Claude Meylan Tortue Lady Watch Review
Recently, Angus Davies fell under the spell of the Claude Meylan Tortue Lady, an overtly feminine watch that expresses time with refreshing candour. The model, crafted in the watchmaking enclave of the Vallée de Joux, is housed in a tortoise-shaped case and endowed with a micro-rotor. In the opinion of the Lancastrian father of two, this watch proffers warmth and cheer in a world that sometimes feels cold and hostile.
Claude Meylan watch
Even on the brightest days, some people can see only clouds. These poor souls can spend an inordinate amount of time lying on a Freud-inspired chaise lounge, while a psychiatrist verbally probes the deepest recesses of their mind. Childhood memories are revisited and past traumas are explored and yet, despite vast amounts of research, the medical profession still doesn’t have all the answers.
In contrast to such melancholic thoughts, the Claude Meylan Tortue Lady brims with joy. Its thoughts are clear to see with wheels freely shown and a micro-rotor dancing centre-stage, harvesting energy from the motion of the wearer’s wrist. The Tortue Lady has a refreshing simplicity with few hidden secrets; its story deserves your attention. Allow me to elaborate.
Vallée de Joux
Claude Meylan is based in L’Abbaye in the Vallée de Joux, a region of Switzerland synonymous with watchmaking. Close to the border with France, this altitudinous area experiences some of the harshest wintry conditions. In former times, farmers would shelter in their snow-clad homes, so-called ‘watchmaking farms’, and work on watch movements.
When the landscape eventually thawed, traders would collect these movements and take them to cities such as Geneva where they would be sold to établisseurs. In turn, these movements would be united with a case and dial to form a complete watch.
Local specialities include complicated, ultra-thin and openworked calibres.
Claude Meylan depuis 1748
Founded in 1748 by Samuel-Olivier Meylan, the Maison is steeped in watchmaking tradition. Indeed, should you travel to the area and visit one of several Manufactures, you may well meet a member of the Meylan clan. Other prominent watchmaking families include: Audemars, Golay, LeCoultre, Piguet and Rochat. The remoteness of this area means the genealogies of these families are often entwined.
Samuel-Olivier Meylan trained in Rolle and Moudon. He is widely known for crafting exquisite pocket watches. Today, the modern-day company, Claude Meylan, is known for its penchant for ‘undressing’ and decorating each element of a movement. Indeed, it often leaves components on view for the delectation of the wearer.
Claude Meylan Tortue Lady – a watch that reveals its inner thoughts
The hours and minutes are shown off-centre, in the upper reaches of the dial, indicated with truncated Dauphine-style hands. A svelte seconds hand completes the inventory of functions; short, sweet and refreshingly free of ambiguity. The Swiss marque offers various references, some with Arabic numerals and others featuring Roman numerals. As I discuss later, Claude Meylan appears very adept at offering choice.
While all indications are highly legible, they share the stage with a mechanical extravaganza par excellence. Using components from an ETA 2671, Claude Meylan has reimagined the arrangement of parts, created its own bridges and configured everything to deliver an animated display.
The inverted balance can be seen front of house, just to the left of the dial. The balance wheel can be seen twirling back and forth while the hairspring pulses with life. An openworked cock secures the escapement in position and grants glorious views of the escape wheel in conversation with the pallet lever.
Beneath the dial, a silver-hued bridge holds a micro-rotor. Claude Meylan belongs to a small group of companies that have successfully mastered these diminutive oscillating weights. Unusually, the brand from L’Abbaye has positioned the rotor to the front, transforming a functional component into an aesthetic element as well.
Turning the watch over reveals numerous wheels, openworked bridges, jewels and gleaming screws, all visible via an expansive pane of sapphire crystal. This micromechanical vista proves a fascinating place to explore.
Claude Meylan Tortue Lady – a form watch
With the advent of wristwatches, designers began to look beyond mere round cases. Rectangular, lozenge, cushion, tonneau are just a few of the many styles that have seduced horophiles over the years. The Art Deco period (1919-1939) saw the watch industry at its most creative, embracing an array of forms, most likely testing the capabilities of casemakers at the time.
During this era, the likes of Audemars Piguet, also located in the Vallée de Joux, produced chiming watches housed in ‘coussin cubiste’ (cushion cubist) and ‘coussin tortue’ (cushion tortoise) cases. With the Tortue Lady, Claude Meylan once again embraces this sinuously contoured ‘tortoise’ housing.
The bezel unites straight lines and arcing facets and rests upon a highly polished case middle. The flanks of the case middle echo the sides of the bezel, imbuing the housing with a gentle, almost organic character.
Claude Meylan offers the Tortue Lady in a choice of stainless steel or steel with ‘rose PVD-coating’. Personally, I prefer the silver hues of bare steel, but I always applaud those brands that offer choice. Beyond the hue of the housing, the Maison offers an array of dial variants executed in different colours and endowed with a variety of patterns. The sun-themed, guilloché-style motif is particularly attractive.
Claude Meylan Tortue Lady – closing remarks
Standing almost 2 metres tall, a heterosexual who’s been married to the same girl for 32 years, it may seem strange that I’ve opted to embrace my hidden diva. However, as an avowed horophile, I can see much merit in this creation from L’Abbaye, justifying my reasons for tapping my computer keyboard. The dial of the Tortue Lady may be small but it proves simple to read and, courtesy of its micro-rotor, the watch offers convenience without resorting to a soulless battery.
Ultimately, it’s the glorious views of the keyless works, gear train, motion works and escapement that steal the show. These parts disclose what they are thinking, openly and without inhibitions. Indeed, with the Tortue Lady, no psychiatric appraisal is needed, everything is revealed and honesty is manifest. Quite simply, this watch proffers warmth and cheer in a world that sometimes feels cold and hostile.
Further reading
Technical specification
- Model: Claude Meylan Tortue Lady
- Case: stainless steel, dimensions 31 x 31 mm, thickness 11 mm, water resistance 3 ATM (30 metres), sapphire crystal to front, exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
- Movement: Calibre 7.75CM17, self-winding movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 25 jewels, power reserve 38 hours.
- Prices: from CHF 4,500 to CHF 5,600 depending on specification (RRP as of 12.11.2024)