Tourbillon. Eighth wonder of the world in your pocket.
Dream win gravity does not give people peace of ancient times. There is a legend about the famous mechanics Daedalus, who, to escape with her son from prison on the island of Crete, has made a huge wings. "I must make my baby free" - decided to master. And he kept his word: escape from the Earth's strong embrace, the two men climbed into the sky ... All the world is repeated. And once gravity has won a great watchmaker
This happened two hundred years ago. Abraham-Louis Breguet (Abraham-Louis Breguet), the owner of the shop for hours, exiled by the French Revolution in his native Neuchâtel, shortly after returning to the banks of the Seine, wrote a letter to the French Minister of the Interior. "Citizen minister - wrote a master, - I have the honor to bring to your attention a new invention, applicable to instruments measuring the time that I called Regulateur a Tourbillion, and is hereby claimed privilege for ten years." The date set by the end of the letter, April 14, 1801, became the official "birthday" tourbillon (whirlwind cycle - fr.) - One of the most difficult time designs of all time.
Breguet, not just amazes audiences mechanical masterpieces, in search of ways to increase the accuracy of hours paid attention to the fact that the center of gravity balance leads to an acceleration or deceleration of its oscillations. So, if you watch take a vertical position (and the axis of the balance - the horizontal), then they start a rush, or fall behind.
The reason for this can not be repaired: the laws of nature! Another dropped to his hands, but not Breguet. "Do not remove or neutralize!" - He thought. And, deciding "who hinder us, that will help us", has designed a mechanism in which all components of the control-balance, and a spiral descent - were set on a graceful steel platform. The platform makes a complete revolution around its axis in one minute. This meant that in a fixed position all hours of the error encountered during the first thirty seconds, offset in the next thirty seconds. Since Breguet made the snake bite its own tail gravity.
The clock? In the place!
Production of fine tourbillon mechanism always trust only the most gifted watchmaker, because hand-made "cage" made of thin steel or titanium, and, most importantly, the subsequent adjustment of the device require highly qualified. This put a tourbillon in a number of rare jewels. Ingenious invention Breguet - often in conjunction with the chronograph, minute repeater and perpetual calendar - for two centuries attracts connoisseurs.
In recent years, "eddies" were remarkably popular, and manufacturers have begun to actively replenish their collection models with a tourbillon. In most cases they get ready for the mechanisms of such large clock factories, such as, Nouvelle Lemania. Models with different variants Tourbillon today produce more than twenty companies of world renown. This Breguet, Patek Philippe, Blancpain, Cartier, Silberstein, Antonio Prezuiso, Cronoswiss, Ikepod, Franck Muller, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Ulysse Nardin, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Girard-Perregaux, Parmigiani, Zenith, Omega, Leschot, Daniel Roth, Vacheron Constantin and others. Asian manufacturers, in particular, Seiko, and are developing in this direction.
Modern technology, the use of machine tools with program management, and spark-cutting tools have led to a combination of price and quality that were unattainable with traditional manufacturing. But there is still shortage Tourbillon - a common phenomenon. Most companies do not release more than ten pieces Tourbillon year. At the same time become the owner of the coveted treasure with a window on the dial, which beats the mechanical heart of a mysterious, is not easy: well-known watch company meticulously suited to the selection of clients. And those who still fortunate enough to take a place in such a prestigious stage, waiting sometimes for months.
Modern technology, the use of machine tools with program management, and spark-cutting tools have led to a combination of price and quality that were unattainable with traditional manufacturing. But there is still shortage Tourbillon - a common phenomenon. Most companies do not release more than ten pieces Tourbillon year. At the same time become the owner of the coveted treasure with a window on the dial, which beats the mechanical heart of a mysterious, is not easy: well-known watch company meticulously suited to the selection of clients. And those who still fortunate enough to take a place in such a prestigious stage, waiting sometimes for months.
Various designs Tourbillon.
Example 1.
The classical solution of the problem. Cog wheel momentary 4 strengthened still pas platinum hours. With him is in constant engagement of the tribes 3 running wheel 2, that the rotation of the latter is forced obegat momentary wheel. Obeganie occurs in 1 minute. Tribes 5 also makes one revolution per minute. The bridge balance 1 has a different shape than in conventional constructions hours. This bridge, in addition to the balance 6, strengthened as the anchor nodes and the escape wheel fork. Two load balance these nodes the wheels. The balance operates mainly split, bimetallic.
Example 2
Pat English inventor Anthony George Randall and balance spring b and descent е mounted on the frame 1, which rotates simultaneously about two axes А1 и А2,
installed at right angles to each other. At the same time frame 1 attached to the wheel 10 with the shaft, which rotates in the tube2. A tube 2, in turn, is attached to the cross shaft 3, that wheel 8 rotates about an axis А2.
Wheel 8 engages with the wheel 5 gear train. Wheel 10 meshes with a fixed wheel 9, rotating frame 1 relative to the axis А1. Tribes V engages with the wheel. W (attached to the tube 2) and drives the trigger е.
In these hours of use tourbillon ensures high precision, but the watches are bulky, large thickness.
Example 3.
Embodiment of the tourbillon by Omega. In accordance with the invention, the turbine 20 located in the heart of hours so as to be visible to the user. This turbine 20 includes a base 32, which placed the balance wheel 22,balancing spring 24, toothed gear system. All these elements are fixed on the basis of protected 32 "Cage" 38. Tourbillon 20 set up to have mobility around the central axis, which is also the central axis of the clock, around which the rotation takes place and hour and minute hands.
This happened two hundred years ago. Abraham-Louis Breguet (Abraham-Louis Breguet), the owner of the shop for hours, exiled by the French Revolution in his native Neuchâtel, shortly after returning to the banks of the Seine, wrote a letter to the French Minister of the Interior. "Citizen minister - wrote a master, - I have the honor to bring to your attention a new invention, applicable to instruments measuring the time that I called Regulateur a Tourbillion, and is hereby claimed privilege for ten years." The date set by the end of the letter, April 14, 1801, became the official "birthday" tourbillon (whirlwind cycle - fr.) - One of the most difficult time designs of all time.
The classical solution of the problem. Cog wheel momentary 4 strengthened still pas platinum hours. With him is in constant engagement of the tribes 3 running wheel 2, that the rotation of the latter is forced obegat momentary wheel. Obeganie occurs in 1 minute. Tribes 5 also makes one revolution per minute. The bridge balance 1 has a different shape than in conventional constructions hours. This bridge, in addition to the balance 6, strengthened as the anchor nodes and the escape wheel fork. Two load balance these nodes the wheels. The balance operates mainly split, bimetallic.
Pat English inventor Anthony George Randall and balance spring b and descent е mounted on the frame 1, which rotates simultaneously about two axes А1 и А2,
installed at right angles to each other. At the same time frame 1 attached to the wheel 10 with the shaft, which rotates in the tube2. A tube 2, in turn, is attached to the cross shaft 3, that wheel 8 rotates about an axis А2.
Embodiment of the tourbillon by Omega. In accordance with the invention, the turbine 20 located in the heart of hours so as to be visible to the user. This turbine 20 includes a base 32, which placed the balance wheel 22,balancing spring 24, toothed gear system. All these elements are fixed on the basis of protected 32 "Cage" 38. Tourbillon 20 set up to have mobility around the central axis, which is also the central axis of the clock, around which the rotation takes place and hour and minute hands.
