Horological Meandering

Hi, I am not sure if this is the right forum for this post, if not please advise.
Anyways, owning a tourbilloin would be every Watch collectors dream. But sadly not all of us would be able to achieve this.
So there are new Brands offering a more affordable price for all to experience having one.
Have a few questions:
- what would be the difference of a branded tourbillion to a cheaper one?
- is the value of the cheaper one will be just a waste of hard warn money?
- is the craftsmanship any good for the cheaper ones?
-will be worth spending your money for one?
- etc... Please feel free if you have other questions in mind...

One brand I am looking at is the Memorigin , it is a Hong Kong based company which specialize with tourbillion watches.
Here a sample of their masterpiece:
Tourbillon Zodiac Dragon
Description:
CASE TYPE: Black/SS/RG
MOVEMENT:  Movement model: MO 1223;Movement diameter 33mm; thickness 6.78mm
STRAP: Croco strap with butterfly buckle
DIAL: 181 pieces of subassembly module and 19 jewels 12 diamonds on the dial; Exquisite dragon embossment on the dial
FUNCTION: The tourbillon located at 6 o’clock rotate at a speed of 60s for one circle;40hours power reserve;The balance wheel and the escapement system encircle the center of balance wheel
Please review this particular model also.

. . . that own tourbillons made in China.  For all of them, I gather it's more of a novelty rather than a deliberate acquisition.  What I mean by that is that no one collects these watches; curiosity is usually assuaged by owning a single example. 

If the intrigue of owning a tourbillon is the draw, then there's nothing to criticize with acquiring one.  I'm not an expert on these matters, but it's doubtful the inherent frictional losses at this level of construction are compensated in any meaningful  technical sense.

Have you considered vintage watches for quenching your horological thirst?  Same outlay, and objectively, far better value.

Cordially,

Art   

 

I haven't seen these Memorigin tourbillons in question, so I can't really make any meaningful judgments about them.  They do, on the website anyway, look to be nicer than the Seagull/other Chinese tourbillons that are often seen when Chinese made tourbillons are discussed or shown.

However, how would these compare to the tourbillons made by the late Kiu Tai Yu?  I remember seeing them at Basel and having a conversation with him many years ago.  A nice person.  I'm assuming what we see now is the logical extension of the work that Mr. Kiu started?  As I remember them, they were not, at least from a finishing perspective, on a par with tourbillons from the haute horlogerie houses, but he was nevertheless respected enough to be a member of the AHCI.  Maybe in years to come the Memorigin tourbillons will be viewed in a similar way (assuming they continue to improve and refine their work)?

Interested in your thoughts on this.

. . . and informed than my own .  

I appreciate your reply.

I doubt my thoughts are really all that developed in this area, but I am curious about these tourbillons.  I agree that most of the Chinese tourbillons currently on the market are nothing to write home about, but since the making has now been established, presumably the finishing and refinement will follow in due course?  To my untrained eyes, these Memorigin tourbillons look better than the Seagull variety.  Maybe they, or someone else, are ready to take the next step up on quality?

As for Mr. Kiu's tourbillons, I'm on shaky ground - I saw them and him in 1999 and 2000.  I recall thinking they were very nice, but looked somewhat "home made", compared to the Pateks and Vacherons of this world.  No doubt because they were, in fact, home made  .  Apart from his obvious talent, perhaps Mr. Kiu was also in the right place at the right time?  I think tourbillons back in 2000 (and before) were still very much grande complications, more so than they are today (although I still love them).

It certainly would be great to get Don's thoughts on this,

Kind regards

This message has been edited by kkwn98 on 2012-08-29 15:58:50

Not home made, but hand made. 
Mr. Kiu's tourbillons were really made by hand.
Not industrial fabrication sterily decorated to perfection by hand.
For my money that is an advantage, age old hand crafts still being made today.
The sweat and soul of one man made that watch.
That impresses me more.

As to todays Chinese industrial tourbillons:
I do not have any industry knowledge of what is happening in China, but from what I have seen in Basel over the last couple of years I have the impression (remember this is my personal impression, it may not be true) that there are less and less people in China actually making tourbillon movements, they are all almost the same these days.  There are, however companies or brands taking these roughly made tourbillons and polishing them up.  This brand you are refering to, which I have never heard of before, may be one of these.

In general my take on these Chinese tourbillons is that they are fine and if you would like to take part in the tourbillon gazing, interesting timepieces.
They are, however, not haute horlogerie, but the proof that one can also make a tourbillon in a large quantity industrial production.  I have never taken one of these watches apart nor looked closely with a loup, but have heard that the timekeeping is not phenominal and that in many cases the watches can not be repaired, i.e. they use rivets instead of screws in many places (as did the Timex's that flooded the US market in the '60s and '70s).

I hope I have answered some of your questions,
Don

. . . much appreciated!

Art

Don,

Thanks very much for taking the time to share your thoughts on this.

I think you're right, "hand made" is definitely the better term to describe Mr. Kiu's tourbillons.

I appreciate your thoughts on today's industrial tourbillons.  Truth be told, I hadn't heard of Memorigin until yesterday, but only asked because I saw the original post and then googled them, leading me to their website.  Their products do look nicer than the Seagulls, but they definitely do not look hand made or at the same level as the traditional tourbillon makers.  But, I did wonder if they were continuing where Mr. Kiu had left off although, it would seem this is perhaps not the case.  I do hope, however, that some of the makers in China will focus on the haute horlogerie aspect and not just the industrial, mass production aspect.

Kind regards

 

Thanks very much Sirs for a very enlighting discussion.
You can check the site sirs for more infos about this specific brand and watch.
[external link removed as per forum rules]
Please check it out sirs. Good day! This message has been edited by DonCorson on 2012-08-31 10:19:40

Sorry to post an external link sir.
BTW, this would be the picture of the Zodiac Memorigin Watch Tourbillon
Please comment on the workmanship and design sirs. Thanks!