Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing
The Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing honours the world of motorsport with several aesthetic elements. Red and white kerb-style accents and a turbine that resembles a rotating race car wheel pay tribute to the die-hard competitors who frequently engage in wheel-to-wheel battles. As Angus Davies reveals, this high-performance watch may have a low mass courtesy of its carbon fibre elements, but it is undoubtedly a horological heavyweight.
Motorsport – the importance of weight
In the octane-rich world of motorsport, engine power, downforce, grip and weight are important considerations that directly influence on-track performance. Professional race teams expend many hours and colossal sums of money optimising each critical element of a car in the pursuit of championship points and podium glory.
In terms of most racing formulae, the cars must meet a minimum requirement, a rule all competing teams must adhere to. However, the best teams actually engineer the car to be underweight and then comply with the regulations by adding ballast. This may sound strange, but the position of the ballast can be optimised to ensure the best ‘balance’. A championship-winning race car has to be light and, for safety reasons, very strong.
Carbon fibre – beloved by champions
One of the lightweight materials that is much loved by all teams is carbon fibre. It is ultralight and very strong. It’s also very stiff, once again, a useful attribute for a race car. Unfortunately, making carbon fibre components requires specialist know-how and its creation is labour intensive, two factors which heighten cost.
However, when championship points mean millions of Euros in terms of prize money, sponsorship and other forms of revenue, the eye-watering cost of a carbon fibre wing is probably of little consequence.
Invariably, for most watch buyers, cost is a consideration. A timepiece composed of various carbon fibre parts can often prove prohibitively expensive.
Perrelet has an impressive track record of crafting contemporary timepieces, housed in cases formed of polycarbonate and carbon fibre and, most notably, offering these watches at comparatively keen prices.
Perrelet – always cutting-edge
Founded in 1777, Perrelet is unequivocally a brand with much heritage. However, from the outset, the Maison has always been innovative. Abraham-Louis Perrelet masterminded the self-winding movement, employing a semi-circular weight for energising the mainspring, a system that is in widespread use today.
When the inaugural version of the Turbine burst onto the watch scene back in 2009, it looked unlike anything that had gone before. Inspired by Abraham-Louis Perrelet’s invention of 1777, the watch was automatic, employing a conventional oscillating mass positioned to the rear. However, a rotor or ‘turbine’, whirling with extraordinary alacrity, located centre stage, bestowed a dynamic, slightly hypnotic spectacle. The turbine did not energise the mainspring as this would inhibit its rotational speed. Its purpose was to deliver a unique visual effect.
Similar to a zoopraxiscope of the 19th century that fooled the eye into thinking a static object was in motion, the turbine fitted to the Perrelet delivers an animated spectacle in a highly imaginative way. Beneath the turbine’s blades, the detail on the lower dial comes into view and eventually, the turbine seemingly disappears as the rotational velocity reaches a near-dizzying speed. The allure of the turbine has led to the model’s impressive commercial success.
This year, Perrelet has combined the turbine with cutting-edge carbon fibre and polycarbonate, releasing the Turbine Carbon Black Edition, the Turbine Rainbow and now the new Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing.
Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing – dial
The hour and minute hands are plump and lined with white Super-LumiNova, making them highly visible. The central sweep seconds hand is presented in a fiery shade of red and incorporates a distinctive openworked counterweight.
The eyes feel drawn to the outer edges of the dial where a sequence of alternating red and white hues emulate the kerbs delineating the circuit from the adjacent run-off areas.
Arabic numerals denote the even-numbered hours with white, unfussy batons positioned in between. These hour markers are mounted on plinths that project from the flange, effectively cantilevered over the turbine.
The eponymous turbine, comprising 12 blades, sits above a lower dial. With the merest suggestion of wrist movement, the turbine bursts into life and the whirling motion begins. On this model, the aluminium blades are decorated with a carbon fibre texture, sitting in concert with the neighbouring case material.
Once the arm is still, five counterweights affixed to the turbine cause it to slow down and return to its resting position.
Whereas several Perrelet Turbine models feature a lower dial enlivened with colourful detail, the sub-dial on this Turbine Carbon Racing model is dressed in a stealthy shade of matte black. The resultant appearance of the turbine and lower dial ensemble resembles a wheel rotating at speed. When it comes to the styling of the Turbine Carbon Racing, motorsport symbolism pervades the dial.
Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing – case
Measuring 44mm in diameter, the Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing has much wrist presence and is ideally suited to self-assured individuals. Indeed, while some black watches are designed to be unseen, the bold kerb-style dial flange on this model signals the wearer’s arrival.
As stated earlier, the case body is made from polycarbonate and carbon fibre. Beyond its unique appearance, the lightweight blend is robust, chemically resistant and unaffected by temperature. The flat bezel is formed of stainless steel and coated with matte black PVD.
Upholding Perrelet tradition, the caseband is fluted, bestowing a charming dose of cathartic tactility, ideal for quelling starting-grid nerves. To the rear of the watch, a pane of sapphire crystal grants sight of the automatic movement.
The watch is presented on a ‘bi-material strap’ comprising rubber and water-resistant calf leather with contrasting grey stitching. Perrelet presents the watch in a tactical box with an additional rubber strap and a special strap-change tool.
Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing – calibre P-331-MH
While I’ve talked about the importance of weight when it comes to pre-eminence on the track, power is also critical to success. The powerplant, or engine, located to the rear of the Turbine Carbon Racing, has all the necessary ingredients to redline it all the way to victory.
Produced in-house, the calibre P-331-MH is a certified chronometer issued by COSC. The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) is a not-for-profit organisation that independently evaluates the chronometric performance of watches within a laboratory setting. Only watches that pass these criteria are certified by COSC.
In order to fulfil the requirements of COSC, a movement is subjected to a battery of tests over a 15-day period. Moreover, it is tested in five different positions and at three different temperatures. Throughout the evaluation period, its precision must remain within COSC’s stipulated range of -4 and +6 seconds per day.
This automatic movement has also been independently scrutinised by Laboratoire Dubois. The testing regime simulates wear by subjecting the watch to an ageing cycle. Once again, the certification is independent and encompasses an array of tests, including shocks, wear and magnetism. The calibre P-331-MH is Chronofiable certified (last year, I wrote about this movement in much detail, should you wish to learn more about its composition).
Despite the modernity of this movement, watchmaking traditions have been respected. For example, the bridges are adorned with perlage, a motif comprising overlapping circles. The oscillating mass is openworked, rhodium plated and appointed with satin-brush and colimaçon.
The balance has a frequency of 28,800 vph (4Hz) and the movement is fitted with 25 jewels. Assuming the mainspring is fully wound, the watch has a power reserve of 42 hours.
Closing remarks
Carbon fibre is notoriously expensive, however, when it comes to watches, Perrelet has democratised the material. Indeed, with the advent of the company’s 2022 models, the Turbine Rainbow, Turbine Carbon Black Edition and now the Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing, the Maison has brought the lightweight material within reach of a far larger audience.
Front of house, the 12 turbine blades rotate above a sea of blackness. However, while the lower dial eschews the vibrant hues found on some Turbine models, it masterfully plays with perspectives, creating the illusion of a racing tyre in motion.
But such cleverness does not mar practicality. Indeed, no one could accuse Perrelet of sacrificing day-to-day wearability on the altar of style. The fulsome hour and minute hands along with the bold hour markers, articulate the time perfectly.
Likewise, the low mass of the watch is not merely intended to confer bragging rights, it also heightens wearer comfort, a practical consideration for most watch buyers.
When a race car hurtles around a race circuit, everything is maximised for performance with scant thought for longevity. Cast your mind back to many motor races over the years and recall the sight of engines blowing up and trails of oil left in their wake.
The in-house, highly precise calibre P-331-MH has not only been engineered for performance alone but also with longevity in mind. It is certified Chronofiable and has been subjected to harsh treatment within a laboratory to ensure that it will continue to perform for years to come. And while this watch honours motor racing, it will clip far more apexes and see many more chequered flags than most raucous race cars. It seems with the Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing, the Swiss marque has produced another winning performance.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Perrelet Turbine Carbon Racing
- Reference: A4065/3
- Case: case body in polycarbonate and carbon fibre, bezel in stainless steel with black matte PVD coating, diameter 44mm, height 13.82mm, water resistance 10ATM (100m), sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition case back.
- Functions: Hours, minutes; central sweep seconds
- Movement: Perrelet in-house calibre P-331-MH, self-winding movement, frequency 28,800vph (4Hz), 25 jewels, power reserve (fully wound) = 42 hours
- Strap: Water-resistant black calf leather with grey stitching and rubber lining.
- Price: €4,750 (RRP as of 5.9.2022)