Tourbillon... You've undoubtedly heard of it, and maybe you own a few watches, but why is this feature so expensive? Translated from French as "whirlwind," it's one of the oldest technical innovations, patented by Breguet in 1801 but developed a few years earlier around 1795. The concept is simple: the balance wheel and escapement are mounted inside a rotating cage to counteract gravity. If you're in the market for a Swiss tourbillon (or any other outside the Asian market), you'll have to pay a five-figure sum... until now. We encountered the affordable Horage Tourbillon 1 last year during its development, and now it's on our wrist for a full review. Let's understand how the brand managed to price these watches so affordably.
HISTORY
Horage is a relative newcomer to Swiss watchmaking. It began in 2007 when husband and wife Andreas Felsl and Cuyu Huang started discussing their future in Biel/Bienne. Horage (with a silent H) comes from two words: HORA in Latin means hour, and AGE signifies time, past, present, or future. In 2008, the first Horage watch, Omnium, entered the development stage and was presented at Baselworld 2009. It used a third-party movement, but soon the decision was made to turn Horage into a vertically integrated manufacture, and everything was put on hold.
The first automatic caliber K1 was developed over many years, and the second watch debuted in 2015. Known as "Jonas-K1," it was named after watchmaker/engineer Jonas Neidegger, who played a key role in K1's development. The movement had a modular design, and additional complications such as power reserve and big date appeared in later models. The original Omnium also featured the K1 movement. Horage quickly evolved, and now K1 is in its tenth version, while the development of the modular microrotor automatic K2 is almost complete, offering 38 possible variants. The third and perhaps most dynamic development is the tourbillon.
WHAT CHANGED IN ONE YEAR
A year since the introduction of Tourbillon 1, the situation has definitely changed. The movement was supposed to be produced by a manufacturer in La Chaux-de-Fonds with Horage's silicon escapement and other improvements, but the partnership eventually fell through. This happened after prototypes were assembled and pre-orders made, putting this small brand in a very difficult situation. Instead of throwing in the towel and offering refunds, Horage announced the start of a moonshot campaign. In the midst of the worst pandemic in a hundred years, a handful of engineers had to design and manufacture a tourbillon movement and deliver it to customers within a year. Despite the internal costs of such a spontaneous undertaking, the prices would remain unchanged. These prices are also unprecedented: they start at just under 7,000 Swiss francs for early pre-orders.
For comparison, the second most affordable tourbillon - Carrera Heuer Heuer-02T Tourbillon by TAG Heuer - was over twice as expensive in 2016 at 15,000 Swiss francs. At the time, this model was considered incredibly affordable, even controversial. How did Horage achieve such a result? Well, in their own version of Skunk Works in Biel/Bienne, the team used nearly 12 years of experience with the K series and brought it to life. I'm not sure there's no magic involved, but the titanium cage, in-house silicon escapement, COSC precision, and five-day power reserve - corners were definitely not cut. Moreover, the technical specifications surpass the original design and prototypes. Puzzled? More on this later.
HORAGE K-TOU TOURBILLON CALIBER
Let's take a closer look at the movement. This is an in-house caliber with a manual wind and a full five-day power reserve, compared to the initial version's three days. The theme here is efficiency. The brand developed a silicon escapement that is 55% more efficient than traditional Swiss counterparts. The flying tourbillon cage is also made from lightweight titanium, increasing overall efficiency. The 43-part separator weighs only 0.29 grams with a low profile of 3.9 mm. Abandoning the gear and jewel design for a more stable ball-bearing construction provides a low center of gravity and significantly improved shock resistance for everyday wear (tourbillons are notoriously fragile).
This is a time-only movement, and the 60-second tourbillon features a triangular marker serving as the seconds hand. The frequency of the 19-jewel caliber was reduced from 4 Hz to 3.5 Hz (25,200 vph) as it is now based on the K series architecture but remains within COSC specifications at -4/+6 seconds per day. Official COSC certification is also available for 300 Swiss francs. Sounds impressive? Well, that's not all. The watch is quite customizable, starting from the movement/dial mesh color (movement and mesh are integrated). We have the silver movement in hand, but there's also dark gray, gold, blue, and gray-blue. The watch is mostly skeletonized front and back and is certainly unique.
