Perrelet Turbine Diver 47mm Yellow

The “Turbine” series was first presented at Baselworld 2009 and its appearance provoked great interest, but also a great polarization of opinions in horological circles. We don't know about anything else, but critics and analysts were certainly given something to talk about. Reviews, articles, comparisons, and what not followed in all sorts of known and unknown publications. The bombshell had been dropped. And Perrelet did not hesitate to ride the wave and exploit to the maximum both the effect it created and the good product. All sorts of variations on the Turbine theme followed – there were colors, sizes, limited editions – for all tastes, even the most eccentric, and audiences. Personally, we think that in some cases they simply overdid it and went beyond the bounds of decency, as with the Erotic series, where erotic images are hidden under the turbine, but – as we have been convinced on more than one occasion – "to each their own." Initially, the series had a case size of 44 mm, and subsequently, in 2012, the Turbine XL was launched in an impressive 50 mm and the Turbine Diver in its 47.5 mm and 300 m water resistance. The turbine owes its origin to Perrelet's Double Rotor system, which was patented by the brand in 1995 and became one of Perrelet's hallmarks. As you can easily guess from the name, the system includes two rotors – one in the usual place for automatic movements, on the back of the movement, and the other, an additional rotor, is located on its front side, using the P-181 movement as a base. For the first Turbine model, launched in 2009, Perrelet used the principle of the Double Rotor but replaced the front rotor with a turbine consisting of twelve titanium blades. Later, in 2012, the brand replaced the movement with another and separated the turbine from the rear rotor, thus making the rotation of the "propeller" with every movement of the hand much more prolonged, and the overall effect much more attractive. But let's get back to the matter at hand – the timepiece presented is a Turbine Diver we have long sought, and in the most "nautical" and summery color combination – black and yellow. The model was first presented at Baselworld in 2012 and combines the market success of the Turbine series, the brand's heritage in producing high-quality timepieces and movements, and the functionality of the brand's diver series. The first thing that catches the eye of anyone who looks at this watch is, of course, the turbine itself. Unlike the other turbines in the series, which more closely resemble the turbine of a jet engine, with this watch the manufacturer has taken care to ensure the turbine is in harmony with the watch's diving purpose. Here, it resembles a submarine's propeller – with its slightly curved blades, which, unlike other representatives of the series, are 11 in number. The blades themselves are in tune with the main color of the watch – black – and are set in motion with ease, even with the slightest movement of the wrist. The base of the dial is coated with a generous layer of Super-LumiNova, which helps greatly in reading the indications both during the day and at night – under and above water. The hour and minute hands are large, massive, and again coated with a large amount of Super-LumiNova, while the seconds hand is finished in signal yellow. As we already mentioned, the main color of this particular model is black, with the other option being blue with yellow accents, and this best suits the purpose of the watch. The inner diver's sub-bezel is divided into 2 parts – the first, up to the 20th minute, is finished in signal yellow, while the remaining part is black. The tens of minutes are marked with Arabic numerals, and the entire sub-bezel is separated from the main dial by a white ring with black markers. The sub-bezel is rotated using the crown located on the side of the case at "10 o'clock" – it is a screw-down crown to ensure the impressive water resistance of 300 meters. The case is also different from other representatives of the series – it is satin-finished and sandblasted, with a few polished accents on it. The reason for this specific finishing is to avoid potential glare from the case. The case dimensions are 47.5 mm by 14.82 mm, and despite its impressive size, the watch sits quite snugly on the wrist, thanks to the slightly curved case towards the practically non-existent bezel. The rubber strap perfectly matches the main color of the watch and fits its lugs very well – the impression is truly that of a single, whole piece. And the placement of the crowns in unusual positions for most watches – at "10 o'clock" and "4 o'clock" – also makes it very comfortable, because the crowns do not obstruct the wrist and do not press or rub against it. At the heart of the watch beats the automatic P-331 movement, exclusive to Perrelet, which powers the models of this Turbine Diver generation. And through the transparent sapphire case back, you can enjoy this movement with Perrelet's hallmark decoration – the traditional Côtes de Genève, countless "P"s on the bridges, the skeletonized rotor with the brand's logo, etc.