Prestigious Swiss watchmaking brand Perrelet chose Las Vegas for the launch of its latest creation produced in partnership with renowned actor Sung Kang.

A two-stage presentation was planned for the Turbine Sung Kang, which is being released as a limited edition of 350 timepieces.

On June 3rd, Perrelet presented this new and exclusive timepiece designed to provide drivers with improved legibility to an audience of industry professionals at JCK, the North American jewelry trade show, which introduced a “LUXURY Watch” space dedicated to watchmaking this year.

Then, on June 4th, Perrelet and Sung Kang went on to present the result of their exciting partnership to the general public. As the model is an offset watch, what could be a more appropriate setting for unveiling Perrelet’s latest creation than “Cars and Coffee”, which takes place each weekend in Las Vegas?

“Cars and Coffee Las Vegas” is a fascinating and touching show that brings together enthusiasts of all types of cars, from classic or sports cars to concept cars, every Saturday morning. It is an occasion for automobile fans to display their own “four-wheeled toys”, swap news and opinions, discover the industry’s newest models, live and breathe the excitement of race tracks, enjoy great company... and, of course, drink a good cup of coffee!

Born to South Korean parents, American actor Sung Kang is well-known for his action films, which notably include the Fast and Furious franchise, in which he played the role of Han Lue in four of the seven movies, Live Free or Die Hard and Ninja Assassin to name just a few. He has also appeared in some very popular television series, such as NYPD Blue, Cold Case, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

An action enthusiast and true fan of fine mechanics, Sung Kang gladly accepted the opportunity to explore the prestigious world of watchmaking by helping Perrelet to design a timepiece that reflects his style and personality while retaining the Perrelet identity.

Sung Kang, whose name is mainly associated with high-adrenaline films—particularly those featuring cars driven at full throttle—is a lover and collector of both watches and cars. Attending “Cars and Coffee” with the Perrelet team and his sports car, the FuguZ, which has won awards on several occasions and inspired the design of the Turbine Sung Kang, the actor enjoyed sharing his experience of this exciting venture with the audience, driven by the same sense of motivation and passion that he has always devoted to designing and driving his own car.

Mechanical engineering, speed, precision, reliability and movement all epitomize the excitement of driving a race car and similarly characterize the innovations introduced by Perrelet creations.

The brand—which was founded in 1777 and went on to invent the automatic movement—introduced its Double Rotor technology in 1995, which brings watch dials to life in a unique way and has become a signature Perrelet feature. There are a number of versions of the Double Rotor: from the classic Double Rotor equipping the First Class Double Rotor collections to the more precious style driving the women’s Diamond Flower Amytis line, not forgetting the sportier rotors in the Turbine models, of course, whose blades move at the slightest movement of the wrist. An all-new interpretation of the latter is presented in the Turbine Sung Kang.

THE PRODUCT OF A PARTNERSHIP
THE NEW TURBINE SUNG KANG IN DETAIL A limited-edition offset watch

Sung Kang’s genuine passion for engines and watchmaking meets Perrelet’s boundless desire to surprise and innovate, giving rise to a new timepiece from the Swiss brand. The fruit of this partnership is the Turbine Sung Kang, the perfect model for automobile drivers.

Perrelet presented its first Turbine model in 2009. Its exclusive design could have been produced by a jet engine designer or an avant-garde technology lab. But in actual fact, the Turbine collection was created using the sketches and technical research provided by the Perrelet watchmaking engineers who, thanks to their exceptional technical expertise, have defied the laws of gravity.

The Turbine, which met with immediate success, is a variant of the Double Rotor, an iconic Perrelet feature that stands out thanks to its moving dials.

The dial of the new Turbine Sung Kang is made up of three distinct parts: the under-dial, the Turbine and the flange, to which the Arabic numerals and hour-markers are attached. The entire dial assembly is protected by a glareproofed sapphire crystal. For greater visibility at the wheel, the 12 o’clock hour-marker has been moved to 2 o’clock, as is typical for offset watches. This design feature was introduced to counteract the fact that shirt sleeves can hide part of the dial when at the wheel. By placing 12 o’clock at the more visible 2 o’clock, the time can be read off more easily while driving.

The Turbine captivates the beholder with its blades that rotate at the slightest movement of the wrist, creating an optical effect that reveals an under-dial adorned with a circular-grained center and surrounded by a brushed silvered ring that features the numbers 10-20-30-40-50-60 to indicate the minutes. But that’s not all! In pole position, two different shades combine and contrast, inspired by the colors of gleaming race car bodies: the minutes scale is colored yellow from 6 o’clock to 8 o’clock, and red from 8 o’clock to 12 o’clock.

The Turbine is formed from 10 anodized aluminum blades, with tungsten counterweights positioned beneath five of them. This creates the oscillating movement and ensures that the blades systematically return to the same place, with the blade engraved with the initials “SK” always readopting its original position at 4 o’clock (the equivalent of 6 o’clock on a traditional dial). Furthermore, as the Turbine is a complex technical feature, it must be assembled with great precision as it is essential for achieving perfect balance and, in turn, optimal operation.

The Turbine Sung Kang, with its original 44 mm diameter case made from black PVD-coated stainless steel, its fluted caseband and its integrated crown, indicates the hours and minutes with hands coated in Super- LumiNova, and the seconds via a yellow seconds hand. The model is fitted with the Perrelet P 331 automatic Manufacture movement, which offers a power reserve of 42 hours and is water-resistant to 50 meters. The sapphire crystal case back enables the wearer to admire the finely decorated movement and the engraved individual number, with production being limited to just 350 timepieces.

The model is delivered with a black rubber strap complete with a pin buckle in black PVD-coated stainless steel featuring the Perrelet logo.

Perrelet's new Turbine Sung Kang developed in partnership with Sung Kang is the latest must-have model, which will appeal to sports car enthusiasts as well as those looking for unique timepieces imbued with originality.