A high-revving V16 isn’t the only remarkable thing about the Bugatti Tourbillon. The Chiron successor also has the coolest gauge cluster ever, one that is a showcase for the exquisite craftsmanship of watchmaking.
Dating back to 1801, a tourbillon is a mechanical feature that improves the accuracy of watches and is considered a hallmark of high-end timepieces. So it was a natural fit for Bugatti to incorporate a bit of horology into the interior design as it sought an alternative to the screen-saturated cabins of so many modern cars. What designers came up with was an analog cluster with the appearance and mechanical functionality of a Swiss watch, housed behind a fixed-hub steering wheel that offers an unobstructed view.
As explained in a video produced by the automaker, Bugatti turned to Swiss firm Concepto to make this idea a reality. The finished product has more than 650 individual components, including traditional watchmaking elements like tiny gears and rubies that serve as bearings. But watchmakers also had to incorporate automotive components such as LEDs and other electronics. That was just one of the challenges they faced.
Another was working with different materials, some of which were lighter than those normally used in watchmaking. They nonetheless had to be finished to the same standards of both fine watches and fine cars. Typical for a high-end automaker, Bugatti is offering customers lucky enough to get one of the 250 build slots a number of decorative-finish options for the cluster, including engine-turned surfaces like what you would find on the automaker’s prewar cars.
BUGATTI – A NEW ERA: Analogue Fascination
The cluster is also much larger than a watch, so tools designed for millimeter-scale don’t work. That meant while the craftspeople at Concepto were applying traditional watchmaking techniques to this automotive project, they had to find new ways to do them. But the result is a love letter to the analog worthy of a car costing millions of dollars, and definitely cooler than a screen.
A digital gauge cluster would have been easier, but that’s not what the Tourbillon is about. Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac explained shortly after the car’s unveiling that the company could have simply used the all-electric Rimac Nevera as a starting point, rather than going to the trouble of engineering a naturally aspirated, 8.3-liter V16 and accompanying plug-in hybrid system from scratch. But Bugatti isn’t about doing things the easy way, Rimac said; it’s about pushing boundaries. Thank Ettore for that.
All photos credit: Bugatti
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