CASE AND DESIGN
Personalization is not limited to the movement color. The case is available in two metals and two finishes for four options. There's 904L stainless steel, more corrosion-resistant and preferred by Rolex, and 18k gold, polished or matte. The dimensions are 41 mm in diameter and 11.8 mm in height (47.8 mm lug-to-lug). It's slightly larger than your average dress watch but very wearable and hits that modern sweet spot. In my opinion, it's a watch for most occasions. I'd avoid sports or other intense activities, although the brand told me one customer wore it during a Half Ironman competition.
The water resistance is 100 meters, so swimming is possible. The crown has a smooth, very pleasant action, not rattling like many others. Sapphire crystals front and back with multiple anti-reflective coatings on the domed front. The Horage logo is subtly branded on the underside of the front crystal for a modern, sleek look. The lug width is 22 mm, and there are multiple strap options. Choose from eight leather straps - dark blue, green, tan, brown, white, and two blacks - and a non-leather blue Allure. All are equipped with quick-release levers and a steel folding clasp.
A DIAL LIKE NO OTHER
Although the dial is largely open-worked, it still has distinct elements that match the brand's style. There's a mesh with open "windows" exposing the mechanics or recessed squares with bead-blasted finish. This unique aesthetic is inspired by the brand's logo. Interestingly, the mesh continues on the back, and this continuity really works. In the gray and blue combination, the rear grid is blue, while the front is gray with blue under the tourbillon. It's arguably the most interesting design. All edges are angled at 30 degrees and polished, and the grid itself is hand-brushed. The flying tourbillon is positioned in a 14mm aperture at the "6 o'clock" position, and the mainspring is clearly visible slightly off-center at "12 o'clock."
The left side is adorned with a row of gears, while the right side is slightly less mechanized, but the overall design remains balanced. The sword-style hour and minute hands have luminescent inserts, as does the triangular seconds marker on the tourbillon cage. The aforementioned gray/blue dial combination brings a set of blue hands, while the rest are silver or gray. Those upgrading to the gold case receive gold hands. Around the outer perimeter is a raised minute track with square applied indices filled with lume. Flip the watch over, and you'll see a row of gears and jewels seamlessly integrated into the rear mesh. In the center, you'll find the Swiss Made engraving, and the "Hand Made" inscription is on the lower part of the front dial. Just a bit of humor from the brand (and I like it).
CONCLUSION
Why does this in-house Swiss tourbillon cost under 10,000 Swiss francs? Several factors, starting with the fact that Horage is a small, independent brand without the influence of parent companies. The team consists of experienced Swiss watchmakers who previously held senior positions at ETA, Vaucher, and Eterna, and the K1 series helped hone design and production methods. Perhaps most importantly, Horage mastered the development and production of escapements, which is rare in the industry and vital for tourbillon development. That's not all, and frankly, I can't fill in all the gaps. In my years as a watch enthusiast and industry professional, I've never seen a story like this.
The Horage Tourbillon 1 went from drawing board to finished COSC-accurate watches in eight months and was delivered to customers within a year. And all this during the worst pandemic in a hundred years. Tools had to be developed, methods invented, and I'm sure there were many sleepless nights. Complex and intricately hand-finished tourbillon calibers are works of art, so price boundaries can be blurred, but nothing suggests that the Tourbillon 1 lacks compared to counterparts over three times the price. In fact, quite the opposite. Of course, don't expect much hand-applied decoration on the movement parts or the tourbillon cage, but at this price point, it's perfectly understandable.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICE
The Horage Tourbillon 1 is open for pre-orders until August 1, 2021, when the limited edition quantity will be finalized. Deliveries have already begun for early orders and will continue until December 2021.
The current pre-order price starts at 7,490 Swiss francs (excluding taxes) with some upgrades. Options include official COSC certification, an 18k gold case, and PVD-coated movement.