Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire Watch Review
The Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire is an interesting iteration of the vertical tourbillon, first unveiled in 2018. In this instance, the Swiss marque has chosen to release a new reference encased in sapphire crystal. As Angus Davies reveals, the making of a sapphire crystal case is technically challenging and incredibly time-consuming, however, based on its track record to date, Cyrus has never shied away from a challenge or two.
Cyrus Watch
Some individuals seek the easiest options in life. It’s a mindset where the status quo is observed without thought, where risks are avoided, innovation is shunned and little progress is made. This mindset is alien to the team working at Cyrus in Le Locle. They are naturally inquisitive and have an appetite for innovation. Indeed, there is a positive culture of questioning accepted watchmaking norms in the pursuit of advancement. It is a philosophy that has served the company well over the last 13 years.
Cyrus depuis 2010
Since it was founded, Cyrus has made some wonderfully unconventional watches. A good example is the Klepcys Alarm which is very different from a regular alarm watch. While this genre of watch usually emits a harsh shrill-like noise, the Klepcys Alarm produces a sonorous chime. The Swiss marque has achieved this feat by equipping its timepiece with a hammer and a gong. It is an approach that shares more in common with a minute repeater than a ‘regular’ alarm watch.
A further example is the Klepcys Dice. This watch, released by the brand last year, has two independent chronograph mechanisms. This is not to be confused with a rattrapante which features two hands, one superimposed over the other, designed for measuring splits. With the Klepcys Dice, the wearer can time two events that start and finish at different times. Having worn the watch, I can attest it is a complicated chronograph, yet remarkably simple to use.
Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Tourbillon
In 2018, Cyrus released the Klepcys Vertical Tourbillon. This complication, patented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801, counters the adverse influence of gravity on the regulating organ by placing the escapement and regulating organ in a rotating cage. As the cage rotates 360° every minute, the fluctuations in rate, due to the influence of gravity, are negated.
In creating the Klepcys Vertical Tourbillon, the Maison from Le Locle, once again, ventured off-piste. It conducted studies on the use of a tourbillon and established that by positioning the Tourbillon cage at 90° to the movement’s mainplate, the regulating organ spent more time in a vertical position when worn, said by the brand to be the ideal conditions for a tourbillon.
Later, Cyrus released an openworked version of the Klepcys Vertical Tourbillon, inviting the wearer to view more of the movement within. While attending Watches & Wonders 2022, I had the opportunity to handle another vertical tourbillon, the Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire and examine it at close quarters.
As its name suggests, the case is formed of sapphire crystal, a material normally limited to just a pane of glazing covering the dial. However, when the whole of a watch is housed in sapphire crystal, the technical challenges are huge. It is for this reason, that I returned to the Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon and I now discuss the making of its 29-part case in close detail.
Making a sapphire crystal watch case
The case of the Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire is made using the ‘Kyropoulos’ method. This crystal growth technique involves taking a ‘feedstock’ and melting it in a crucible (sometimes called a furnace). In this instance, a highly pure form of aluminium oxide is used as the feedstock.
The feedstock is heated to a temperature over 2000°C and a precisely orientated ‘seed crystal’ is dipped into the ‘melt’. As the melt cools, the crystal grows in size. The seed crystal is slowly pulled upwards from the melt and rotated at the same time. The temperature gradients, rate of pulling and the rate at which the temperature decreases all influence the resultant crystal. By growing the crystal slowly, the possibility of inclusions and internal stresses are reduced. Ultimately, all of the melt is used, culminating in a ‘boule’ of the material being formed. It takes several days to grow a single sapphire crystal boule.
Once formed, the boule is shaped into a brick, a process which takes approximately 30 hours. Thereafter, a 5-axis CNC machine is used to transform the brick into a raw case, which requires a further 40 hours to complete. Finally, the raw case must then be polished, requiring another 120-150 hours.
The making of a sapphire crystal case proves exceptionally challenging due to the hardness of the material. Indeed, sapphire crystal measures 9 Mohs on the hardness scale (diamond is 10) making milling and polishing particularly time-consuming.
Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire – closing thoughts
Throughout its history, Cyrus has never shied away from technical obstacles. When it unveiled the Klepcys Vertical Tourbillon back in 2018, it demonstrated to the watch collecting community that it was willing to question accepted wisdom, creating a watch with a tourbillon positioned perpendicular to the movement’s mainplate.
Now, with the Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire, the Swiss firm has shown it’s not afraid of making watch cases in sapphire crystal, which again is a huge undertaking. However, Cyrus has surmounted the challenges presented and made a watch that has a wonderful see-through housing.
In just 13 years, Cyrus has created an impressive body of work infused with blue-sky thinking. Based on this latest reference, its prowess for imaginative thought and its passion for progress shows no signs of waning.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire
- Reference: 539.506.ZG.A
- Case: Sapphire crystal case. Titanium black DLC bezel; diameter 44 mm; height 19.9 mm; water resistance 3 ATM (30 metres); sapphire crystal to the front and sapphire caseback
- Functions: Jumping retrograde hours; sweeping retrograde minutes; seconds on tourbillon cage; power-reserve displayed with a sphere
- Movement: Calibre CYR625; hand-wound movement; frequency 21,600 vph (3 Hz); 51 jewels; power reserve of more than 100 hours
- Strap: White rubber strap with embossed prism
- Price on application
- Limited Edition: 10 pieces