Jonathan Purnell cannot give the exact number of tourbillons in his watch collection but there will almost certainly be more of them, from his very own as well as other brands in the near future.
Brand ambassador Carlo Ancelotti with co-founder Jonathan Purnell.
In 2006, he cofounded a tourbillon-only atelier named after his grandfather, Cecil Purnell, a connoisseur who had a refined taste for classic timepieces.
The Geneva-based brand refers to itself as a micro-manufacture who controls all key stages of development, from conception and design to assembly and calibration while ensuring a high level of craftsmanship in making only 60 timepieces a year.
“We specialise in tourbillons that are recognised by aficionados as the holy grail of watchmaking, and by adding complications to this, we bring to collectors an offer of bespoke watches,” said the brand founder, whose fascination for timepieces began at the tender age of eight, when he was already dismantling and reconstructing them.
Last year, reaching out to Asian collectors, the Swiss brand opened a boutique in Kuala Lumpur, at the high-end Starhill Gallery shopping mall.
Latest models include V-16 GMT Double Tourbillon and the sporty Pit Lane CA V-12 in collaboration with football icon, Carlo Ancelotti.
The tourbillon was developed in the late 18th century by Abraham-Louis Breguet, watchmaker to the French monarchy. It was created to counteract the effects of gravity on the balance and escapement mechanisms by placing them in a freely-rotating cage.
Cecil Purnell’s technical prowess for ensuring greater precision is shown in the twin tourbillons linked by a differential gear system.
Housed in a 44mm rose gold case, the V-16 GMT Double Tourbillon has a sapphire-chromium dial with a raised Roman numeral index. The upper part of the round dial displays the GMT function, with the hours shown on a separate axis for easy reading of home and local time. Its open face reveals the mechanism and the delicate finishing on the bridges and main plate. The in-house movement V-16 is based on the double barrel, which ensures greater time precision and power management for a 70-hour power reserve.
“When thinking of doing the next tourbillon, we remain traditional in the execution while giving a wow factor in the design,” said Purnell. “Being an independent brand allows creativity and full freedom of expression, lesser influenced by external pressures, such as those pertaining to fads.”
Making a mark on haute horlogerie, the micro-manufacture debuted with Lacroix, whose complex 5-axis case is designed as a cross. The oversized watch has a sapphire crystal floating dial, to exude the V-11 movement’s echelons and fine finishes.
The launch of Lacroix showed that Cecil Purnell is more than a technical brand with an eye for aesthetic, which is even more significant for the Lady Lacroix, whose case has an 18 carat gold-engraved floral frame above a hand-painted enamel dial in colours such as green, red and blue.
The Pit Lane family of sport models further demonstrate the fusion of technical and design elements. With brand ambassador, Carlo Ancelotti involved in the design, the soccer-inspired Pit Lane CA V-12 has a ball-shaped tourbillon cage. The construction allows for an optimal use of the Big Date display at 11 o’clock, with the date being adjustable by a pusher on the crown.
Real Madrid’s manager discovered the brand several years ago and was impressed with its tourbillon technology and the focus on little details. As a platform to offer more tourbillons, the collaboration with Cecil Purnell will have him designing 10 limited editions each year.
Hitting a decade of watchmaking in 2016, the brand will continue its series of high-priced timepieces to cater to collectors and those fascinated by tourbillons.
“By remaining true to your course, you slowly find that there are repeat orders from old customers, who have friends and associates that become interested and tend to buy Cecil Purnell pieces too,” said Purnell.
