Vincent Deprez Scientific Tourbillon brings a sharper edge to handmade tradition

Vincent Deprez has always occupied a particular corner of independent watchmaking, where the appeal sits as much in the making as in the finished watch.

The Geneva-based French watchmaker, trained at Vacheron Constantin and later involved in restoration at Patek Philippe, now adds a more contemporary expression to his Tourbillon Classique family.

The new Scientific Tourbillon keeps the same handmade mechanical foundation as his earlier work, but changes the mood with a cleaner, instrument-led dial and a stainless steel case.

At a glance

A more technical face for the Tourbillon Classique

The Scientific Tourbillon moves away from the openly architectural emphasis of the earlier Tourbillon Classique pieces and gives the time display more visual authority.

At 12 o’clock sits a deep midnight blue Grand Feu enamel dial, made by Deprez himself through multiple firings.

It’s framed by an applied mirror-polished steel chapter ring with a precise minute track, giving the watch the feel of a calibrated instrument rather than a traditional dress tourbillon.

The tourbillon remains fully visible below, with a blue seconds ring and a cage that completes one rotation every 60 seconds.

The result is a more balanced composition, where the time dial and regulating organ carry equal weight rather than one simply serving as the stage for the other.

Stainless steel with a contemporary restraint

The 39mm case is made in stainless steel and measures 11.3mm thick, which keeps the watch within a refined and wearable profile.

Polished and satin-brushed surfaces bring a sharper modernity to the case without pushing it into overtly sporty territory.

A domed sapphire crystal sits above the dial, while the Grade 5 titanium caseback is integrated into the case middle and secured through the lugs.

Water resistance is rated to 30 metres, which is in keeping with the watch’s highly artisanal, collector-focused character.

The hand-built movement remains the real signature

The back of the watch is where Deprez’s approach becomes clearest.

Most components are made in his Geneva workshop using traditional machine tools, including pantograph engraving machines for bridges and plates, along with vintage lathes and manually operated equipment for wheels, pivots and pinions.

The hand-wound tourbillon calibre runs at 18,000 vibrations per hour and offers approximately 52 hours of power reserve.

Its finishing is deliberately classical and entirely manual.

German silver bridges are treated with graining, anglage, satin finishing and black polishing, while the overall palette stays restrained through untreated German silver and polished steel.

That restraint is important, because it lets the finishing read through light, texture and geometry rather than colour or decoration for its own sake.

A rare watch for close-reading collectors

The Scientific Tourbillon is limited to 10 pieces and all are already spoken for.

That brings the wider Tourbillon Classique family to 20 watches, positioning the model less as a commercial line and more as an evolving body of work.

It’s the kind of watch that will speak to collectors who value construction methods, finishing discipline and the personality of an individual maker over name recognition alone.

The watch is delivered on a grained calfskin leather strap with a pin buckle, a suitably understated choice for a piece that doesn’t need extra theatre.

Details & Specifications

For a watch with a tourbillon, enamel dial and hand-finished movement, the Scientific Tourbillon is remarkably quiet in its confidence.

That may be exactly the point, since Deprez’s work rewards the kind of collector who looks past spectacle and into the evidence of the hand.