03.15.2004
Franck Muller Introduces Grand Complications for 2004
Franck Muller's reputation has been established by constant efforts to explore and push back the boundaries of Haute Horlogerie. This year, three more innovations have been introduced to delight connoisseurs and lovers of grandes complications:
- THE RÉVOLUTION 3 TOURBILLON
- THE CRAZY HOURS TOURBILLON
- THE TOURBILLON MINUTE REPEATER WITH 3 NEW PATENTS
- a new hammer adjustment system
- a new rack design
- a new click system
The Revolution 3 Tourbillon (Tri-axial) for Wrist Watches
The aim of this invention is to reduce to a minimum the variations in the operation of the tourbillon that arise from the changing positions of the wearer.
The tourbillon was originally designed for use in pocket watches and so for an essentially vertical position. With a wrist watch, however, the average position may vary considerably depending on the wearer's movements and this, in turn, can give rise to significant variations in running.
To overcome this disadvantage, Franck Muller's engineers have designed a tri-axial tourbillon arranged as follows: the balance wheel and escapement rotating about its axis are contained in Cage A; Cage A is in turn mounted inside Cage B, so that it can turn about another axis; and Cage B is mounted inside Cage C, which turns about an axis fixed in relation to the timepiece. The three axes are perpendicular to each other. As this system of cages fitted one inside the other makes the watch totally independent of the earth's gravity, the accuracy of its running is considerably improved.
Apart from the sheer ingenuity of the invention, connoisseurs of watchmaking will appreciate the virtuosity that has made it possible to pack so much into so small a space.
The Crazy Hours Tourbillon
Franck Muller dazzled the watchmaking world with the advent of Crazy Hours. In this contemporary design, the conventional clockwise arrangement of the hours from 1 to 12 is replaced by a new and original order which not only permits everyone to assign his own values to the hours but also ensures that, despite this freedom, accurate time keeping remains unimpaired. This year, our engineers have gone one step further by combining the crazy hours with one of Franck Muller's hallmark complications: the tourbillon.
The Minute Repeater Tourbillon with 3 New Patents
The three inventions are intended to simplify the manufacture and adjustment of the watch and to improve its performance.
I. A new hammer adjustment system
The purpose of this invention is to permit direct access to set the hammers to the gongs.
The repeater mechanism comprises two hammers and two gongs, one bass and one treble. The hammer strikes the hours on the bass gong. The quarters are struck by the two hammers alternating between treble and bass, while the minutes are struck on the treble. Traditionally, the repeater mechanism has been mounted in the base plate of the movement, which makes it difficult to access for any adjustment from the dial side. Now, thanks to the ingenuity of our engineers, Franck Muller can make a minute repeater in which all adjustments of the chime can be made without dismantling. All that is necessary is to open the back to access the adjustment mechanism.
II. A new rack design
[Information will not be available until after the patent has been filed]
III. A new click system
The purpose of this invention is to make use of the slightest displacement of the rotor by registering in the barrel the movements of the wearer of the watch however small they may be.
Some of the wheels in a minute repeater are required to move in one direction only. Though the conventional system of ratchet wheels prevents rotation in both directions, it does not avoid a slight return movement that results in a loss of energy. The device conceived by the Franck Muller engineers consists of a pallet-stone wheel formed from a succession of arms arranged evenly around a centre of rotation. The wheel is fitted inside a circular cavity with a diameter slightly smaller than that of the arms and as the latter are inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation of the wheel, they are unable to return a hair's breadth.
Thanks to this device, the slightest movement is registered without any loss of energy.
