Bentley offering world’s most expensive in-car clock

If you're going to build the world's most expensive SUV, it might seem logical to offer the world's most expensive in-car clock, as well.

At least, that's what Bentley plans to do when it starts rolling out the new Bentayga in a few months.

The full-size ute, with its leather and wood-lined cabin, will start at $229,100 in the U.S., but the price can bump with a variety of options, including a Breitling Mulliner Tourbillon clock. (Tweet This)

While a final price hasn't been set, the watch is expected to come in at around 150,000 pounds, or roughly $234,000—which could make it more expensive than the "base" Bentley Bentayga. The maker justifies the price by explaining the clock has "the most complex of watch mechanisms."

That means a mechanical, rather than electrical, self-winding mechanism. That's easy to operate when you're wearing one on your wrist, but to ensure the Mulliner Tourbillon stays wound on the dashboard, Bentley will build in an unusual mechanism that will spin the clock around three times every 15 minutes. And just to be sure—or simply to impress friends—a motorist will have a button to tap to spin the watch one more time.

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Bentley prides itself on allowing its customers to endlessly customize its vehicles. You even can match the vehicle's paint to the shade of a favorite shirt, scarf or lipstick.

As for the Breitling, it will only be offered in solid gold—though you will be able to choose between white or rose gold. A customer also will be able to pick from a black ebony or mother-of-pearl face. The clock is completed with eight large diamonds.

Source: Bentley

The Breitling Mulliner Tourbillon clock is an option for Bentley’s Bentayga SUV.

For those who can't quite bring themselves to spend more on a clock than a car, all versions of the Bentley Bentayga will come with a standard, albeit less exotic, Breitling watch. The two companies have long partnered, and the watchmaker offers versions adorned with the Bentley name to wear rather than drive.

What's unclear is whether the Mulliner Tourbillon option will be ticked on the list when the first Bentley Bentayga is delivered in a few months. That one, it seems, will be going to a long-time fan of SUVs who'd like something a little more exotic than the Range Rovers she has traditionally used to get around her wooded estate, Balmoral Castle, in northern Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth II already has an appropriately royal fleet of vehicles from which to choose, including British-made products from Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, Vauxhall and Bentley. The Arnage was modified to create the monarch's current Bentley state limousine.

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Her Majesty apparently wants something a little more luxurious to take out when hunting. Although it's not known if the royal Bentley Bentayga will be outfitted with a custom gun rack, one wouldn't expect a base model for a monarch who is expected to drive the new SUV herself around the estate.

Among other things, the new Bentayga includes an "Event Seat," a slide-and-fold system that can be used to tailgate party in style.

The Bentayga also can be ordered with a built-in picnic basket slotted into its cargo compartment. Think of it as a portable catering system, as there are bins for china and silverware, as well as a compact, powered food cooler.