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Bucherer and Harley-Davidson unveil world’s most expensive motorbike

11 May 2018 • Written by Holly Overton

Swiss watchmaker and fine jeweller Bucherer has teamed up with Harley-Davidson to create a one-of-a-kind motorcycle to celebrate Bucherer’s Blue Edition collection which draws on the house’s extensive network beyond the worlds of watches and jewellery.

Created by Bündnerbike, the boutique Harley-Davidson workshop, the motorcycle features an original design and unique fine jewellery embellishments to the value of CHF1.89 million (£1.33 million), making it the most expensive motorcycle in the world.

The handgrips feature Bucherer Dizzler rings

Taking a team of eight craftsman more than 2,500 hours to complete, its design is based on the Harley-Davidson Softail Slim S and incorporates expert engineering with every metal element welded, beaten, ground and polished by hand. Other unique elements include a visible camshaft, valve control and throttle all valves all lit by heat-resistant LED lighting – making the Harley-Davidson Blue Edition the world’s first motorbike to have a motor lit from the inside.

However, what truly makes this bike a one-of-a-kind are the fine watch and jewellery elements which have been embedded in the design. The Dizzler rotating ring from the Bucherer Fine Jewellery collection has been adapted to allow it to be mounted on the hand grips while a further pair of Dizzler diamond rings can be found on the forks and a large version of the ring is located in the left half of the tank. Elsewhere a glass dome made from armoured glass protects a six-prong Heaven solitaire ring with a 5.4 carat diamond in a retractable safe.

The bike also houses a custom Bucherer Patravi TravelTec II watch

The star feature, however, is a custom-made watch based on the Patravi TravelTec II model. The dial features elements of a motorcycle engine and, to ensure the vibrations of the motorcyle do not damage the mechanical movement, the watch is housed in a cage with a holder made from silicon rings.

“It was a long road,” says Samir Merdanovic, head of manufacture movements at Carl F. Bucherer, of the development process. “The holder, for example, also serves as a watch winder. The watch is therefore wound regularly and continues to run, even if the motorcycle is not ridden for an extended period.”

“We are pleased to be able to contribute our long-standing experience and close relationship with our partners in order to create exclusive and unique watches and products as part of the Bucherer Blue Editions,” added Patrick Graf, CCO at Bucherer. “This allows us to appeal to customers around the world who want to stand out from the crowd and live the Blue Editions lifestyle.”

The Harley-Davidson Blue Edition will be available at the Selfridges Wonder Room, visit bucherer.com.