please excuse my ignorance

[premiumdesigners]

tourbillion this, tourbillion that. what makes it so special? as you can tell from the question, im very noober to this. I dont need very much detail, but a high level explanation that will send me on my way to researching some more...

Thanks gents!

[shimside11]

The tourbillon was invented to counteract the effects that gravity has on a pocket watch. The whole balance assembly turns round within the movement. Since a pocket watch was in the same place all day, gravity would throw off the precision, so now the balance could turn and counter gravity's pull.

The tourbillon is very intricate complication and is hard to make. Recently, over the past couple of years, the complication has caught fire with the watch crowd and now everyone is coming out with them. They are selling for hundreds of thousands of USD, some approaching 1m.

The whole idea behind the tourbillon becomes obsolete on a wristwatch, given that the watch is in different positions all day. So the whole interest in the complication is appreciation for its complexity (if one is serious about watches) or that it's cool and costs alot of money (if one is a dilettante with too much money to spend).

That's it in a nutshell. Anyone else give it a go?

[Richard Tracy]

Considered by top watchmakers to be at the Pinnacle of watch mastering,

the Tourbillon is no easy feat to build and regulate.

To have Tourbillons come out in replicas is astounding..and a testament to the

ability of our rep manufacturers to produce top quality complications for us to

enjoy, and I would say, should change some of our prejudices about Asian movements.

Here is a TZ article regarding Tourbis..

http://www.timezone.com/library/tzints/tzi...685739687608484

[gran]

Silly you premiumdesigners

You should read this. Correction all should read the following link about the

"Triple Axis Tourbillon with constant force"

http://www.p178host.com/ahcigallery/Presch...escher_TAT.html

Regards

Gran

[Dani]

MMMM solo er godt idag..

Yes that is the name of a new watch

[gran]

MMMM solo er godt idag..

Yes that is the name of a new watch

Ja! det er delig med sol og varme håper du har fått lit solstråler på kroppen Dani

Its more than a watch Dani its a watch with a Tourbillon

[Guest overboosted]

Dani, please post the full res shot of adriana in the bin,,,,it's a keeper

nice find

oh yeah,,,and the hype of tourbillions?

the are mesmerizing to watch!

[jens]

tourbillion this, tourbillion that. what makes it so special? as you can tell from the question, im very noober to this. I dont need very much detail, but a high level explanation that will send me on my way to researching some more...

Thanks gents!

Here you can find a simple animation of a basic turbillion:

http://www.clockwatch.de/

in the left menu goto: -theory - complications - turbillion

jens

[Dirk Pitt]

I honestly don't see the appeal of Tourbillons in watches. I know that is sacrilege to many but to me they take away from the beauty of the dial, I am more of a minimalist...

[gran]

I honestly don't see the appeal of Tourbillons in watches. I know that is sacrilege to many but to me they take away from the beauty of the dial, I am more of a minimalist...

Sacrilege it is

In some cases the tourbillon in a watche is not visible on/trough the front dial. So you can be a minimalist and have a tourbillion at the same time. Have your cake and eat it to is possible in this case. Lets see if you are able to find an example of this and post it here?

Regards

Gunnar

[Dirk Pitt]

Patek Philippe's 10 Day Tourbillon is behin the dial I believe...

[Guest HeWhoIsLikeGod]

Someone needs to take a video if their actuall tourby in motion. I have only seen a tourby once on tv.

[Dirk Pitt]

If you are interested in watching these being made watch "Masters of Time: A Complex Clockwork World" on HDnet. You can see Antoine Preziuso make Opus II and another watch (forget the name) in HD... It was a great show.

edit** Philippe Dufour also makes a watch called Simplicity on the show.

[Guest HeWhoIsLikeGod]

Some cool Video of Tourbillon Movt.'s

"CLICK HERE FOR A GOOD TIME"

[gran]

Patek Philippe's 10 Day Tourbillon is behin the dial I believe...

There you go

[Dirk Pitt]

Speaking of Philippe Dufour he makes a double escapement; it is similar to a tourbillon as it is made to defeat the effects of gravity but is harder to make.

[PunkJr]

i agree that a manufacturer produces a tourbillon to show that it can, it is a great acheivement. However there is a manufacturer in Swiss that makes tourbillon's (i can't recall the companies name) and this company supplies movements to some watch houses. Ofcourse the list of companies that receive these movements is a very closely guarded secret.

[gran]

Speaking of Philippe Dufour he makes a double escapement; it is similar to a tourbillon as it is made to defeat the effects of gravity but is harder to make.

Double escapement is a great invention and it is also something quite different from a tourbillion

The double escapement have been used in one or two watches and your correct that this is proabbaly a better setup than the tourbillion.

g.

[Hok]

To have Tourbillons come out in replicas is astounding..and a testament to the

ability of our rep manufacturers to produce top quality complications for us to

enjoy, and I would say, should change some of our prejudices about Asian movements.

it'S hard to me to tell from pictures which watches have a "true" tourbillion. any hints?

i guess from the price that this one is true.... i don't think anyone would believe that there are fakes with working tourbi...

http://www.aspire-eshop.com/product_info.p...roducts_id=1039

btw o the most friggin complications i've ever seen. JLC gyrotourbillon

http://www.timezone.com/library/rdnotebook/200503149532

VIDEO http://img.timezone.com/gyro.mov ( some 40mb)

Edited May 9, 2006 by Hok

[Guest HeWhoIsLikeGod]

That breguet is friigin beautiful, I would consider that an excellent deal for a working tourby.

[DRVJA]

THEY ARE COOL TO LOOK AT