A Closer Look at the Zelos Mirage Tourbillon
Zelos is a watch brand that is based in Singapore. The company has been in business since 2014, and as a newcomer to the watchmaking scene, it has made a serious impression on luxury watch enthusiasts. After producing several models that became popular, Zelos became an established brand with several successful watches produced at affordable prices for Swiss watchmaking. The Zelos Mirage Tourbillon is the most recent creation and it comes with high expectations of becoming yet another successful line. The new watch is deserving of a closer look and careful inspection.
The Zelos Mirage Tourbillon at first glance
The eye is immediately drawn to the unique aesthetic of the Zelos Mirage Tourbillon. The sapphire crystal glass serves as a protective covering for the artistically displayed mechanical movement beneath. The crystal clear face presents the full view of the intricate mechanics that meticulously count off the seconds, minutes, and hours without missing a beat. The tourbillion is wonderfully inset within a round clear sphere at the 6:00 position. The rendering of time is accomplished through the hour and minute hands that graduate in color from a burnished black at their base to a silvertone that matches the hour and minute markers carefully inset around the outer portion of the dial.
A limited-edition creation
The Zelos Mirage Tourbillon is a masterpiece that is offered in a strictly limited edition of just 10 pieces. It is offered in Titanium with 2 examples, Timascus in 5 pieces and Mokume-gane with just 3 pieces. The Mirage is produced is an extremely limited run of ten pieces, with three case material options: Titanium (2 pieces), Timascus (5 pieces), and Mokume-gane (3 pieces). Timascus is a material that is routinely used by Zelos and it incidentally sets their watches apart with its visual beauty that is also strong for durability and extremely lightweight.
The Mirage Moniker
The hands appear to be floating above the dial which is a brilliant optical illusion. The depth and details of the skeletonized movement create this effect. this is the design that creates the mirage effect as the indices and hour markers also appear to be floating within the dial.
The Flying Tourbillon
The movement of the Zelos Mirage Tourbillon is a La Joux-Perret which is hand-wound with a black coating on the base plate and the bridges. It presents a magnificent focal point. The Swiss watch movement originates in La Chaux de Fonds from a prestigious company known for excellence. The flying tourbillon is cantilevered and engineered with support just on one side of the timepiece and the gear train is set beside the tourbillon cage in a unique and innovative design. This has made it possible to create a thinner movement with a measurement of just 9 mm for an ultra-sleek profile. The application of a satin finish and hand’angling of the tourbillon cage offers lovely details with polished screw heads to complete the luxury aesthetic. Functions include the tourbillon movement, split seconds, grande dates, hours, minutes, and jumping seconds. The power reserve for this watch is 60 hours.
The case
There are 3 metal alloys used in the creation of the cases for this limited edition watch. These are respectively titanium, Timascus, and Mokume-gane which each merit further explanation. The titanium material used for the applied in a finish that alternates polished with brushed surfaces to complete a monochrome appearance. The titanium cases provide a sleek and lustrous aesthetic that is matched to complement the hands on the dial.
The Timascus material is an alloy that has been created by the blending of two separate titanium alloys that create a strong yet light finished product featuring wood grain patterns. The materials specifically grade 2 and grade 5 titanium which undergoes a forging and folding process that creates its strength and unique colors with personal hand torching that yields yellow coloring at 350 degrees Celcius and a Blued color when torched at 500 degrees Celcius. This is a unique alloy often referred to as Titanium Damascus.
The third alloy is Mokume-gane. This is a metal that was created in Japan and it is a blend of nickel silver and copper which also produces a wood-grain pattern that is similar to Timascus. Mokume-gane is the only one of the three alloys that develops a unique patina over the passage of time, due to the copper infusion within the material. It ages to a lovely dark red which is a lovely contrast to the nickel silver.
Pricing of the Zelos Mirage Tourbillon watches
The titanium example in Blue sells for $11,900 each. The entire collection of this example has already been sold out. The Titanium example with PVD Main plates is priced at $10,900 each and the selections have all been sold out. The titanium Damascus in yellow has all been spoken for at a cost of $11,900 each. The Mokume-Gane examples also sell for $11,900 and have also sold out. The examples of the Titanium with silver main plates have been sold out at a price of $10,900 each.
Final thoughts
The Zelos Mirage Tourbillion is a watch that is perhaps one of the most unique watch collections in the world. Each of the 10 pieces is highly collectible and was rare from the moment that it was manufactured. We were surprised at the extremely low selling price Zelos placed on these rare collectibles, given the uniqueness of the skeletonized design and the fact that there are only 10 examples available for sale throughout the world. It is no small wonder that all of the examples have already been spoken for by collectors who realized that these watches are likely to increase in value with the passage of time. Zelos has emerged as a major brand within the luxury watch industry within just 6 years since it first opened its doors. The Zelos Mirage Tourbillon has cemented the brand’s place in history but we imagine that this is just one of many more unique designs that will be seen in the future.
