In the late 19th century, Abraham-Louis Breguet — Swiss-French watchmaker to European royalty and perhaps the greatest horologist of all time — began work on what would become one of his signature inventions: the tourbillon.
French for “whirlwind,” the tourbillon is a device that negates the effects of gravity on a movement’s balance, which can cause positional errors and thus distort accuracy. (Pocket watches were largely kept suspended vertically in a waistcoat pocket, an orientation in which gravity can wreak particular havoc.) To negate these effects, Breguet placed the balance wheel, balance spring and escapement in a rotating cage — as this revolves, the watch’s regulating organ moves through different orientations, thus (at least theoretically) improving accuracy.
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Perfect if you have the inclination to own something specialThe arrival of the wristwatch, however, largely obviated the need for such a device: When a watch is worn on the wrist, it necessarily moves through different orientations throughout the course of the day, as a person is constantly moving his or her arm (and the watch). Still, the great watchmakers continued to include the tourbillon — considered a complication — in their most high-end pieces as a demonstration of savoir-faire, or know-how. Difficult and complex to design and build, the tourbillon causes a watch’s sticker price to skyrocket, and though technologies have aided in the complication’s proliferation, tourbillon-equipped wristwatches still often cost tens of thousands of dollars at a minimum.
Once one has suspended his or her disbelief regarding the role of mechanical timepieces more broadly within the context of the 21st century, this person is free to accept the tourbillon for what it is: A wholly unnecessary — but undeniably cool — signifier of prowess (on the part of the watchmaker) and wealth (on the part of the wearer). If that’s not your particular brand of vodka, then fear not: There are plenty of watches that simply tell the time, and do so in an unobtrusive, unfussy manner. But for someone who has both the means and the interest to mix a bit of 18th-century tech with their 21st-century tech — and is willing to pay handsomely for it — the tourbillon is a logical collecting evolution.
The Best Tourbillon Watches
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon 5-Day Power Reserve
Previously only available in white ceramic or carbon, Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon 5-Day Power Reserve now comes in red, black, yellow or sky blue, each of which is limited to just 20 pieces. Based upon a 42mm cushion-shaped case paired to a sporty, interchangeable rubber strap, it features a skeletonized, hand-wound movement offering a whopping five days of power reserve. The dial — with an off-center hour and minute display at 3 o’clock, a one-minute tourbillon at 6 o’clock and a power reserve indicator at 8 o’clock — allows a clear view all the way to the back of the watch case, which is likewise fitted with a sapphire crystal.
Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Hublot cal. HUB6020 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 30m
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport
Not only does this tourbillon-equipped TAG Heuer Carrera boast a chronograph function, but it’s also water resistant to 100m — and it’s made of Grade 2 titanium with a forged carbon bezel. Meanwhile, its COSC-certified automatic movement boasts a 65-hour power reserve, making it an ideal piece for daily wear. Featuring a skeletonized dial design with 30-minute and 12-hour registers, it gives over plenty of dial real estate above 6 o’clock to a one-minute tourbillon, while its outer black forged tachymeter bezel recalls the Carrera collection’s sporty automotive origin story. Paired to a black rubber strap with a black DLC titanium push-button clasp, it’s also among the most “affordable” tourbillon models on this list.
Diameter: 44mm
Movement: TAG Heuer cal. TH20-09 COSC automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
H. Moser Streamliner Tourbillon Pierre Gasly
Not only does this tourbillon-equipped TAG Heuer Carrera boast a chronograph function, but it’s also water resistant to 100m — and it’s made of Grade 2 titanium with a forged carbon bezel. Meanwhile, its COSC-certified automatic movement boasts a 65-hour power reserve, making it an ideal piece for daily wear. Featuring a skeletonized dial design with 30-minute and 12-hour registers, it gives over plenty of dial real estate above 6 o’clock to a one-minute tourbillon, while its outer black forged tachymeter bezel recalls the Carrera collection’s sporty automotive origin story. Paired to a black rubber strap with a black DLC titanium push-button clasp, it’s also among the most “affordable” tourbillon models on this list.
