The DC1 Platinum Art of the Tourbillon is firmly a watch that recount a life’s obsession. David Candaux, the independent watchmaker from Solliat in the Vallée de Joux, launched his DC1 First Eight in steel back in 2017. Now, nine years on, he ventures into platinum for the first time, producing just eight examples. The architecture stays intact. The ambition scales up.
A Dial Built in Layers
Forget flat dials. The DC1 Platine stacks roughly a dozen distinct components on top of one another, creating genuine topographical depth beneath the asymmetrical sapphire crystal.
The centrepiece is a mirror-polished black onyx plate, just two-tenths of a millimetre thick. That thinness is radical. The stone proves so fragile that Candaux‘s team uses five blanks to finish one plate, as micro-vibrations from machining and the slightest pressure variation destroy the rest. The result, however, is an intense, almost supernatural black that concentrates the eye directly on what matters most: the rotating tourbillon cage.
At 3 o’clock, a domed micro-dial in faceted white opal handles hours and minutes. The opal shifts character with the light, translucent and deep indoors, luminous and vibrant outside. The 18-karat rose gold flanges frame both this sub-dial and the tourbillon aperture at 9 o’clock, then hand-bevelled chamfers and polished surfaces bind the whole composition together. The bear logo sits in applied rose gold, and the power reserve window at 12 o’clock uses a black lacquered and zapon indicator.
The H74 Calibre and Its Finishes
The H74 is entirely in-house, born in Solliat. Candaux builds bridges and mainplate from Grade 5 titanium, chosen for its corrosion resistance, anti-magnetic behaviour, thermal stability, and low weight. He remains the only watchmaker to apply this approach across his full movement range.
The wheel train uses beryllium copper wheels paired with stainless steel axles, pinions, and screws. Every surface receives hand finishing: 18 mirror-polished recessed domed angles, drawn lines, circular graining under the bridges, and the exclusive Côtes du Solliat pattern running along the bridges as a direct tribute to the village. The movement tilts 3 degrees relative to the case, and the cascading bridge architecture creates the illusion of a movement tumbling through depth when viewed through the large sapphire case back.
The flying tourbillon itself inclines at 30 degrees. Candaux openly acknowledges that a standard tourbillon offers no chronometric benefit on the wrist. So he tilted the cage onto an oblique plane, forcing it to sweep through positions that include flat orientations within every 60-second revolution. The result delivers averaged positions in less time, improving precision both during wear and at rest. The cage comprises 27 components, weighs just 0.35 grams, and uses black anodized titanium achieved through micro-arc oxidation, a plasma discharge process that converts the surface into a dense ceramic layer integrated into the metal itself. No coating, no PVD, no DLC. The movement runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour, carries 47 jewels on half-pavé settings in solid gold mounts, stores 55 hours of power in two coaxial barrels coupled in series, and counts 287 components total.
The Platinum Case
The DC1 measures 43 mm in diameter, stands 12.90 mm thick including the crystal, and the case carries an asymmetrical profile: asymmetrical on the 6-to-12-o’clock axis, symmetrical on the 3-to-9 axis. Working platinum demands a different discipline to titanium. The metal grips every tool, retains the memory of each pass, and exposes the slightest imperfection. Consequently, every sharp angle of the case requires reworking before polishing to prevent the edges from sagging. The finished case combines satin, brushed, and fully hand-polished surfaces. Raised engravings on the case read “Tourbillon 30°,” “David Candaux,” and “Waterproof 30m.” Water resistance reaches 3 atm across all crown positions.
The patented “Magic Crown” at 6 o’clock, a 31-component retractable pusher tested 28,000 times, carries a natural titanium body capped in platinum, creating a visible density contrast between the two materials.
A Foundation in Eight
At CHF 248,000, on a handmade textured black rubber strap with Velcro buckle and quick-release system, backed by a 10-year warranty, the DC1 Platine Art of the Tourbillon presents something rare: a first creation revisited at its absolute peak. Candaux puts platinum on the piece that started everything, and the name says it plainly. Art of the Tourbillon. Emotion first, precision as a consequence.
