Disclaimer: this video/review was not sponsored by Sartory Billard, Cronotempvs or any other entity. This watch was generously loaned to me by my friend @watchsymmetry. Please check out his Instagram to see more photographs of this watch and other exceptional pieces.
Video
Review
Today I get to share with you a very special watch from the collection of my friend @watchsymmetry. CronotempVs is a private watch collectors’ club founded in 2009, of which @watchsymmetry is a member. The club requested Sartory Billard to create a flying tourbillon that would embody the distinctive DNA of Sartory Billard. What initially seemed like a straightforward selection of a standard movement rapidly transformed into a quest to develop Sartory Billard’s first in-house movement. CronotempVs and Armand Billard brought this project to life together with the expertise of Comblémine, as well as a host of other suppliers.
The result was 30 SB06-12 (also called CT12, I think?) tourbillon watches delivered to collectors at the end of 2023 after a nearly 3 year development period, and this series laid the foundation for Sartory Billard to introduce their own flying tourbillon offering in their regular collection. Each of these watches was heavily customized for its respective owner, with a wide variety of material and design options. From what I’ve been told, the early subscription price for these pieces began at around 60,000 euros, without an upper limit, as some members went absolutely crazy with material and finishing requirements. For reference, if you were to order an SB06-12 or SB06-24, you’re looking at a starting price of roughly 110,000 euros and an eight-month delivery window, with only 24 bespoke units of each being made each year.
Let’s check it out!
Case
I measured the case to be 40.5 mm in diameter, 45.8 mm from lug tip to lug tip, and 11.35 mm in overall thickness, including the top and bottom sapphire crystals. Given that members had complete control over the material choices, and since these watches were not limited by budget in any way, the cases are a significant improvement over the SB04 that I have previously handled and reviewed. @watchsymmetry chose a Grade 5 titanium case (no real surprise there), with a fantastic combination of finishing styles: from the brushed lugs with wide polished bevels, to the matte-finished crown top and case sides, to the beautifully polished concave bezel with its refined brushed trimmings.
The matte-finished, slightly rounded mid-case is particularly stunning, and as someone who loves all the grey hues of titanium, I find the variety of colors and textures to be incredible. As I mentioned earlier, the design is very similar in style to the SB04 and SB05, and the overall theme is identical, but the execution is quite different. Unlike the case-back-mounted lugs of the SB04, I believe these lugs are either part of the mid-case or welded to it; both approaches being impressive, given the complex combination of finishing styles across the sections.
There is a 5.3 mm push-pull crown at the 3 o’clock position that is very easy to grip and operate, and it features a high level of detail in its finishing. The crown action is wonderful, and it is a pleasure to interact with the movement inside.
Flipping the watch over, you find a case back that is secured to the case with screws and features a large exhibition window, offering a crystal-clear view of the entirely bespoke tourbillon movement that powers this watch. The watch is rated for up to 50 m of water resistance, but given the price tag on these watches, I doubt any of them will ever see that kind of action.
Dial
The same “sky is the limit” attitude carries over into the dial as well, but here, even the sky wasn’t enough of a challenge, because @watchsymmetry‘s inspiration for this watch came from outer space, in the form of this beautiful meteorite dial center. Given his love for titanium, it should come as no surprise that the outer circular brushed blue region is made of titanium, upon which a pad-printed sapphire layer is placed. A thick brushed metal ring separates the two regions, and to my surprise, this ring has a neatly polished bevel as well. This same design style carries over to the ring around the tourbillon cage.
As for the pad-printed sapphire ring, this seems to be the real unifying theme across all 30 CT12 watches, with a bright red 12 o’clock numeral with thick white borders, and accompanying numerals at 2, 4, 8, and 10 o’clock respectively. The quality of the pad printing is quite good, and the outer railroad-style minute track is very easy to read and pairs well with an appropriately sized minute hand.
There is a nameplate below the 12 o’clock marker, with a brushed top surface and polished outer bevels, featuring the brand’s name engraved and filled with an enamel-like paint.