Diameter: 44mm
Movement: TAG Heuer cal. TH20-09 COSC automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grand Tradition Calibre 948
This remarkably complicated watch combines a world timer with a flying tourbillon and a stunningly detailed dial depicting the globe in champlevé enamel. Beneath this skeletonized map, a lacquered disc showing the oceans in an undulating guilloché pattern is flanked by an outer blue opaline city disc ring, outside of which is situated a fixed 24-hour ring. As the day progresses, the tourbillon actually revolves around the dial, indicating the time in each city. Powered by the Jaeger-LeCoultre cal. 948 automatic movement with 388 components and a 48-hour power reserve, this beautiful watch is limited to just 20 pieces.
Diameter: 43mm
Movement: Jaeger-LeCoultre cal. 948 automatic
Water Resistance: 50m
Patek Philippe Grand Complications ref. 5316-50P-001
If the price of this spectacular Patek Philippe caught you off guard, keep in mind that not only does it stem from the workshops of the world’s top watchmaker, but that it also includes no fewer than three distinct complications — a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand and, of course, a tourbillon. Beyond that, its platinum case, sapphire crystal dial with cool blue metallization effect and manually-wound Patek Philippe cal. R TO 27 PS QR hand-wound movement make it highly special even by the maison’s own high standards. (Just be sure not to jump in the pool with it — it’s only dust resistant!)
Diameter: 40.2mm
Movement: Patek Philippe cal. R TO 27 PS QR hand-wound
Water Resistance: Dust-protected
Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon
What came first: The complication, the watch or the Bugatti? Tough to say, but suffice it to say that the Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon watch is informed by both Abraham-Louis Breguet’s noble complication as well as by the car named by Bugatti for said complication: Featuring a V16 engine block automation hewed from a block of transparent sapphire, its 44mm black housing boasts a 30-second flying tourbillon, a twin power reserve indicator and retrograde hours and minutes that mimic a car’s RPM counter. A highly original and technical design, it’s priced accordingly — but don’t let that stop you from observing it from afar.
Diameter: 44mm
Movement: Jacob & Co. cal. JCAM55 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 30m
![Ulysse Nardin Blast [Free Wheel Marquetry Silicon Green]](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/UN.png?fit=1200%2C800)
Ulysse Nardin Blast [Free Wheel Marquetry Silicon Green]
For a wildly futuristic take on the tourbillon-equipped wristwatch, turn to Ulysse Nardin. An early master of silicon componentry, the Le Locle-based watchmaker crafted the dial of its Blast [Free Wheel Marquetry Silicon Green] using tiny slivers of green laser-cut monocrystalline silicon, making for a design reminiscent of a semiconductor. Its hand-wound Ulysse Nardin cal. UN-176 movement, meanwhile, powers not only a flying tourbillon, but also a constant-force escapement — both of which are visible dial-side. Housed in a 45mm brushed 18K white gold case, this unique limited edition of 10 pieces is only available in the U.S. market.
Diameter: 45mm
Movement: Ulysse Nardin cal. UN-176 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 30m
De Bethune DB28xs Kind Of Blue Tourbillon
Machined from polished blue Grade 5 titanium, the De Bethune DB28xs Kind Of Blue Tourbillon offers the firm’s signature futuristic case shape in a more wearable 39mm form factor. Its patented floating system makes for a highly comfortable wearing experience, while its remarkable dial shows off a titanium 30-second tourbillon weighing just 0.18 grams. As is typical with De Bethune’s wares, the DB28xs looks like nothing else on the market, while its hand-wound movement offers five days of power reserve via a twin-barrel design. If Mr. Spock wore a mechanical watch, this would surely be it!
