The Peacock Black Hole III Curved Guilloche Central Tourbillon; Bold, Complex yet Attainable

The tourbillon, one of the most fascinating technical devices created, remains today a technical challenge that often comes at a cost. And when it comes to centrally positioned tourbillons, the landscape becomes even narrower. Only a handful of watches, mostly from independent watchmakers or high-end brands, feature this specific regulator: Omega (the first on the market), Beat Haldimann, ArtyA, Bulgari or Roger Dubuis are some of the recent examples. With the Black Hole III Curved Guilloche Central Tourbillon, Chinese manufacturer Peacock brings the complication to a whole new price range, redefining what is technically and aesthetically achievable at the USD 5,000 threshold. And not at the expense of the rest of the watch either…

We recently reviewed the Peacock Divine Craft Ultra-Thin Tourbillon, a watch with an in-house tourbillon movement, pleasant finishing and a hand-made dial, for less than USD 5,000. And yes, we’ve been impressed by it. Even putting the price aside, the watch is of undeniable quality. This can be partially explained by the place where the watches are made (of course), but also thanks to the long-lasting experience of the brand, since Peacock has been around for almost three-quarters of a century. And with its new Black Hole III Curved Guilloche Central Tourbillon, Peacock once again demonstrate that high-end watchmaking and traditional decorative techniques are not necessarily reserved for the elite.

This new watch is a rather appealing combination of bold, architectural, contemporary design, complex watchmaking and traditional decorative crafts. Before talking about mechanics, let’s spend some time on the shape and design of this Black Hole III. As said, the watch is undeniably futuristic, and its flying-saucer-like design is far more intentional than many of previous watches done by the brand. Made of grade 5 titanium (black-coated or not), it measures 43.5mm in diameter and 11.9mm in thickness, but the size should be less problematic than the numbers suggest thanks to the absence of lugs. In order to give the best view of both the decorated dial and central regulator, the watch features a highly domed sapphire crystal that wraps around the case.

While the central tourbillon is a complication that has long been defined as “architectural”, “kinetic” and “space-related” (often evoking the singularity of a cosmic black hole), there’s more to this watch than the regulating organ. First of all, like all central tourbillons, the indication of the time cannot be done with classic, central hands. Here, Peacock relies on two discs framing the tourbillon, made of blued titanium and displaying the hours and minutes. Then, moving outside, there’s a flamed-blued titanium inner ring, and the best to come: hand-guilloché elements.

Framing this central kinetic spectacle is a dial executed with a hand-crafted curved guilloché pattern named Gravitational Weave, inspired by the warped spacetime continuum surrounding a gravitational singularity. Done by using traditional hand-controlled machines, the V-shaped engine-turned grooves gradually contract toward the centre and, adding to the complexity, are engraved on a curved, concave three-dimensional surface. Since every stroke of the engraving tool moves simultaneously through X, Y, and Z axes as the surface rises and falls beneath the cutter, Peacock developed custom-adapted engine-turning equipment capable of navigating variable depth trajectories. In total, the pattern results in 240 interlocking V-Grooves and 1,440 cuts (six per groove) and is then matte finished by hand.

At the heart of the watch is the in-house Caliber PAX9611A, a hand-wound movement with a solid 120-hour power reserve, thanks to 4 compact barrels in series. Central tourbillon movements are fairly complex to develop, as all technical elements must be spread on the periphery. Only 3.5mm in thickness, the movement is built around a central tourbillon cage weighing only 0.46 grams, and beating at a classic 3Hz frequency. The free-sprung balance wheel incorporates four internal Gyromax-style micro-regulating weights, allowing high-precision poising without disturbing hairspring geometry. The decoration is also rather expressive, with a hand-guilloché pattern on the main bridge, requiring more than 400 individual tool passes.

Availability & Price

The Peacock Black Hole III Curved Guilloche Central Tourbillon is worn on an integrated white or black rubber strap with a grade 5 titanium pin buckle. The watches are now immediately available from the brand’s website and priced at USD 5,099… Which is, objectively, a highly competitive price for a watch with this type of regulating organ and a dial executed in such a way.

The 70th Anniversary Special editions

In addition to the classic versions of the Black Hole III Curved Guilloché Central Tourbillon, Peacock also releases a pair of 70th Anniversary Special Edition models, featuring two-tone guilloche rings, a light-tone one named “Canis Major” and a darker, black-coated version named “Perseus”. Offered during a limited pre-order window from August 23 to September 6, 2026, this limited pre-order opportunity will no longer be available.

Both versions are priced at USD 5,199 and available from peacockwatches.com.