What is tourbillon

Why You Might Want to Purchase One Perhaps the most important question is whether you should purchase one of these watches or not. Craftsmanship — The tourbillon is one of the most impressive pieces of engineering that a watch manufacturer can manage. Some even call it the pinnacle of craftsmanship.

If that appeals to you, buying one of these pieces might be a good idea. Aesthetics — One of the most enjoyable aspects of having this complication. As a result, you can watch it spin and work whenever you want. Clout — Lastly, there is a certain amount of clout that comes with owning one of these watches. Why You Might Not Despite the positives of tourbillons, many choose to pass on them due to the following negatives.

Price — These pieces are almost always very expensive. Unnecessary Engineering — Some view the tourbillon as entirely unnecessary and would prefer to have a simpler piece. Flashiness — These watches are usually somewhat large and often show the tourbillon on the dial.

If you prefer an understated look, you may want to go in a different direction. Post comments. Leave A Reply Your email address will not be published. Featured Brands. It is a French word that means whirlwind , which aptly describes it's motion. It is mesmerizing to watch the balance wheel oscillate at the same time it is turning degrees. Breguet sought to eliminate positional error, that is the error introduced by keeping the watch in one position for an extended amount of time.

The tourbillon was once a breakthrough in watchmaking, but today, like spinners on a Hummer, is more useful for showing off. How did we get here?

The tourbillon was invented by watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet around , during the era of the pocket watch. Unlike the modern wristwatch, a pocket watch typically remained in two positions: vertical in a pocket or horizontal on a table. Before the tourbillon, the time-keeping accuracy of pocket watches was heavily affected by gravity. The balance spring acts like a pendulum of sorts and controls the speed at which the balance wheel oscillates. This, in turn, maintains the rate of the movement of the hands.