Tribute to first man to orbit earth is out of this world

Bernhard Lederer, founder of the company known as BLU (Bernhard Lederer Universe) has always said that ordinary watches had never held any appeal for him. He founded BLU SA in 2000 as an integrated watchmaking manufacturer to specialise in 'exclusive haute horlogerie with a difference'.

He now produces a collection that often highlights his love of the beauty and study of the universe itself, and his latest unique piece is very specific in what it is honouring. Named the BLU Only Watch, it exceeded its estimated price at this year's Only Watch auction in Geneva. It is more completely called the BLU Gagarin Platinum Flying Tourbillon for Only Watch, and the flying tourbillion orbits the dial of the watch once every 108 minutes. This commemorates the amount of time Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin spent as the first person to orbit the earth on April 12, 1961.

The one-minute tourbillion can be viewed up close using an integrated rotating magnifying glass, and is supposed to be reminiscent of the view out of the Vostok space capsule 50 years ago. The dial is an applied hand-engraved three- dimensional map of the world in gold with time told using two centrally-mounted hands with luminous inserts.

The movement is a Calibre BL0611 35 jewel triple-barrel lateral lever escapement, and the titanium cage of the tourbillion forms the word 'Vostok'. It also moves anticlockwise in order to symbolise the east. The brushed-anthracite border of the dial is engraved 'First Man in Space - 12 April 1961 - Duration 108 Min'. The circular platinum case is polished and brushed, with angled lugs and a protected winding crown.

It is a conservative 42mm, making the watch very wearable in spite of having such a unique complication, rather deep front sapphire crystal and an external magnifying loupe as well.

While many watches are trying to give us a view of the skies, this one tries to remind us what one man saw when he first looked at earth from on high.