WRETCHED EXCESS
1.6 million ways to thank Dad
June 14, 2008
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Gale Beeby
TORONTO STAR
If you are looking for a Father's Day gift, may we suggest an alternative to the Timex you were thinking about buying Pops. Vacheron Constantin's double-faced Tour de l'Île limited-edition timepiece would certainly tell Dad how much you care.
And how much would this show of caring cost? Just $1.6 million – if you can find one.
It may not be the most expensive watch in the world, but the Tour de l'Île is the tour de force of the watch world, with 834 components that make up a combination of 16 "complications and astronomical dials," including an hour, quarter and minute repeater, a tourbillon device (to eliminate timekeeping errors), moon phases and age of the moon, perpetual calendar, equation of time, sunrise and sunset times and a representation of the night sky.
Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watchmakers in the world – in continuous activity since it was founded in 1755 – celebrated its 250th anniversary by creating seven of the Tour de l'Île watches. Its designers, engineers, constructors and watchmakers in Geneva needed more than 10,000 hours of research and development to come up with this limited edition.
The case of the watch, along with the clasp and bezel, are made of rose gold; the two dials are silvered gold; and the crystal is sapphire and glare-proof.
If this isn't enough to persuade you to book your next flight to Geneva, maybe you'd better stick with the Timex.
Go to the watchmaker's site to see more extraordinary masterpieces.
Toronto Star