ZELOS Mirage Flying Tourbillon by La JOUX-PERRET

ZELOS, a young and emerging, Singaporean watch brand – has fully emerged as one of the most exciting watch company’s in its segment.

Today they have reached a momentous milestone with the release of a special new model powered by a Flying Tourbillon, manufactured by La Joux-Perret in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.



In addition to a custom skeletonized Flying Tourbillon by La Joux-Perret, the Zelos Mirage boasts triple Sapphire crystals including a Sapphire dial as well as three exotic case material options.

The Limited Edition run of 10 pieces while adhering to Zelos design codes incorporates three exotic case materials: Mokume Gane, Timascus and Titanium.



Mokume Gane is an ancient Japanese metalworking technique that uses folded copper and nickel silver to produce a woodgrain pattern.

It would be remiss to fail to mention H2O Watch in the same breath Mokume Gane as they were a pioneer of its use in sports watches.



However Zelos were another early adopter of the use of exotic materials such as Damascus Steel or the Meteorite which they have been using for their dials for some years.

Zelos’ Mokume Gane used for the Mirage combines copper and nickel silver to produce its woodgrain pattern.



Timascus is produced in much the same way as Damascus only it uses Titanium in differing grades and so boasts all those properties that we would expect from Titanium:

lightweight, high tensile strength, corrosion resistance as well as being non-magnetic and hypoallergenic. Zelos’ Timascus used for the Mirage combines Titanium Grade 2 and Grade 5.



A key difference Mokume Gane has compared to Timascus is that it will patina, with the copper portions eventually aging to a beautiful dark red, providing a contrast against the nickel silver.

Another key feature of the Mirage besides its movement and its case material is its use of Sapphire crystals. It features a high double domed front Sapphire crystal for maximum visibility.



While a display case-back is also made of Sapphire crystal - both front and rear crystals have anti-reflective coatings applied to their undersides.

Finally a breathtaking “invisible” Sapphire crystal dial creates a floating effect on the hands, indices, and brand logo, which seem to almost levitate.



However the show stopping feature is of course a skeletonized flying tourbillon, a customized La Joux-Perret Manufacture movement that is unlike a dual-supported tourbillon.

Instead, it is cantilevered and supported only by one side. This feat of engineering requires higher quality standards due to the increased stresses on the support structure, but also provides more unobstructed views to showcase the tourbillon.



Another engineering accomplishment is the re-designed gear train. Typically situated directly below the tourbillon cage, it has instead been designed to fit alongside.

This helps reduce the overall thickness of the movement to barely 9 millimeters, creating a sleeker profile.



The movement is fully decorated, complete with black PVD main-plates and a curved-grain pattern.

Every edge and join has been finely beveled for a remarkable finishing, especially up close. The movement boasts an impressive power reserve of 60 hours.



Pricing is as follows: 10’900USD (Titanium) 11’900USD (Timascus / Mokume Gane) models.

Please follow the link embedded, below for a full list of specifications.



Thoughts? The Mirage not only highlights the sheer diversity of models in Zelos’ ever-growing portfolio but gives a glimpse as to what could be possible for the future

– further use of high-end complications, more exotic case materials or perhaps even, the first ever diver’s watch to feature an affordable Swiss tourbillon.



Kudos to Zelos, this is certainly an audacious new creation from them. I can’t wait to see what they do next.