
In , a tourbillion or tourbillon (; French: "") is an addition to the mechanics of a to increase accuracy. Conceived by the British and inventor , it was developed by his friend the Swiss-French watchmaker and patented by on 26 June 1801. In a tourbillon, the escapement and are mounted in a rotating cage, with the goal of eliminating errors of poise in the balance. Energy is stored and released via the mainspring, a coiled spring that serves as the power source for timekeeping mechanisms. As the mainspring unwinds, it releases energy in a controlled manner that drives the gear train, ultimately moving the hands of the timepiece. In the case of a tourbillon, this energy management becomes crucial. [pdf]
The tourbillon increases accuracy for watches held in the upright position While a traditional movement sends its power to the locking and unlocking mechanism of the escapement to prevent it winding down all in one go, a tourbillon watch sends the power first to the tourbillon cage, which houses the escapement.
In a tourbillon, the escapement and balance wheel are mounted in a rotating cage, with the goal of eliminating errors of poise in the balance giving a uniform weight. Tourbillons are still included in some modern wristwatches, where the mechanism is usually exposed on the watch's face to showcase it.
Tourbillons are still included in some modern wristwatches, where the mechanism is usually exposed on the watch's face to showcase it. Patented by Breguet in 1801, the single axis tourbillon minimizes the difference in rate between positions caused by poise errors.
As Breguet discovered, gravity affects watches, but tourbillons counteracted this by averaging out errors. Whether it’s the simplest or most complex tourbillon, this is not a complication (any timekeeping function beyond basic minutes and seconds functionality).
Tourbillons may be relatively commonplace and increasingly accessible. Yet, though their raison d'être is long gone, the appeal of sophisticated engineering and workmanship in even a basic tourbillon endures. A tourbillon may not be essential for timekeeping, but it’s a really cool feature to have in your watch.
Tourbillon cages may take on a variety of styles, but like a balance wheel, should have high inertia while being as light as possible. Now that the cage is rotating, how is power delivered to the balance wheel? The answer is simpler than you may think: under the cage and fixed to the movement’s baseplate is a stationary fourth wheel.
We are deeply committed to excellence in all our endeavors.
Since we maintain control over our products, our customers can be assured of nothing but the best quality at all times.