• Bugatti, Jacob & Co., and Lalique just teamed up to build a clock for your desk.
  • The finished product pays homage to automotive heritage and costs $240,000.
  • This isn’t the first time these brands have worked together on a timepiece.

Sometimes a supercar just isn’t enough. What does one get for the Bugatti owner with everything? Maybe the new Bugatti Calandre table clock is the right answer. Of course, you’ll need to act fast as the timepiece is limited to just 99 units.

Oh, and you’ll also need to come up with a cool $240,000 before taces. Sure, you could buy a Lamborghini Urus or even a decent condo for that amount of cash, but this is a clock. It sits on a desk or a mantle gathering dust… until someone’s servant wipes it down occasionally.

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First, let’s talk about that name. Calandre doesn’t translate to calendar, timing, or anything of the sort. Instead, it means “radiator grille”. Classy. Of course, to an extent, that makes sense, seeing as the timepiece’s face looks like a Bugatti grille inspired by the Type 41 Royale. That said, it’s bookended by some outward-facing flourishes and a pair of ‘dancing elephants’, which are, of course, Bugatti’s spirit animals.

Crystal, Craft, and a Tourbillon

The sculpture encasing the clock itself is made from molten crystal poured into a mold by Lalique. Atop the entire piece is a red Jacob & Co. crystal with 288 facets. Both the case and crystal get attention lavished upon them to ensure the finished product is as perfect as it can be. Really though, it’s what’s inside this clock that makes it special.

Unlike a Lamborghini, which thrives on speed and sound, this $240,000 desk ornament just sits there, silently spinning a Tourbillon like it’s performing for a microscopic opera crowd You don’t drive it, you don’t hear it, but you watch it. That’s the one thing it does better than a supercar: it turns time into a performance, right there on your desk, without ever moving an inch.

This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t
This $240,000 Desk Clock Does Something Even A Lamborghini Can’t

The word Tourbillon actually comes from watchmaking and refers to a mechanism that mounts the escapement and balance wheel of a watch onto a rotating cage. Initially, watchmakers thought it would help to eliminate timing errors that occur due to gravity. Today, there is much debate about whether or not they actually do any good, but the key is that they look great. As such, this table clock features a Tourbillon that is visible on its face.

All of this makes sense because Jacob & Co. previously worked with Bugatti on another watch. That one, dubbed simply the Tourbillon, features 557 components and reportedly costs $340,000.

That’s right, the wristwatch costs $100,000 more than the bespeckled table clock you came here to read about. At the end of the day, these are the sorts of accessories that one-percenters fawn over. A decade or more from now, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a Tourbillon come up for sale with a matching watch and table clock. 

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