DieBruderschaft.com

For 2013 Perrelet will be adding a chronograph version of the Turbine to the popular watch collection. Originally released several years ago as a sort of test sport watch, the Turbine became quite popular and has since spawned a lot of versions, including the original 43mm wide size and later a Turbine XL 50mm wide size (see a full review here). Given the design of the dial and the moving “turbine” that spins with the motion of your wrist, it didn’t seem possible that Perrelet could offer additional complications.

So I think it is pretty cool that they managed to incorporate a central chronograph to the Turbine. The issue of course is that on a watch like this you can’t have subdials (as they would look silly being blocked by the turbine), so Perrelet developed a special central chronograph that measures 60 minutes. The dial’s central seconds hand is for the chronograph, and there is no dedicated seconds hand for the time. Minutes are counted on a moving sapphire crystal disc. Minutes are measured by looking at the red “MIN” arrow on the left of the dial. Not that the watch needed it, but there is also a tachymeter scale on the bezel. I also like that there is a date indicator window peeking through the blades at 6 o’clock.
The Perrelet Turbine Chrono watches will be 47mm wide, putting them between the original Turbine and the Turbine XL in terms of size. At launch there will be five versions of the Turbine Chrono, including three models in steel with various amounts of DLC black coating (even an all-black phantom model), a two DLC black steel and rose gold models. The turbines on the dial are said to be in titanium, same for one version in rose gold.

Inside the Perrelet Turbine Chrono watch is a Perrelet P-361 double rotor automatic chronograph movement made by Soprod. We look forward to seeing these watches hands on at Baselworld and think that they should help liven the Turbine collection once again
Perrelet takes its name from the Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet who invented the first version of the automatic self-winding movement in 1777.

More recently, the Bienne-based manufacture introduced and patented the Double Rotor, where the traditional rotor is accompanied by another rotor that is permanently visible in the dial centre.

Finally, in 2009, Perrelet introduced the Turbine, where the upper rotor is replaced by a large 12-blade wheel freely rotating around the entire dial in time with wrist movements and offering fascinating optical effects.

The latest addition to Perrelet’s Turbine collection is a chronograph version – the Turbine Chrono – which adds the new function while respecting the aesthetic codes of the collection.The chronograph measurements are provided by a central seconds chronograph hand and an innovative 60-minute counter. The former runs over a large inner bezel surrounding the dial, while the latter is composed of two juxtaposed sapphire crystal elements. A graduated mobile disk turns in the centre of a fixed ring marked with a red arrow bearing the inscription “min” (for “minutes”) and pointing to the recorded times.Thanks to the transparency of the chronograph counter, the signature rotor of the Turbine watches remains perfectly visible. The date is displayed in the aperture at 6 o’clock. The Turbine Chrono reference A174/2 has a 47 mm stainless steel case with a DLC-coated bezel ring. The turbine is made of titanium.