Memorigin Imperial Stellar Series: Affordable Flying Tourbillon Review

Tourbillon watches are toys of the ultra-rich. A typical watch with a tourbillon movement usually sits around $200,000 – $300,000 range. What exactly makes the tourbillon movement worth the price of a 4 bedroom house in Houston? Originally, it was thought that the gravity defying tourbillon would be able to give more accurate time. However, that’s been debunked and nowadays it’s nothing more than an ultra-luxury engineering marvel.

Most of us can only afford Movado, Rolex, and the likes, not a Jaeger-LeCoultre or Jacob & Co. Luckily for you, Memorigin, a Hong Kong based watchmaker, produce watches with a Tourbillon movement you can actually afford. Introducing the Imperial Stellar Series, the latest addition to the Memorigin lineup of affordable, yet still ultra-luxury watches starting at $7,000.

Memorigin isn’t the only watchmaker debuting affordable tourbillon for the masses. We reviewed the $1500 Era Time pieces last year, and it too had an astonishing tourbillon. What impresses us the most about the Memorigin is the striking first impression. It’s a gorgeous watch with a peculiar gold planetarium and a magnifying dome.

The Tourbillon itself sits proudly on top of the dial with a glass dome resting on top gives the viewer a magnified perspective of the 28,800 oscillations per hour underneath. The subassembly is made from 232 pieces and 18 jewels. Accompanying the tourbillon movement is the eccentric 18k karat gold spinning planetarium.

Although we’re not sure if the globe spins in accordance with a day/night cycle, the fact that there’s an 18k gold planetarium gives the Memorigin watch a distinct charm and class rarely found on watches at this range. The blue alligator strap also adds elegance and style without taking away from the centerpiece – the tourbillon.

I’m not paid to write this piece, nor did I receive a review sample. A lot of Chinese watch brands offer to pay me to promote their products. I’ve turned down most requests largely due to the fact that I can’t validate if they’re a legitimate company that will provide support for their products after you make your purchase.

Originally I had my doubts about Memorigin, since they’re a relatively unknown brand here in the States. I did my due diligence looking into the company to learn more about their internal operations and what real customers said about their products online. I also got in touch with Ivy, one of their rep, and she was helpful in educating me more about their company. Eventually, I concluded that Memorigin is actually a legitimate company and decided to publish this article.

Flying tourbillon movements are absurdly expensive and out of reach for most people. Companies like Memorigin are breaking the mold and bringing these watches to a broader market. This is a trend we’re seeing more of nowadays, and it’s likely to disrupt the luxury watch industry in a good way.

If you’re on the market for a luxury flying tourbillon movement and “only” have $7000 to spend, consider one of Memorigin’s Imperial Stellar Series.