This is the spirit of the Escape II Absolute Sapphire. Transparency in its purest form, highlighting the very best of what Purnell creates: pure, Swiss made craftsmanship and the world’s fastest double triple-axis tourbillon movement.
What you don’t see here is what matters. The case, dial, power-reserve, hour gear train and dial bridges are made of transparent sapphire, revealing the skillfully constructed six barrels powering the diamond-set double Spherion movement.
100% Swiss made sapphire: 3 movement bridges, dial & top crystal sapphire with 1 monobloc case, 1 monobloc caseback and 1 monobloc domed top crystal sapphire with an 90° angle at 6 o’clock.
Three sapphires raw block units are necessary – the machining process consumes 80% of their original mass. Grown under 2,050° Celsius – the sapphire resists temperatures up to 1,000° Celsius and is scratch-proof, except by diamond (Sapphire hardness: 2035 Vickersor 9/10 Mohs’ scale).
The flawless sapphire transparency guaranteed by Purnell Swiss partner Novo Cristal located in La Chaux-de-Fonds is achieved by the use of the highest purity oxide aluminum crystals and by the diamond granulometry grade used in the polishing process. A polishing process which reaches in its last steps an extremely fine diamond granulometry grade.In total, the machining and polishing process require 150 hours excluding the development and machine programming and sapphire block unit growth.
Retail price: US$1,000,000. For more information, visit www.purnellwatches.com.