The handset on this watch is perhaps my second favorite aspect of the piece, with an incredible design and an even more impressive execution. Both hands have a two-piece construction, with a grey matte-finished base and thermally blued, blade-like attachments that have a very definitive yet fluid sculptural design, making them easy to read under various lighting conditions. The finishing on these hands is exceptional.
The last, and perhaps most interesting, part of the dial is the tourbillon cage at the 6 o’clock position, which showcases an entirely hand-finished flying tourbillon design with mirror-polished top surfaces, hand-polished bevels, and mirror-polished screws. Even the protruding section to which the free-sprung balance is attached has polished bevels.
If you look closer, down to the layers below the balance and into the escapement, you’ll see hand-polished countersinks and the same level of detail as the more visible parts. This is the sign of a master watchmaker at work, and Sartory Billard teamed up with one of the best in the business for watch component finishing: Philippe Narbel and his team (Manufactor).
Movement
I said the hands were my second favorite aspect of this watch. The first is the movement: and not the entire movement, but the sapphire plate in particular. If you’re a regular to this channel, you’ll know of my love for sapphire dial and movement components, so this should come as no surprise. I’m a huge fan of brands like MING, Andreas Strehler, De Bethune, Holthinrichs, and now Sartory Billard incorporating sapphire into architectural components of the dial and hands.
But the rest of the movement is no less impressive, and I think the non-sapphire components are perhaps even more impressive from a finishing standpoint. As mentioned earlier, Philippe Narbel handled the finishing of all these components, while the actual movement design was created by Sartory Billard and Comblémine. Comblémine is more famously known for its dial work and for being owned by renowned independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. However, Comblémine flexed its technical muscles with the SBTV01 movement in this watch. Sartory Billard refers to this as an “in-house” movement, and while I know many will disagree with that characterization, since both the design and manufacturing were outsourced to Comblémine; let’s go with the term “bespoke movement” to avoid a debate in the comments section.
This bespoke movement features black-polished screws and triple-finished bridges with matte-finished top surfaces, brushed raised edges, and hand-polished bevels. There are hints of Romain Gauthier’s movement design in these elements. A beautifully finished mainspring barrel features high-polished and beveled teeth, along with a click spring mechanism that is quite interesting. There are a couple of razor-sharp exterior angles on both the metal and sapphire components, as well as some beautifully executed inner angles on one of the bridges.
Overall, this is a remarkable movement and a respectable achievement for Sartory Billard. It was not too long ago that Armand was primarily selling watches in the $3,000 to $4,000 price range. To go from that to delivering 30 watches costing nearly $100,000 each, with a bespoke tourbillon movement and haute horology finishing, is a brilliant career trajectory. Oh and before I forget the technical specs – the watch has an impressive 96 hour power reserve and beats at 3Hz. Nothing has been said about accuracy but that’s the sad state of a lot of haute horology watchmakers – you’ll rarely find this information publicly available unless the movements and watches are certified somehow.
On The Wrist
The 40.5 mm diameter and 45.8 mm lug tip to lug tip distance fit great on my 6.75″ wrist. The overall 11.35 mm thickness also feels appropriate for this watch and case design. It isn’t a very sleek watch, but it doesn’t need to be. It is pretty damn impressive as is!
The lugs feature a 21 mm lug width and take curved spring bars. This piece is on a curved-end CTS Rubber Strap from Delugs and feels great to wear. The overall combination is surprisingly sporty, but the watch handles that style well and doesn’t feel like a dress watch at all.
Wrapping Up
I’ll wrap this up quickly: this watch is impressive, and at this price point, it has to be. The competition in this range is intense, and these are no small sums of money, so you have to expect the best… and you’re entirely justified in doing so. With Sartory Billard, you’re getting the ability to customize these watches exactly how you see fit, and that is what separates him from the majority of other brands in this price range trying to sell you a high-end tourbillon.
This watch does all the right things in terms of build quality, finishing, and a technically engaging bespoke movement design that involves collaboration with some of the best firms in the industry for engineering and finishing. It all comes together in a package that feels surprisingly refined and cohesive. If you’re in the market for a bespoke tourbillon, there aren’t many options out there. But if you’ve got a budget of over $100,000 USD and some bold ideas you’d like to see come to life, these watches may be exactly what you’re looking for.
