Some watches are made for looks. Some are made to be tough. Making its debut at this year's Baselworld exhibition, the Bianchet Genève G5000 Active Tourbillon is made to be really tough. Aimed at the affordable market, as the name implies, the G5000 is designed to withstand impacts of up to 5,000 g and still keep ticking.
Wrist watches are among the most personal items that one can buy. Aside from telling time, they can be a form of self-expression, a way to signal your status – or aspiring status – to the world, and one of the important things to consider when choosing a watch is how well a particular one fits your lifestyle.
Some people, for example, have very active lifestyles or work at jobs that can be very rough on a timepiece. For them, the alternative is either to have a second, cheap "banger" watch that's essentially expendable, or invest in a super-hardened watch with a special case and movement that can withstand everything from Australian rules football to operating a jackhammer.
The G5000 Active Tourbillon is very much in the latter class. Though it boasts a tourbillon and is chronometer certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), it's made to be extremely rugged. The manually-wound, 116-component BAT 01 Swiss-made movement has aluminum bridges for both lightweight and resilience, and the tourbillon and its case are made out of titanium and uses a barrel shape to dissipate the force of any impacts. According to the company, the material also enhances the aesthetics of the movement.
The gears in the powertrain have profiles that minimize torque where the gears mesh, and a variable inertia balance wheel removes the need for a moving index assembly, which also enhances shock resistance. Meanwhile, diamond nanoparticles suspended in the watch's lubricants keep the movement working even if the oil goes dry, meaning a reduced need for regular maintenance. The 43-mm case is of titanium and glass fiber with front and back sapphire crystals.
The upshot of this is that the G5000 Active Tourbillon can withstand forces of up to 5,000 g. It's also water resistant to 100 m (330 ft), yet weighs in at only 44 g (1.5 oz) without the strap. It has a 105-hr power reserve and operates at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vph)
All in all one tough watch. However, though it is marketed as affordable, Bianchet Genève have yet to release a price.
Source: Bianchet Genève