e may not have the first idea of what a tourbillon is. But tell him it is THE GREATEST HOROLOGICAL PERFORMANCE EVER, and he’ll buy 147 of them at a knockdown price!

When I say “knockdown price”, I know what I’m talking about. I know the watchmaker who made them. And I know who sold them. For the captive end customer, that’ll be US$ 100,000 please.

No-one will thank me for it, but here’s a reminder of an article we published a few years ago, as the tourbillon frenzy was taking off. In it, Claude Nicolet, an eminent watchmaker and academic, scientifically demonstrated that a tourbillon serves no useful purpose in a wristwatch: that is was a pure, albeit respectable, exercise in style. Building an integrated chronograph is an infinitely more complex task.

We were hauled over the coals, accused of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs before they had even hatched. No matter. Since then, tourbillons have proliferated beyond all measure. It made economic sense. Marketing and storytelling would take care of the rest.

A tourbillon is showy. A tourbillon grabs attention. Something at which Trump excels. A tourbillon is “royal” but every king has his fool.

Speaking of fools, you may have read about the man who ordered a Trump watch (sans tourbillon, there’s quite a choice) as a gift for his wife. A symbol of their MAGA love. Imagine their disappointment when the $640 limited-edition Inauguration First Lady arrived with the letter T missing from its dial. Emblazoned at 12 o’clock was the word RUMP. Perfect for a president who claims to have others “kissing my a**”?