Bugatti Calandre Table Clock Merges Lalique Crystal & Tourbillon
Jacob & Co., Bugatti and Lalique unite once more, channelling three years of research and development into the Bugatti Calandre table clock. This masterpiece elevates luxury watchmaking to the level of sculptural art. Drawing inspiration from the 2024 Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon, the partners created a freestanding timepiece that fuses Bugatti’s automotive heritage with Jacob & Co.’s flair for high-complication horology and Lalique’s century-honed crystal expertise.
The design pays homage to the Type 41 Royale through a pair of gracefully mirrored Dancing Elephants, echoing Rembrandt Bugatti’s iconic sculptures and Lalique’s historic clock motifs. Jacob & Co. frames the dial with a polished radiator grille—the calandre—that immediately recalls Bugatti’s horseshoe signature, crowned by the deep-red Bugatti Macaron emblem. Behind the grille, a vertically mounted flying tourbillon mirrors the orientation of Bugatti’s new Tourbillon hyper sports car, ensuring precision while showcasing the house’s technical prowess.
Jacob & Co. engineered the hand-wound calibre JCAM58 specifically for this table clock, granting an impressive eight-day power reserve. Owners wind and set the mechanism with a dedicated key that slots neatly into the case-back, preserving the clock’s clean silhouette. A 30 mm Jacob-cut red gemstone—288 facets of near-perfect round brilliance—sits proudly atop the crystal case, its fiery hue mirroring the Bugatti badge and underscoring Jacob & Co.’s high-jewellery heritage.
Lalique artisans cast the 264 × 196 mm case in Wingen-sur-Moder, slowly cooling molten crystal in precision-engineered steel moulds before hand-polishing every surface. Frosted textures contrast with gleaming planes, allowing light to dance across the sculpted elephants and reveal the movement within. Months of meticulous finishing give the crystal its celebrated clarity, purity and inner fire.
The collaboration rests on shared history: René Lalique and Ettore Bugatti both set their workshops in Alsace, just forty-five kilometres apart, and once partnered in the esteemed Clos Sainte-Odile. Like Jacob Arabo, Lalique began as a jeweller before turning to glass, while Bugatti brought artistic flair to engineering. Their modern heirs now celebrate that kinship through this objet d’art.
Delivered in a bespoke tan leather trunk reminiscent of Bugatti interiors, the Bugatti Calandre table clock stands as a collector’s statement piece. Limited to ninety-nine examples and priced at approximately US $240,000, it features a 114 mm-wide, 25 mm-tall movement comprising 189 components that beats at 3 Hz, accompanied by open-worked rhodium-finished hands and polished steel detailing. More than a timekeeper, the Bugatti Calandre embodies the seamless fusion of automotive design, haute horlogerie and crystal artistry, defining a new pinnacle for luxury table clocks.
