Omega on Wednesday introduced the De Ville Tourbillon Numbered Edition, the luxury watch brand’s first timepiece with a Master Chronometer certified manual-winding central tourbillon.
Master Chronometer certification is a testing regimen for chronometers exclusive to Omega that was introduced in 2015. It goes beyond the CSOC chronometer certification that is standard in the Swiss watch industry. In fact, a watch first has to receive CSOC certification before being tested as a Master Chronometer. A watch must go through eight tests in 10 days to ensure superior precision and magnetic resistance before being certified as a Master Chronometer. The tests are overseen by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS), which has a lab at Omega’s headquarters in Biel/Bienne.
The tourbillon cage for this new timepiece is able to keep rotating under a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss, which is far more antimagnetic protection than you will likely ever encounter. Omega watchmakers set the tourbillon’s speed to one revolution per minute allowing the display of seconds, which is essential for achieving METAS certification. Omega in a statement described the two innovations as “extraordinary feats in tourbillon creation.”
The tourbillon is the focal point of the watch technically and literally as it sits in the center of the sun-brushed dial in PVD-treated 18k Sedna gold, which produces a darkened finish. Sedna gold is a rose gold alloy exclusive to Omega. The tourbillon cage is finished with hand polished bevels in black “ceramized titanium” — titanium with a ceramic coating.
The 43mm case, buckle logo and crown logo are made of 18k Canopus gold – a white gold alloy exclusive to Omega that delivers “high brilliance, whiteness and longevity,” according to the luxury watch brand. The lugs, bezel and caseback of the watch are made of 18k Sedna gold in its natural rose color.
The watch is powered by the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Caliber 2640 with a 3-day power reserve. The power reserve indicator is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback. The bridges and mainplate are made of 18k Sedna gold with hand-beveled edges. A black leather strap completes the watch.
Each De Ville Tourbillon Numbered Edition was handcrafted by expert watchmakers at Omega’s Atelier Tourbillon, taking about a month to complete.
The De Ville Tourbillon Numbered Edition is now available. It retails for $168,000, not including taxes, and can be purchased on the Omega website and at Omega boutiques. It comes with a 5-year warranty and is delivered in a distinct box with a travel pouch, watch crown winder and a certificate that lists the specific number of each timepiece.
Omega has a reputation for advancements in tourbillon craftsmanship. The luxury watch brand was the first to create a tourbillon caliber for a wristwatch in 1947. In 1994, OMEGA introduced the first automatic watch with the tourbillon carriage positioned in the middle of the dial. Ten years later Omega produced the first tourbillon watch that was chronometer certified. This latest watch builds on that reputation.
