02.03.2006

The Amazing Tourbillon

Of all horology complications, the tourbillon is undoubtedly the one that mostly fascinates watch connoisseurs. One can be easily charmed by the whirls that gave its name. Moreover, the expert of haute horlogerie can't but admire the manual and technical skills necessary to accomplish this masterpiece. Even today, manufacturing, assembling and timing a tourbillon remains a masterwork of which very few watchmakers are capable.

The principle of the tourbillon

Patented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801, the tourbillon was conceived to compensate for the errors in rate caused by gravity. In the tourbillon watch, the balance wheel, the spiral, and the escape wheel are mounted on a mobile carriage rotating on itself. This device counterbalances the effects of gravitation on the rate of a movement, particularly in vertical positions.

The House of Franck Muller's tourbillons

Franck Muller's tourbillons are unique in that they are highly visible. Traditionally, the tourbillon was somewhat dissimulated within the movement due to a technical constraint: it needed to be linked to the movement by a series of pivots. The Geneva based House succeeded in bringing the tourbillon up to the dial. Its tourbillon is in fact connected to the movement by a single pivot.

The House offers three types of tourbillon, entirely conceived, manufactured and assembled in its workshops.

• A classical tourbillon, available in two versions: the Imperial Tourbillonand the Revolution 1
• The tourbillon on two axis : the Revolution 2
• The tourbillon on three axis : the Revolution 3

The tourbillon can be associated to other complications such as the chronograph or the minute repeater.

In terms of design, the bridge featuring the FM initials represent the signature of the Franck Muller's classical tourbillon. Should a collector desire to personalize his/ her timepiece, the House can adapt the shape of the bridge according to his/her wish.

The House of Franck Muller is amongst the very few watch companies that significantly contributed to the perfection of the tourbillon with 7 patents on this technological marvel so far, and probably more to come in the future. The most remarkable invention is that of adding an axis and hence transform the tourbillon device from a bi dimensional into a tri dimensional one in order to get closer and closer to perfection.