `Tourbillon and Grand Strike' pocket watch made by Breguet of Switzerland which was unveiled in Bangalore on Thursday. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Bangalore: Precious time. Literally. A pocket watch estimated at Rs. 3.6 crore became the cynosure of all eyes at the Taj West End where it was displayed, to mark the launch of "more than luxury brand of watch" — Breguet here. The 1907 pocket watch called, "Tourbillon and Grand Strike", with 43 jewels in the movement and about 400 grams of gold, is a work of exquisite workmanship.

Launching through the Ethos boutique, the Swiss manufacturer of exclusively mechanical "timepieces", Breguet intends to capture the imagination of the high-end discerning customer, which the company believes exist in Bangalore. Breguet watches in India will range from Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh.Introducing the brand, Vice-President (Worldwide Sales) Rodolphe Schulthess said the Classique 1907 pocket watch had three orders, but not from India. The "masterpiece" took four years to develop and one year to finish and is the "top of the pyramid" in workmanship.

The yellow-gold case is made of two secret covers, one hiding the beauty of the face, and the other, the movement assembly. The manual operation is said to be extremely complex by the curve of the covers and only one craftsman today knows how to execute this masterpiece.

The face reveals the mechanical complexity of the tourbillon at 4.30, which unlike conventional tourbillons, is held by a single arm. Breguet manufactures even more expensive "timepieces". Each Breguet watch is handmade and is a masterpiece in its own right. The Classique 1907 will go back to the Breguet headquarters in Switzerland.

Breguet has been credited as the first to come up with a wristwatch made exclusively for the Queen of Naples in 1810.

Incidentally, the "Queen of Naples" or called Reine De Naples watch is the most sold in India since its launch here seven months ago.

The watch is priced Rs. 9 lakh. The case is in 18 K yellow gold and the dial is 18 silvered gold, hand engraved on a rose engine, paved with 67 diamonds weighing approximately 0.168 carats. The bracelet set has 540 diamonds, weighing approximately 2.86 carats.