Diameter: 38.7mm
Movement: De Bethune Calibre DB2009V7 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 30m
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5
The engineers at Audemars Piguet — chief among them Director of Watch Conception Giulio Papi, in whose eponymous complications workshop AP has a controlling stake — rethought the entire experience of using a chronograph when designing the new RD#5. Looking like a conventional Royal Oak “Jumbo”, it packs an enormous horological punch in the form of touch-sensitive pushers, which make using it feel more akin to interacting with a smartphone. This feature — along with an instantaneously jumping minute counter — makes for a quiet revolution, while titanium and precious bulk metallic glass (BMG) construction tell a tech-forward story.
Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Audemars Piguet cal. 8100 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 20m
Zenith DEFY Zero G Sapphire
At the heart of the Zenith DEFY Zero G Sapphire is the unique gimbal-mounted Gravity Control module, a system that ensures that its tourbillon remains in a vertical position regardless of the watch’s orientation, helping to mitigate gravity’s effect. Powered by Zenith’s hand-wound El Primero cal. 8812 movement with a 5-Hz. beat rate, it features offset lapis lazuli hour/minute and running seconds dials as well as a power reserve indicator suspended in a transparent 46mm sapphire housing. This housing ensures that the movement componentry — including the gyroscopic Gravity Control module — is fully visible from any angle, making for a mesmerizing wearing experience.
Diameter: 46mm
Movement: Zenith El Primero cal. 8812 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 30m
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton
Measuring just 4.85 mm thick, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton is a masterpiece of contemporary horology. Machined from black DLC-treated sandblasted titanium, its 40mm housing — which features a polished 18 kt rose gold crown and the collection’s signature octagonal design with a round bezel — is paired with a black DLC openworked dial that shows off the hand-wound cal. BVL 268SK’s componentry. Chief amongst these components is a flying tourbillon, while rose gold hands shine against subdued black bridges and an outer minute track with gold-toned indices. Paired to a texturized rubber strap, it’s a perfect watch for someone who desires an unobtrusive, frictionless experience.
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Bulgari cal. BVL 268SK hand-wound
Water Resistance: 30m
Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat 5367
There’s simply no mentioning the tourbillon complication without including Breguet, whose founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, invented the device at the beginning of the 19th century. The Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat 5367 is the most classical expression of the complication on this list: Housed in a 41mm platinum case measuring just 7.5mm thick, it features a handsome, deep-blue grand feu enamel dial with a set of applied Breguet indices, a matching Breguet handset, and tourbillon at 5 o’clock whose offset placement opposes that of the time-telling dial, which pulls toward 11 o’clock. Simple and beautiful, the ref. 5367 makes for an excellent, under-the-radar dress watch for those in the know.
Diameter: 41mm
Movement: Breguet cal. 581 automatic
Water Resistance: 30m
Tourbillion Watches FAQ
What is a tourbillon?
French for “whirlwind,” a tourbillon is a device that negates the negative effects of gravity upon a mechanical watch movement, which can distort accuracy.
Who invented the tourbillon?
The tourbillon is generally credited to Swiss-French master watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, though British watchmaker (and Breguet’s friend) John Arnold is also credited with having worked on the same concept shortly before his death.
How does a tourbillon work?
A tourbillon places the movement’s balance wheel, balance spring and escapement in a rotating cage. The movement of this cage through different orientations helps to mitigate positional errors caused by gravity.
Is a tourbillon really necessary in a wristwatch?
The tourbillon was specifically designed for the pocket watch, which is often suspended vertically in a waistcoat pocket. There is significant debate as to whether it has a meaningful effect within the context of a modern wristwatch, but manufacturers continue to include it as a demonstration of savoir-faire or know-how.
Why are tourbillon watches so expensive?
Designing and creating a tourbillon is a laborious and expensive process — modern versions also often incorporate advanced materials. Thus, tourbillons are often only included in high-end, dressy models and mixed with other complications, resulting in high prices.
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