What We Know
It’s been a year and a half since we last checked in on the French-born, Swiss-based watchmaker Sylvain Pinaud. Being a small independent watchmaker isn’t easy—you can’t exactly keep up with product cycles with frequent releases. But rather than doing something completely different than his Origine that won him the 2022 GPHG Watchmaking Revelation prize, Pinaud has taken design cues from that release and turned them into an upgraded watch simply called the “Tourbillon.” Featuring a similarly
Photos courtesy Sylvain Pinaud.
Pinaud provided only a few images of the watch, but it’s got a few visual updates from the Origine, even more than just the tourbillon. The bridges are, of course, beveled (as are the wheels) with sharp inner angles, and the surfaces are decorated with grenage or satin finishes, while the steel parts are black-polished, but there’s just less of each bridge in general for a nice semi-skeletonization. Available in three versions, the single titanium model has titanium bridges, while the platinum models have nickel-silver and rose-gold bridges. All the cases measure a pretty compact 39mm by 11.2mm, with a 48mm lug-to-lug and 30m water resistance.
Then there’s the movement itself. The large 9.1mm balance is actually a 30-second tourbillon featuring a variable-inertia balance and a Phillips-curve hairspring. There’s the added bonus of the zero-reset mechanism. The watch boasts a pretty impressive 100-hour power reserve while running at 3 Hz. On the dial side, the titanium version comes with a silver dial accented by a white agate center; one platinum version has nickel-silver dial plates with a black dial, an onyx center, and rose-gold hands; and the other has rose-gold dial plates with a white dial and blued-steel hands.
When you get into independent watchmaking tourbillons, you’re reaching an artisanal level of watchmaking at a high cost. The Sylvain Pinaud Tourbillon retails at CHF 180,000. Compared to Remy Cools’ tourbillon price at launch in 2024 (€159,000) and Théo Auffret’s Tourbillon à Paris, which cost $122,000 in 2019, it’s not wildly out of line; it’s just that prices keep creeping up. The watch is limited to 10 pieces of each version.
What We Think
Sylvain Pinaud has a great story. Graduated from a watchmaking school in 1998, he eventually joined the teaching staff at Ecole d’Horlogerie de Morteau in France (which has produced many great watchmakers in recent years), before going independent in 2018. Imagine the courage to go independent after 20 years, in a sea of great young watchmakers, many of them you taught yourself.
His first watch, a monopusher chronograph, was quite cool, but it took updated aesthetics from Massena LAB to win the best chronograph prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. All that to say, he’s had a great run in a short time. I like the asymmetrical layout (which reminds me a bit of certain Greubel Forsey Balancier watches). The finishing looks nice as well, though it’s hard to tell from the pictures. Hopefully, I’ll get to see it eventually to go hands-on.
The Basics
Brand: Sylvain Pinaud
Model: Tourbillon
Diameter: 39mm
Lug-to-Lug: 48mm
Thickness: 11.2mm
Case Material: Platinum or titanium
Dial Color: Nickel silver dial plates with black dial, an onyx center and rose gold hands (platinum); Rose gold dial plates with white dial with a blued steel hands (platinum); Silver dial accented by a white agate center (titanium)
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Various leather straps
The Movement
Caliber: In-house caliber
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds with zero-reset stop second
Diameter: 32.6mm
Thickness: 7.37mm
Power Reserve: 100 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 3Hz
Jewels: 29
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Weight without strap: 39g in titanium, 105g in platinum
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 180,000
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 10 pieces of each example
For more, click here.
