Tourbillon
Patented on 26 June 1801 (French patent N°157), the tourbillon places the entire escapement and balance wheel inside a rotating carriage - typically completing one revolution per minute. Its original purpose was to neutralise the effect of gravity on the regulating organ of a vertically-carried pocket watch.
How it works
The escape wheel, lever, balance wheel and balance spring are mounted in a lightweight cage. As the cage turns, any rate variation that depends on the watch's vertical position is, in theory, averaged across the rotation. In a wristwatch - which spends most of its time in motion - the practical chronometric benefit is debated; the modern tourbillon is best understood as a finishing and engineering showcase.
Variants
Flying tourbillon (no upper bridge, introduced by Alfred Helwig in 1920); double- and triple-axis tourbillons (Greubel Forsey, Thomas Prescher); gyrotourbillon (Jaeger-LeCoultre, 2004); central tourbillon (Omega De Ville Central Tourbillon, 1994).
Notable contemporary makers
Breguet, Greubel Forsey, A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Bovet, Arnold & Son and several Chinese manufactures (Beijing, Sea-Gull) which have made tourbillon production accessible at significantly lower price points.
Key facts
- ▸Patented 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet
- ▸Standard rotation period: 60 seconds
- ▸Flying tourbillon invented 1920 by Alfred Helwig (Glashütte)
- ▸Modern benefit on the wrist is largely aesthetic