Let’s posit a fact: unless you have some really deep pockets, or plan to mortgage your home, it is just about impossible to get a Swiss-made tourbillion. Now, if you are a collector on a budget like me, there is another option. This option is the ERA Tourbillon. The movement may not be Swiss, but for us this is a good thing, because it makes the watch affordable.
If you are in the market for a flashy, attention getting watch, then this one is for you. The entire dial is skeletonized and polished to really make this thing stand out in the crowd. Aside from looking like jewelry on the wrist, the ERA Tourbillon is also funtional, courtesy of two subdials. The one at the three o-clock position is the sun/moon dial for indicating day and night. The other is at the 9 o’clock position and that’s for tracking GMT. After those two, the coolest part of this watch is that tourbillion movement taking up the lower half of the watch. If you like watching a watch do its magic, then you don’t get much better then this.
There are only a couple Chinese-made tourbillon movements on the market. The one used in this ERA Tourbillon is the Hangzhou HZ3360A. Just because it’s a Chinese-made movement does not mean it’s not good quality. The Hangzhou company has been making watch movements since 1972, so they should know what they are doing. Looking closely I don’t see any flaws. Works great, and looks great, and it’s less filling.
A nice case must pair well with a nice movement. This 316L stainless steel case is polished with a mirror like finish and looks very nice. There is a sapphire exhibition case back which shows off that well polished skeletonized movement. The case is resistant to about 50 meters but there is no way I would get in the water wearing this watch if I could help it.
The strap on this ERA Tourbillon couldn’t fit any better with this watch. The blue stitching matches the blue accents on the watch dial, with a signed butterfly clasp. It very comfortable to wear and really looks good.
Lume is pretty minimal but does the trick. Glow is ok, but this is not what the watch is made for anyway. Can’t see that tourbillon in the dark.
If you have been wanting a tourbillon in your collection but thought you never could afford one, you should check out ERA. This tourbillon is selling for only $1,499. Thats still not chump change, but that gets you a tourbillon in your collection. Go check them out at eratimepieces.com.
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: ERA Prometheus
- Price: $1,499 USD
- Who we think it might be for: Watch collectors on a budget.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Probably not. I am more of a tool watch guy. It’s cool though.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Would prefer a non skeltonized dial.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: It’s a tourbillon!
Tech Specs from ERA:
- MODEL VERSIONS – Prometheus Standard Edition
- Case – Hand-Polished 316L Grade Stainless Steel
- Crystal – Ultra Scratch-resistant Sapphire Glass With Anti-Reflective Coating
- WATER RESISTANCE – 5 ATM / 50 meters
- MOVEMENT – Single-Axis Tourbillon Movement, Manual Self-Wind, GMT Hour Hand, Sun/Moon Time of Day Indicator
- CALIBRE – HZ3360A
- PRECISION – Regulated To +/- 10 sec or better
- FUNCTIONS – Centre hour and minute hands, Second time zone with independent setting of the hour hand, Time of Day Indicator, Seconds hand functionality through revolution of Tourbillon complication.
- FREQUENCY – 28,800 vph
- JEWELS – 20
- POWER RESERVE ~32 hours
- STRAP – Hornback Style Leather Strap With Quick Release Bars
- STRAP DIMENSIONS – 24mm
- STRAP MATERIAL – 100% Genuine Leather
- TITCHING – Premium Double-Stitched Threading
- CLASP – Folding ERA Butterfly Clasp
- WATCH BOX – Custom Crafted Wooden Box
