The clock on the Bentley Bentayga costs as much as the car

The Bentley Bentayga is the British uber-luxury carmaker’s first official 4×4, and when it was unveiled, reactions were mixed at best, if only because of its exterior styling. One thing is for sure though — it’s going to sell well, and it is likely to become the brand’s most popular model, if Porsche’s history tells us anything. Bentley also claims that the Bentayga will be the world’s fastest SUV, although we found a single item on the options list to be more fascinating than that — the optional Breitling clock on the dash costs almost as much as the base Bentayga. We first saw this clock at the Frankfurt Motor Show two months ago and spoke to Bentley about it in detail when the car appeared at the Dubai Motor Show last week.

The 2,300-kg 4×4 can do the 0-100 kph run in 4 seconds flat, and has an interior that more or less mimics the rest of the Bentley range. Think of it as a raised Bentley Flying Spur, and you wouldn’t be too far off the mark.

We spoke to George Brown, a lead designer with the team responsible for the interior, and he told us how much work goes into designing the interior, such as making sure the seams of the leather panels look just right, and the way the stitches have to match on all the leather pieces.

However, we quickly shifted the discussion to the bespoke mechanical “Mulliner Tourbillon by Breitling” clock that comes as an option. The complex watch mechanism is automatically wound every 15 minutes by a dedicated high-precision winding mechanism within the car. The winding mechanism is powered by the car’s electric system, even when the car is turned off, and can even be activated by a button to show off to your friends. When the winding action happens, the clock-face rotates three times in about 15 seconds.

The Mulliner Tourbillon is machined in solid gold, and customers can select from either rose or white gold, with a choice of either a mother-of-pearl or a black ebony face and decorated with eight diamonds.

The clock will reportedly cost around Dhs 900,000, made all the more interesting because the Bentayga itself is expected to start at Dhs 1 million when it comes here early next year. The clock is so expensive that George tells us it will come with a plinth, should you wish to display it in your living room instead, and thereby also allowing you to keep the clock even after you sell the car.

The clock is just one of the options on the Bentayga. Marcus Abbott, head of product marketing, showed us some of the other options available on the Bentayga, such as powered side-steps and a number of wheel choices, although the one that caught our eye was the optional tray system in the boot that holds three cubbies for food and drinks, and each cubby can act as a sitting stool once removed from the car. As an aside, he also said a version of the car is coming soon with three rows of seats.

Bentley is producing 608 Bentayga First Edition models, in honour of its 608 PS (600 hp) power output. The “First Edition” cars are earmarked for VIPs and will be optioned up with Union Jack badging, illuminated treadplates and 22-inch black painted and polished wheels, while the interior will get diamond-style quilting, unique contrast stitching and embroidered seats. Buyers will also get a special Breitling watch.