Concord C1 QuantumGravity Tourbillon Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed)
Mar 23rd 2009 at 12:01PM

As long as I can remember I've loved watching science fiction movies. Hollywood has an impeccable way of creating realistic looking models that give the visual impression of doing more than they actually do. Consider your 'average' movie version of the sci-fi space ship, computer laboratory, or mechanical man – and you'll know what I mean. This concept has been adopted by some of today's luxury watch makers.

Which brings me to the this new Concord C1 QuantumGravity Tourbillon watch, a device which does something simple in the most complex appearing of manners. You'd think a mad scientist (or moderately eccentric one at the least) has invested a lot into creating and wearing this 'new kind of watch' watch - when it is in the end just a watch - that tells the time and has a power reserve indicator. The point of the watch is to be a novelty, and in that I would consider it a resounding success. The large 48.5mm wide titanium case is a massive 22mm deep, which is needed for the rich panoramic display of colors and complexities. The overall wrist footprint of This Concord watch is over 57mm, but it is still wearable thanks to the flexibility of the rubber strap. The best way of understanding the QuantumGravity watch (which is not quantum in weight because it is mostly titanium and aluminum) is by looking at the two major areas of interest aside from the case itself.

Gallery: Concord C1 QuantumGravity Tourbillon Watch

The first thing you may notice is the column filled with green liquid. This is the three day power reserve indicator. In lieu of a traditional power reserve indicator for this manually wound Concord C104 movement, you have a pressure system that fills and empties the cylinder with the photo-luminescent green liquid as it raises and elevates based on the power left in the mainspring. The concept is pretty cool, and alludes to the watch being powered by the ectoplasmic goo. Then again, it is just for show, very Hollywood-esque, and likely subject you to increased attention from airport security should they notice it.

There is also the matter of the "QuantumGravity" tourbillon, which is attached on a bridge with suspension cables. The tourbillon itself is viewable fully on the dial of the watch in its bi-axial glory. This means that it spins both horizontally and vertically (in this specific watch as multi axis tourbillons can be different). The concept, in theory, is to increase the accuracy of the watch, but in reality it just looks cool without adding an appreciable improvement on the movement rate. Thus you have more Hollywood magic (via Switzerland) at work. I do appreciate the use of five separate sapphire crystals all over the case to give it a lot of viewing windows to help you appreciate all the novel complications, which I would image looks quite impressive sitting on your wrist.

The case itself is going to be a big draw for the watch. Concord has been priding itself on the minor details and time it has taken to get everything just right on for this timepiece. For example the seconds indicator is placed vertically on the side of the watch – again just to look cool (which it does). The crown of the watch is likely to be the bulge at 2 o'clock, which may fold out for adjusting and winding the movement. One thing done well is the relatively straight forward portrayal of time on the watch face itself. I criticized previous Concord C1 watch models for obfuscating this simple task. The entire watch itself is built of 511 parts, making the time involved in making the components and assembling the watch coordinate with what is inevitably going to be an extremely high price (I imagine $350,000 plus).

What you get for all this in a Concord C1 QuantumGravity Tourbillon watch is a diorama of Hollywood-worthy theatrics in the visual rich movement that incorporates each function of this watch. For the right people this ultra techno luxury is worth it, and I am happy to see watch companies like Concord able to dedicate so much time to limited production novelties such as this in times like these.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: c1, Concord, quantumgravity, timepiece, tourbillon, watch