The Tourbillon

We have touched on this subject before, and I think the general opinion of the forum has been that this particular device is quite useless and impractical in a wrist watch.

I have probably held that opinion to a degree myself, and I have certainly not jumped on the "complication de jour" bandwagon that the tourbillon seems to currently embody. However, I was lucky enough to study a Blancpain tourbillon last summer, and I have to say that despite the device lacking any apparent practical use, it was quite mesmerizing just the same.

Although this is not my picture, and not the same watch I handled, this is what that tourbillon looked like:



Actually the watch I handled was a perpetual calendar/chronograph/tourbillon, and it was quite stunning (but I didn't take pictures). There was something about watching the cage rotate once a minute that added something to the watch, which normally would not have received a second glance from me. Of course at a list of $132,000 Canadian, it is not really "on my list" in any way......

So in thinking about what is and isn't practical, depending on your perspective, almost anything about a mechanical watch could be deemed "impractical." So, for the same reasons I appreciate mechanical watches in the first place, I have come to appreciate the tourbillon as an extension of the same basic principles. It is based in some tradition, and is most certainly an expression of the high art of watchmaking. Certainly you could say "why bother" and it's "not really necessary" but then again if you apply that sort of logic to other areas of life, why would anyone buy an original work of art instead of a copy? Why have an original painting on the wall, when a poster would serve the same function?

So, with that kind of thought in mind, I wanted to share this photography of a Breguet tourbillon that is no doubt a work of art, even if it isn't very "practical."

The link will take you to a slide show, and although it moves quite slowly for my tastes, it is worth the wait to see some of the photos presented. The watch (although I am not generally a Breguet fan) is certainly something I would class as a "work of art."

Hope you enjoy it!

http://harrytan.sg/watches/BreguetTourbillon/index.htm