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拍品專文
The first Thomas Prescher Tourbillon to be offered at public auction, fresh to the market and consigned by the original owner, this triple axis flying tourbillon with constant force mechanism is described by its maker as “a kinetic sculpture of time”. This exceptional watch is far more than just a beautiful and mesmerizing mechanical work of art, it is a triumph at the highest level of watchmaking craftsmanship coupled with extraordinary technical knowhow.
The genius of its design is that it allows the tourbillon to seem to hover in mid-air on its three flying axes. It is also the first wristwatch to feature a constant force mechanism within the tourbillon carriage itself. Furthermore, the movement powered by two barrels is crescent-shaped to allow the maximum amount of space to display the tourbillon to full advantage.
Thomas Prescher is a highly innovative modern watchmaker who has a particular interest in developing the multi-axis tourbillon for use within the challenging confines of the wristwatch. The “Tourbillon Trilogy” a series consisting of a single, double and triple axis tourbillon each with constant force mechanism was developed for Baselworld 2004 where the triple axis tourbillon was unveiled for the first time.
Thomas Prescher’s tourbillon calibers are designed and made in-house, constructed as flying tourbillons to maintain a light and transparent appearance, the triple axis tourbillon is the ultimate model – a tourbillon with two axes rotating once every minute and a third circular axis turning 360 degrees per hour. The making of a triple axis tourbillon small and light enough posed an immense technical challenge, in fact it was long considered impossible to attain the level of miniaturization required for its use in wristwatches. In addition, a flying tourbillon is much more difficult to make than a standard bridged version and even more so in the triple axis tourbillon which is not supported at its outer extremities and therefore needs exceptionally good balance of all axes as they relate to one another. The competence required to achieve this miniaturized marvel is exceptional.
In common with all tourbillon watches, the present watch is descended from Breguet’s original invention patented in 1801 to cancel out the negative effects of gravity to gain improvements in timekeeping. However, it was not until the British horologist Anthony G. Randall added a second axis to a tourbillon for use in carriage clocks in the 1977 that multiple axis tourbillons came into being. The triple axis tourbillon itself is based on the study of the work of Richard Good who developed his mechanisms again for use in clocks in the 1980s. Thomas Prescher realized that merely making a miniaturized copy of Good’s tourbillon would not work due to problems with weight distribution, gearing and friction. Prescher also wanted to make his watches with flying tourbillons so he designed and made an entirely new triple axis tourbillon caliber displayed to wonderful effect in the present watch.
During the development of the triple axis tourbillon, Thomas Prescher realized that the escapement needed a “boost” of energy to the escape wheel in order to give enough impulse to power the pallet fork and balance. The answer was to incorporate a constant force mechanism that impulses the escape wheel by releasing power at regular intervals from a secondary spiral spring mounted just below the escape wheel. The spring constantly re-tensions and releases during the running of the watch. In the present watch this process occurs an incredible six times per second at a frequency of 3 Hertz, the same frequency at which the watch beats.
This superb and visually impressive masterpiece of the watchmaker’s art will appeal to all who appreciate mechanical intricacies and the incredible original invention that exists in contemporary watchmaking.
The genius of its design is that it allows the tourbillon to seem to hover in mid-air on its three flying axes. It is also the first wristwatch to feature a constant force mechanism within the tourbillon carriage itself. Furthermore, the movement powered by two barrels is crescent-shaped to allow the maximum amount of space to display the tourbillon to full advantage.
Thomas Prescher is a highly innovative modern watchmaker who has a particular interest in developing the multi-axis tourbillon for use within the challenging confines of the wristwatch. The “Tourbillon Trilogy” a series consisting of a single, double and triple axis tourbillon each with constant force mechanism was developed for Baselworld 2004 where the triple axis tourbillon was unveiled for the first time.
Thomas Prescher’s tourbillon calibers are designed and made in-house, constructed as flying tourbillons to maintain a light and transparent appearance, the triple axis tourbillon is the ultimate model – a tourbillon with two axes rotating once every minute and a third circular axis turning 360 degrees per hour. The making of a triple axis tourbillon small and light enough posed an immense technical challenge, in fact it was long considered impossible to attain the level of miniaturization required for its use in wristwatches. In addition, a flying tourbillon is much more difficult to make than a standard bridged version and even more so in the triple axis tourbillon which is not supported at its outer extremities and therefore needs exceptionally good balance of all axes as they relate to one another. The competence required to achieve this miniaturized marvel is exceptional.
In common with all tourbillon watches, the present watch is descended from Breguet’s original invention patented in 1801 to cancel out the negative effects of gravity to gain improvements in timekeeping. However, it was not until the British horologist Anthony G. Randall added a second axis to a tourbillon for use in carriage clocks in the 1977 that multiple axis tourbillons came into being. The triple axis tourbillon itself is based on the study of the work of Richard Good who developed his mechanisms again for use in clocks in the 1980s. Thomas Prescher realized that merely making a miniaturized copy of Good’s tourbillon would not work due to problems with weight distribution, gearing and friction. Prescher also wanted to make his watches with flying tourbillons so he designed and made an entirely new triple axis tourbillon caliber displayed to wonderful effect in the present watch.
During the development of the triple axis tourbillon, Thomas Prescher realized that the escapement needed a “boost” of energy to the escape wheel in order to give enough impulse to power the pallet fork and balance. The answer was to incorporate a constant force mechanism that impulses the escape wheel by releasing power at regular intervals from a secondary spiral spring mounted just below the escape wheel. The spring constantly re-tensions and releases during the running of the watch. In the present watch this process occurs an incredible six times per second at a frequency of 3 Hertz, the same frequency at which the watch beats.
This superb and visually impressive masterpiece of the watchmaker’s art will appeal to all who appreciate mechanical intricacies and the incredible original invention that exists in contemporary watchmaking.