Watchismo Times

Thomas Prescher's Mysterious Automatic Double Axis Tourbillon

Published: March 03, 2010 | 12:59

I'm looking forward to seeing this in person at Baselworld in a few weeks!

"Thomas had a problem:
How to make the visibility of the tourbillon even better than his present watches.
The solution:
Just tuck everything except the tourbillon out of the way."

-Watchprosite

"A vision. That is normally the beginning of a time sculpture manufactured by Thomas Prescher. Guided by the idea to improve the perfect visibility of the central elements of his multi Axis Tourbillon Thomas Prescher composed a new breathtaking piece of art.

Only time, Tourbillon, calendar and oscillating weight are visible. The movement is completely hidden.

Place to hide the movement was found left and right in the case, hidden by the bezel. Because the space is very limited the parts of the movement had to be located on both sides.

Later, resting in a hammock the idea was born to create an automatic movement with horizontal swinging oscillating weight. To crown this exceptional piece of art, it was a logical decision to choose something special for the heart of this watch. The escapement with its beating balance has to be a flying Double Axis Tourbillon with constant force.

The idea to add a calendar to this creation came while observing some people entering a giant swing. They could move on the surface of the swing. Why not create an oscillating weight with integrated calendar indications and let the gravity take the calendar on the oscillating weight remains always horizontal.

This mysterious watch with its transparency led automatically to the wish to wear it from sides, front and back. With the calendar located on the flat side of the oscillating weight this indication is always facing upward. It can be read regardless of which side of the watch is up.

Respecting the aspects of harmony was an important point. Two crowns were used to keep the beauty of symmetry with. One crown is used for winding and the other for setting time and calendar. Both crowns build the main symmetry axis. Now it was necessary to build the optical balance between the oscillating weight on one side and the indication of time on the other side. For that reason a three dimensional moon was placed between the two barrels, indicating the hours and minutes.

Finally, placed on a turning axis, held by a carrying arm the carriage is rotating around itself. These two synchronized motions create a gyro scoping image immediately taking full attention.

A mesmerizing kinetic sculpture is born."

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

Permalink labels (11)Flag

All 2010 AHCI Haute Thomas Prescher baselworld concept watch independent limited edition mystery dial skeletonized tourbillon

Thomas Prescher's Mysterious Automatic Double Axis Tourbillon

Published: December 16, 2009 | 05:17

Only time, Tourbillon, calendar and oscillating weight are visible. The movement is completely hidden.

Place to hide the movement was found left and right in the case, hidden by the bezel. Because the space is very limited the parts of the movement had to be located on both sides.

Finally, placed on a turning axis, held by a carrying arm the carriage is rotating around itself. These two synchronized motions create a gyro scoping image immediately taking full attention.

A mesmerizing kinetic sculpture is born."

Source: watchismo.blogspot.com

Permalink labels (11)Flag

All 2010 AHCI Haute Thomas Prescher baselworld concept watch independent limited edition mystery dial skeletonized tourbillon

A Round-Up of Three Dimensional Tourbillons

Published: September 01, 2008 | 16:29

by Alex Doak (exclusively for The Watchismo Times)

Definitive List #1: Tourbillons in space, space, pace, ace, ace…!

There nothing quite like a definitive list of stuff to warm the cockles of a straightforward, slightly obsessive bloke such as myself (or “multi-talented bloke” as certain blog proprietors would naïvely have it…). Much like Nick Hornby’s central character in High Fidelity, I find little else more satisfying than pigeonholing the components of my obsession – in this case watches of course, as opposed to pop songs – into their discrete subsets and arranging things appropriately in chronological, alphabetical, autobiographical, or even aesthetical fashion.

So for Definitive List #1, by way of background, let’s kick off proceedings by listing every tourbillon ever made to date…. No, stupid idea. What about bi-axial tourbillons, then? That’s easier – but still long-winded. Why, there’s Thomas Prescher’s Torkel pocket watch; Franck Muller’s Revolution 2; Jean Dunand’s Tourbillon Orbital; Blu’s Majesty Tourbillon; anything by Greubel Forsey; Panerai’s misplaced new entry to the world of manufacture movements, P.2005; the similar ‘tumbling’ cage mechanism at the heart of HD3’s Vulcania; Girard-Perregaux’s huge SIHH 2008 launch, the imaginatively titled “Bi-Axial Tourbillon”… My quasi-OCD tendencies are nagging at me to complete the list, but that’s no fun. As James Gurney noted in QP’s editorial last year, in reference to Michael Balfour’s joyous new “Cult Watches” book, there’s nothing quite like a list to inspire controversy. Tell your readers that the Swiss watch industry is a cynical, PR-fed cartel, and nothing. On the other hand, dare to omit Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Gyrotourbillon from a list of two-axis tourbillons and watch all hell break loose. (See? I didn’t forget it!)

So, in descending chronological order, here’s my definitive list of three-dimensional, or rather triple-axis tourbillons – with one notable deliberately left out. Send answers->here. The prize is the pride.*

1. Aaron Becsei’s Primus, unveiled this year at the AHCI stand at Baselworld. An extraordinary achievement for someone born in 1979. Puts your life’s work in perspective don’t it…?

2. “TAT”, from Thomas Prescher’s Trilogy – you get a single-axis and double-axis wristwatch in the bargain too! Another sickeningly youthful prodigy.

3. Revolution 3 – much prettier in the flesh than Franck Muller’s perpetually hideous CAD images imply.

4. Richard Good’s carriage clock (Prescher’s inspiration).

Tourbillons rotating in space are not a new thing though. As far back as 1860, American watchmaker Albert Potter constructed a tourbillon with an inclined balance for a carriage clock.  German watchmaker Walter Prendel drew inspiration from the master horologer Alfred Helwig and tried again in 1928 to place the tourbillon in space, this time in a pocket watch. The balance spring and rotor was inclined 30 degrees from the horizontal and made one rotation in six minutes. In 1980, English watchmaker Anthony Randall – up there with Derek Pratt, Daniels, Dufour et al. – patented the first tourbillon with two perpendicular axes. Over 20 years later, Richard Danners developed a double-axis tourbillon in a large 55mm pocket watch for Gübelin.

*and yes, this does conveniently let me off the hook for not researching thoroughly enough…

Other notables for consideration;