Having founded his eponymous watch Micro-Manufacture in 2004, Count Jérôme de Witt, a descendent of Napoleon Bonaparte, can draw upon his noble heritage in order to create a portfolio rich with authentic watchmaking traditions.

With their Academia Tourbillon Force Constante wristwatch, DeWitt arguably underscore their Haute Horlorgerie skills – but, this timepiece also demonstrates their founder’s passion for collecting and restoring vintage cars with hints of automobile-inspired styling.

In the pursuit of accuracy, generations of watchmakers have had to face up to the same quandary – the reality that a timekeeper’s accuracy will ultimately depend on the unchanging release of energy from its power source.  On a wristwatch the frustration lies in the fluctuation of energy transferred from the mainspring, which like any wound spring will lose some of its “momentum” as it uncoils.

But, integrated within their Academia Tourbillon Force Constante, Manufacture DeWitt, have developed a solution to the issue - an additional Constant-Force mechanism, created to ensure that the power will not fluctuate.  Right from the moment that this watch has been fully wound up until the end of its reserve of power, the energy will be supplied in precise and regular impulses, regardless of how much tension is remaining in the mainspring.

Such a complex innovation deserves to be showcased, and in an opening at 8 o’clock on the dial of this innovative timepiece the wearer is offered a full look-see into the little four-armed devise which completes 6 revolutions per minute and which also features its own balance-spring.  This innovative micro-technology enables an unwavering supply of energy to be delivered, ensuring accuracy.

A similar opening at 5 o’clock provides a vista into the mechanisms of the tourbillon.  Each of these openings has been enclosed with a tinted sapphire covering.

The black dial has a sunburst finish and, as an ode to automobile symbolism, the upper section features a car radiator grille motif, enhanced by a rhodium-plated decorative fillet.    Here, the open-worked sword-shaped hands indicate the hours and minutes via a combination of Roman and Arabic numerals.

The case of the watch, 43 mm in diameter, is sculptured in 18-carat white gold and its sapphire crystal case back is secured with screws. Inside, the DeWitt mechanical hand-winding movement beats at 21,600vph and it retains a power reserve of 72 hours.  The superlative hand-finishing can be appreciated through the sapphire case back.

Finished with a sculpted bezel and featuring “Imperial Columns” on its case middle, the piece comes presented on a black alligator leather strap fitted with a folding clasp in 18-carat white gold, featuring the DeWitt signature “W” motif.