| A tourbillon, "whirlwind" in French,
a type of mechanical clock or watch escapement, was invented
in 1795 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. It is designed to counter
the effects of gravity and other perturbing forces on the balance
wheel and the balance spring that can affect the accuracy of
a chronometer. This is accomplished by mounting the escapement
in a rotating frame, so that the effect of gravity cancels out
when the escapement is rotated 180°. The effects of gravity
were particularly problematic when pocketwatches were carried
in the same position for most of the day. In a tourbillon, the
entire escapement assembly rotates, including balance wheel,
escape wheel, and pallet fork (anchor). The rate of rotation
varies per design but has generally become standardized at one
rotation per minute.
The tourbillon is considered to be one of the most challenging
of watch mechanisms to make and is valued for its engineering
and design principles. In modern watch designs, a tourbillon
is not required to produce a highly accurate timepiece.
Nevertheless, the tourbillon is one of the most valued
complications of collector's watches and premium timepieces.
In fact, modern implementations typically allow the
tourbillon to be seen through a window in the watch
face. In addition to enhancing the charm of the piece,
the tourbillon acts as a second hand as it rotates once
per minute.
In the late 20th century, the first research into multi-axis
tourbillon movements was done by British clockmakers Anthony
Randall and Richard Good, eventually producing 2 - and 3 -
axis tourbillon movements.
FRANCK MULLER 3 - axis tourbillon
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