Chiron Tourbillon brings Bugatti’s 16-cylinder engine to your wrist

Bugatti Automobiles, the French manufacturer of most rare sports supercars on the planet is all about millimeter perfection. Their prospect clients are a handful of rich and famous personalities who love to put their foot to the pedal and rule the roads at breakneck speeds.

With the Bugatti Chiron, the company proved that this is one of the best (if not the best) hypercar – it is currently the fastest production car on the planet topping at 304.77 mph. So what more would a Chiron owner want? Perhaps a timepiece to perfectly compliment this modern marvel of automotive engineering. 

Meet the stunning Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon

Even before one lays eyes on the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, it evokes a sense of watchmaking perfection escalated to the next level. And this tourbillon is exactly that. Developed by renowned Manhattan-based luxury watchmaker Jacob & Co in collaboration with Bugatti, the tourbillon is destined to be the rarest of rare.

Driving its design inspiration from the 1,500-horsepower hypercar, the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon has a functional replica of the 16 cylinder W16 engine crafted from sapphire crystal which sits in the lower half of the watch dial. The engine block is connected to 16 pistons which move up and down further connected to the crankshaft. In fact Jacob & Co deems it as the most complicated smallest watch part ever manufactured.

To take realism even further, the far-right pusher button activates the complication which turns the engine on and the pistons move rapidly. There are two turbochargers on the side of the movement which start spinning. Taking the form factor realism a step further, the four shock absorbers on which the watch movement and baseplate sit, provide resistance against unwanted shocks.

Designed for perfection

To complement the Chiron’s likeliness the movement of the tourbillon actuated by the 578-piece inner workings is remarkable as Jacob & Co. crafted it after nearly a year of hard work.

When fully wound the 54 x 44 mm watch has 60 hours power reserve indicated at the nine o’clock. The sapphire crystal innards are encased in black titanium shell and as apparent the front of the watch is shaped like the radiator of a Bugatti.  

Jacob & Co. will only create 250 limited edition Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon timepieces at an eye-watering price tag of $280,000. It might seem a fortune to most but someone who drives a $3 million supercar, it is just another collectible that accentuates their love for four wheels.