by Kyle Stults on April 27, 2010
65mm MEGA watch…pick yours up — in Dubai…
Master watchmaker Antoine Preziuso has a knack for creating incredible watches. Here’s his latest — a 65mm mega watch — the aptly named “Monumental Tourbillon”. With a titanium and pink gold case, Preziuso claims it is the “world’s largest wrist watch tourbillon” and I have no reason to doubt him. The price is MEGA as well — about $310,000. Only 5 will be made. #1 of 5 is probably is sitting in the new Antoine Preziuso boutique in Dubai. More on the watch — the new Dubai Boutique — and Antoine Preziuso — below.
The dial is hand-engraved pink gold. Reportedly the use of titanium metal in the case makes the watch wear-ably light, but I’d be willing to guess it is still quite hefty. Note the serial number is displayed at 12 o’clock.
And here’s the caseback. The movement is built on a pocket watch blank dating back to 1928 (made by the watchmaking school of the Vallée de Joux):
The opening in the caseback of the watch reminds me quite vividly of a famous Dubai landmark — the Dubai Burj Al Arab hotel. I’m not sure if this is a coincidence or not. Do you see the resemblance?
Preziuso created the watch to commemorate the opening of his new boutique in Dubai’s exclusive and very high-end mall, aka Wafi. In this mall he joins the likes of De Grisogono, Chopard, Hublot, JLC, Montblanc, Omega, Parmigiani, Patek Philippe, Piaget, and Rolex, among others. Hey, the man knows where the money is at!!!!
More about Antoine Preziuso. What follows are a few things that I learned about Antoine Preziuso in Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking by Michael Clerizo (a book I reviewed and recommended a couple months ago). From his two-storied building in Plan-les-Ouates Switzerland, Preziuso and his small staff produce less than 1,000 watches annually. About 10% are unique pieces conceived by Preziuso or requested by customers. While many will not recognize his name, he has collaborated on designs with (now bankrupt) German luxury-leather goods maker Goldpfeil, esteemed watch and jewelery brand Harry Winston and New-York based Tiret. Tiret is hip-hop mogul Damon Dash’s exclusive watch and jewelery company. Yes, the same Damon Dash who founded Roc-A-Fella Records along with Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.
I think it is safe to say that Preziuso’s customers have an average net worth well into the tens of millions of dollars, don’t you?
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