Luxury Bazaar is the ultimate portal for luxurious, high-end watches and jewelry. We specialize in some of the finest brands on the watch market, and we pride ourselves in our ability to deliver fine and rare time-pieces that others cannot. Another thing we pride ourselves on at Luxury Bazaar is the functionality of the watches we have to offer. Many of our watches feature mechanics which demonstrate high-end watch making’s virtuosity, and two of these features are tourbillions and minute repeaters. The tourbillon was invented by Abraham Louis Breguet, the founder of French luxury watch manufacturer Breguet. When he invented the tourbillon, Breguet essentially housed a clock within a clock.
Tourbillon is French for “whirlwind”. The mechanism took this name because it literally spins on itself. A tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the time piece’s escapement and balance wheel in a rotating cage, which counteracts the effect of gravity when the timepiece (therefore the escapement) is stuck in a certain position. In modern implementations, tourbillons are generally seen through a window in the watch face. In addition to enhancing the appearance of the piece, the tourbillon can act as a second hand for some watches.
Minute repeater is a feature of some mechanical watches that chimes the minutes at the press of a button. What is so special about the minute repeater is that it chimes the time down to the exact minute, and uses separate tones for hours, quarter hours, and minutes. This feature originated before widespread artificial illumination in watches, to allow the time to be determined in the dark. Minute repeaters were also utilized by the visually impaired. Now, similar to tourbillons they are prized as expensive novelties by watch and clock enthusiasts.
Genghis Khan watch in white gold with black onyx
One especially interesting time piece we have to offer with a tourbillion which can be seen through a window in the watch’s face, and a minute repeater is the Genghis Khan Tourbillon Minute Repeater. This exquisite time piece was created by well known watch manufacturer Ulysse Nardin. The Genghis Khan will be produced over the next 6-8 years in a limited edition of 30 pieces, each in 18K white and rose gold.
Genghis Khan watch in rose gold
The Ulysse Nardin Genghis Khan is extremely special because it is the world’s first wristwatch featuring a Westminster chime with minute repeater, automatons and tourbillon. This piece boasts a one minute tourbillon which is integrated into the black onyx watch dial, and the Westminster has four gongs, each with a different tone (Mi-Do-Re-Sol). When the repeater is active, the hour sound is Sol and the minute sound is Mi. All four gongs sound in three different sequences for the quarters of an hour. This piece also has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and a water resistance to 100 feet/30 meters.
It becomes immediately apparent that these are not the time piece’s only distinctive features when one sees the piece’s outward beauty. Depicted on the Genghis Khan’s black onyx dial are gorgeous hand-carved 18K rose gold figures. What is even more unique, and becomes apparent later is that the hand-carved jacquemarts (automations of art depicting figures carved in metal) move in sync with the sound of gongs when the Westminster chimes or the repeater is engaged.
Genghis Khan watch in white gold
The Genghis Khan features four figures, which are Mongolian warriors. When the figures move, two of them “fight” with their characteristically curved swords, another figure attempts to catch a small ring with a spear while riding an impressively crafted horse and the last figure appears to be playing a musical instrument.
The watch depicts Mongolians because it was named after Genghis Khan, the founder of the largest empire in mankind’s history; the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Empire existed during the 13th and 14th centuries. It began in central Asia, and eventually spanned from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan, covering large parts of Siberia, and extending into Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East. It covered roughly an impressive 16% of the Earth’s total land area.
Make sure to browse Luxury Bazaar’s Ulysse Nardin Genghis Khan Collection.
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