Century has made its first real mark with the release of the “vaccum” watch by founder of the brand H. U. Klingenberg in 1959. This watch was based on the principle of creating a vacuum to ensure that the watch was totally sealed against water air and dust. Century’s main claim to fame lies with their ingeniously crafted watches with the patented Century sapphire case. Century uses two main techniques when creating sapphire cases; the first is called the monolith, this uses a solid block of sapphire. The second is called the megalith, and this binds two sapphire crystals together creating the case.
This year, the brand has launched the Elegance Tourbillon, which stands alone as the first Century watch to feature a brand complication movement fitted with a tourbillon. This model carries a sapphire case which has been hand cut by Century’s master jewelers. The sapphire case features a total of 48 facets. The case back is sculpted from 950 platinum which has been Rhodiumed to a lustrous finish. The case measures 44mm in diameter (excluding the main crown). The main crown is textured allow for the easy winding of this ode to fine watchmaking.
The movement can be seen from the front of the watch revealing a main plate made from sandblasted ruthenium. The tourbillon can be seen at the 9 o’clock position as it rotates once per minute about its golden carriage. The brand’s logo occupies the 3 position displayed in gold lettering. Large white Arabic numerals and indexes mark the hours while the luminous rhodium colored diamond shaped hands indicate accuracy of this timepiece.
This watch is certified a chronometer by the Swiss arbitrary watchmaking board known as the COSC. All watches given the coveted title of chronometers are tested for 14 days, 15 nights at five positions for resistance to temperature variations, shock resistance, and water resistance all while maintaining an accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day. This manual mechanical movement carries an amazing power reserve of 120 hours.
The Elegance Tourbillon Esquire has a water resistance of 100 meters making it wearable for any occasion. The strap used is a black alligator which is outfitted with an ardillon buckle.
TAGS: Century, COSC, Haute Horlogerie, Leather, Manual Watches, Mechanical Watches, Men's Watches, Platinum, Power Reserve, Sapphire Case, Sapphire Crystal, Swiss Made, Tourbillon, Water Resistant