MCPura-inspired details shape Bianchet’s latest Maserati collaboration
A century after the Trident first appeared on a Maserati, the marque has partnered with Bianchet on a lightweight tourbillon whose design cues draw heavily from the MCPura supercar and the company’s competition heritage
Limited to 100 pieces, this Maserati-branded Bianchet watch takes its styling cues from the MCPura supercar
Maserati fans might have clocked the fact that the Italian marque’s Trident logo is a century old. It made its inaugural appearance in 1926 when the Maserati brothers built the first cars to carry their name.
The idea for using the trident was inspired by the Neptune fountain in Bologna, where the first Masers were made. To mark the milestone, Maserati and timing partner Bianchet have created a limited-edition (100 examples) of the UltraFino Flying Tourbillon.
But this isn’t the first high-end Maserati watch. In 2005 it launched a collaboration with Audemars Piguet that began with a dual time, striking watch called the Millenary Maserati and was followed in 2006 by the more spectacular Millenary MC12 Tourbillon Chronograph made to complement the MC12 supercar. At the time, the watch cost an eye-watering £125,000, compared with the £412,000 for the car. Today, the respective values are £110,000 and, er, £4m.
In 2012, meanwhile, Maserati jumped into bed with fellow Italian-rooted brand Bulgari before Bianchet was brought on board as the official timekeeper of the Maserati MSG Racing Formula E team in 2024. As is typical of such collaborations, various details of the new UltraFino Flying Tourbillon have been inspired by those of a Maserati, in this case the MCPura that was unveiled last year.
According to Bianchet, the UltraFino’s case and bracelet “mirror the torsional stiffness of the MCPura’s carbon-fibre chassis” and the ever-revolving flying tourbillon cage, above, “evokes the beating heart of the Nettuno engine” (a 630bhp, twin-turbo V6).
The layout of the skeletonised, openwork dial recalls the pattern of the car’s ‘birdcage’ wheel design and is treated to a hint of the Ai Aqua Rainbow iridescent finish that creates a multicolour shimmer in sunlight.
With a sandwich construction case made from carbon fibre above and below a vulcanised rubber centre, and the extensive use of titanium for many of the 225 parts of the automatic movement, the watch head weighs just 36g. A full wind of the mainspring should keep it running for 60 hours when it’s not being worn.
Buyers may choose to have the individually numbered watches delivered on the titanium bracelet or a rubber strap in Bianchet’s interpretation of Maserati’s signature blue.
Bianchet UltraFino Maserati, £71,700 (approx). bianchet.com
The original Roadster of 2002 represented a dramatic departure from Cartier’s traditional, more-understated watches that had been its signature for the best part of a century. It was big and chunky with a cushion case, a speedometer-like dial and a winding crown set into a base inspired by the bulging hubcaps of a 1950s Porsche 356. The first generation Roadster went out of production in 2012 but now there’s a more-refined line-up in a choice of large or small cases. This large steel version, above, is supplied with a matching bracelet and a rubber strap in blue.
Cartier Roadster, £8700. cartier.com
Singer Reimagined is the Geneva-based horological department of Californian Porsche restoration firm Singer Vehicle Design – famed for its rebuilt classic 911s. This latest timepiece features a unique movement that drives a constantly moving peripheral disc with 24-hour markings for an at-a-glance check of a second time zone in addition to the one displayed on the central dial. Choose from Horizon Red of Meridian Green, above, disc finishes. It’s water resistant to 100m and supplied on a black, perforated-rubber strap.
Singer Reimagined DualTrack, £21,300. singerreimagined.com