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There’s still terra incognita in the world of watchmaking – and that’s precisely where Bianchet Genève is positioned with its contemporary sports watch: designed for performance, at a fair price, in the genuine Swiss Made Fine Watchmaking segment. The G5000 Active Tourbillon is the fruit of these various considerations: indeed, its name alone virtually sums up its entire identity. As a “Tourbillon”, it is a Fine Watch; “Active” denotes that it is aimed at sports and performance-oriented clientele. Such users are keen to wear their watch in almost any conditions, and can do so thanks to its extremely high resistance to gravitational force (acceleration perceived as weight by a body) measured in terms of g – as in “G5000”. The specifications of the G5000 Active Tourbillon also included establishing a fair price for the piece. Right from the outset, everything has been done to control costs, in particular by designing each part with the aim of optimising both the movement and the production of its components, ensuring that they require as few production resources as possible.
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Movement: outstanding performance The G5000 Active Tourbillon is not so much a sports watch as a timepiece designed for feats of performance to match those of its owner: a robust precision piece made to instil and inspire complete confidence in its reliability. And indeed, this is the vocation of the manual wind BAT 01 movement (standing for Bianchet Active Tourbillon 01). The movement is entirely designed, produced, assembled, and adjusted in Switzerland. Its bridges are made from aluminium, which is both lightweight and resistant. Each movement is individually Chronometer certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). This outstanding reliability enables Bianchet Genève to provide a 5-year warranty as standard – over twice that of the usual market benchmark of 24 months. In addition, the BAT 01 movement sports a 105-hour power reserve – almost four and a half days – thanks to a large barrel, visible between 12 and 1 o’clock. Similarly, this duration is precisely two and a half times the generally observed average of 42 hours – enough to ensure that if necessary, the G5000 Active Tourbillon can be left undisturbed for over half a week, and be picked up again four days later, showing the right time and perfectly functional in every respect.
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Impact resistance: a timepiece that’s perfect for everyday action When worn, a watch constantly undergoes impacts of 25-500g. An impact of 500gon a watch weighing 100 grammes, for instance, is equivalent to five hundred times its weight – in other words, an impact of 50 kg. If a watch is accidentally dropped from a height of 1 metre onto a parquet floor, it undergoes a minimum force of 2000g– that’s a force of 200 kg being exercised on the piece. The G5000 Active Tourbillon is designed to withstand impacts two and a half times stronger than that – 5000g. In other words, its case and movement are built to survive impacts applying instant pressure of some 500 kg. There are perhaps just one or two other watches in the world capable of such a performance – and the G5000 Active Tourbillon is by far the most modern and the most affordable of them all. |
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The barrel shape: a self-evident choice for the case A number of factors led to the decision to use a barrel shape for the G5000 Active Tourbillon’s case. Firstly, the two side arches are especially well-suited to sustaining the severest of impacts. From cathedral arches to the largest hubs and suspension bridges, humankind has drawn on this shape, present in nature since time immemorial, to support its most ambitious structures. The slightly curved shape of an arch allows impacts to be dissipated gradually – which is why it is the best geometrical shape possible to use for a high-performance watch. From a design perspective, the barrel is also one of the oldest shapes to be applied to wristwatches. Used extensively during the first half of the twentieth century, most often for ladies’ watches, it offers the perfect compromise between the circle and the square, with all the gentle curves of the former plus the imposing angles of the latter – highlighted here by a coloured fibreglass insert that accentuates the sporty aspect of the piece. Moreover, only a barrel-shaped case can provide the perfect ergonomics called for in a high-performance watch. Its graceful curves naturally fit snugly on the wrist, offering both unrivalled comfort and the best possible contact surface with the forearm – another vital prerequisite for a watch destined to be worn during movement and action, and therefore needing to be firmly attached to the wearer’s wrist.
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Materials: three reasons for titanium Designed to accompany performance on a daily basis, the G5000 Active Tourbillon is made from titanium, for three reasons. Reason one: titanium offers high resistance to impacts, scratches, as well as to damp and salt, the historic enemies of timepieces: neither affect it in the slightest. Reason two: titanium is lightweight, and thus indispensable in a piece that must be both absolutely reliable and as unobtrusive as possible. Without its strap, the G5000 Active Tourbillon weighs in at just 44 grammes. Reason three: titanium’s properties allow for finishing to fine watchmaking’s highest standards. The G5000 Active Tourbillon’s case combines a vertical satin finish, sand-blasting, and polishing. These various finishings bear witness to the piece’s Haute Horlogerie credentials – and enhance its aspect on the wrist, with subtle variations in the way each of them catches the light.
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Strap: lightweight, customisable The G5000 Active Tourbillon has no horns, ensuring that the elegant lines of the case remain unsullied – and that there’s no unwelcome discomfort to the wrist during movement. The strap has therefore been integrated directly into the case. It’s made of high-tech rubber, sports a pin buckle, and is fully interchangeable, with no tools required. |
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Technical Data Sheet
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About Bianchet Genève Bianchet Genève is a fully-independent, family-owned watchmaking firm, founded in 2017 by Rodolfo and Emmanuelle Festa Bianchet. The maisonseeks to engage in uncompromising, contemporary watchmaking, designed for performance-rooted reliability that is tried and tested well beyond normal conditions of use. The entire birth cycle of Bianchet Genève timepieces is located within a small area encompassing Porrentruy, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel, Les Breuleux, and Montfaucon. The firm produces only a few dozen watches a year, all numbered and destined for discerning collectors with a taste for a modern approach to Fine Watchmaking boasting high-peformance chronometry. |
Reading Time: 5 minutes
2019-03-18