Geneva Watch Days 2026 sees Speake Marin create a new version of their Openworked Tourbillon in a spectacular, red gold and rich blue reference.
Speake Marin is an independent brand for timepiece tastemakers. Since its founding in 2002, the Anglo-Swiss brand has defined itself through its delightfully eccentric take on horology, fusing traditional methods with its own unique character. No watch from Speake Marin looks quite like anything coming out of anywhere else, from its most intricate complications to its sportier integrated-bracelet lines, and it’s garnered the brand a respectable and fervent following.
Part of the brand’s singular philosophy of watchmaking is the Piccadilly case, which defines itself through its unusual yet highly contemporary silhouette. This has since become the frame upon which many of Speake Marin’s artistic skills have been put on display, which for Geneva Watch Days 2026 they’ve harnessed once more. Following on from another release from last year’s proceedings, the brand has unveiled a new rendition in the Openworked line, showcasing its ethos in both watch design and micromechanics.
Ravishing Red Gold
The new Speake Marin Openworked Tourbillon in Royal Blue enriches the Piccadilly case first presented by the brand’s One & Two line. Measuring 42mm in case diameter with a 13.25mm thickness, it’s a prominent wear on the wrist thanks to its straight lugs and drum-like profile. Yet, it’s both unobtrusive and tactile, complete with a flared, onion-esque crown that makes time adjustments all that much easier.
Unlike the purple references released last year, the watch doesn’t lean on the use of Grade 5 titanium. Though unobtrusive, it makes its presence known with 18k red gold. Not only does it add that all-too-familiar density to the wearing experience, it also provides a contrasting warmth to the cold blue and steel accompaniments.
Speake Marin enhances its dressy nature through the use of a blue ostrich leather strap, a rare use of the material in watchmaking apropos for a limited run of just five watches. It is a dress watch through and through, with a water resistance of just 30m, but one that defines itself beyond the often stringent rules of dressy watchmaking.
Blue Mondays
The golden frame of the new Speake Marin Openworked Tourbillon only serves to make the design within far more apparent. Layout-wise, nothing has changed, though I wouldn’t blame you if it still looked alien compared to standard watchmaking conventions. Again, that’s the whole idea, allowing Speake Marin to express itself through the watch’s singular character. Bridges in red gold stretch across to the micro-rotor and barrel, with the latter laser-engraved to bear the “One & Two Openworked Flying Tourbillon” hallmark.
Other gaps in the openworked, skeletonised dial include the power reserve indicator between seven and eight o’clock, with remaining life depicted between the white and red dots as a small arrowhead arcs between them. And of course, the brand’s signature 1:30 seconds indication remains, this time a flying tourbillon with a cage shaped in the brand’s logo of a topping tool, a legendary tool deeply rooted in watchmaking tradition.
This incredible display is set atop the brand’s latest backdrop: a royal blue PVD, its intensity perfectly accompanying the gold and rhodium. It’s an intense colourway, one that evokes the history behind such a colour, and does so with all the reverence and respect Speake Marin can afford to it. With time told across white printed indexes and Speake Marin’s iconic handset, there’s no mistaking the distinct character of this new Openworked Tourbillon.
Micro-Rotor Madness
And while the front and sides of the watch are unmistakable, just wait until you get to take a look at the back. Though visible through the front, looking at the Cal. SMA05 through the display caseback allows you to truly see the horological punch packed within. Comprising 290 components, the automatic micro-rotor movement beats at a steady 3Hz (21,600VpH) atop a 72-hour power reserve.
I have to really give Speake Marin kudos once again for its movement manufacturing. Combining modern specifications with traditional methods, as well as a display for which there existed no generic template, is no easy feat. Yet, the brand remains committed to creative independence and the watch enthusiast. Between the openness of the movement from the micro-rotor to the 1:30 tourbillon and the three-day power reserve, the end result is a highly complex movement that leverages modern conveniences as part of the luxury.
Initial Thoughts
Speake Marin is a watch brand that is truly one of one in the industry, a task that can be near-impossible to achieve in the dynamic environment of today. But they’ve used their own eclectic form of horology as a metaphorical trampoline into the upper echelons of watchmaking, where their weirdness has become a winning formula.
The Piccadilly silhouette isn’t one you’d associate with any other watch than a Speake Marin, a character only further enforced by the incomparable nature of the Openworked Tourbillon. Though the colour and material have changed, the watch remains the same in its character and attitude. Reflective of the brand as a whole, this new rendition of the Speake Marin Openworked line is guaranteed a double take and a stare from anyone who passes it at the Beau-Rivage this week.
Reference & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | Speake Marin Openworked Tourbillon Royal Blue |
| Dimensions | 42mm case diameter x 13.25 thickness |
| Case | 18k red gold |
| Dial | Openworked with royal blue PVD |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Caseback | Open, sapphire |
| Movement | Automatic micro-rotor Cal. SMA05 with micro-rotor, 1:30 flying tourbillon & power reserve indicator complications |
| Power Reserve | 72h |
| Beat Rate | 3Hz /21,600VpH |
| Water Resistance | 30m / 3bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Blue ostrich leather strap with red gold pin buckle |