Gravity is a fact on
earth, and taken for granted. The forces of nature impacts people's activities
every waking moment or asleep. This force occupies space and time and is so
omnipotent that only when going against gravity the enormity of the force makes
us realise the power it commands. The invention of the watch around the 15th
century became a significant anti-gravity invention. Peter Henlein used the
principle of the hairspring and fashioned a device that ran for 40 hours and
chimed the hours. Pins and wedges to counter gravity held the early movements.
The effect of gravity on the escapement was and is still up for refinement.
Regulating the watch in various positions reflects the effect of gravity and
subsequently its accuracy. Most watches are regulated in the standard eight
positions of dial up or down and changing the position half way and quarter wise.
The tourbillon mechanism (patent credited to Swiss watchmaker of French descent
Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801) countered the effects of gravity by encasing the
escapement and balance wheel in a cage. The errors balanced out by rotating the
assembly of about one revolution per minute. That is the reason a tourbillionwatch needs to be worn. The constant wrist motion achieves negating positional
errors.
The value of a
tourbillon watch is more towards the aesthetics and craftsmanship. The design
and engineering of a tourbillon watch movement is challenging. Breguet produced
the first production tourbillon mechanism as a carriage clock for Napoleon. The accuracy of a tourbillon is always up for
debate but what cannot be disputed is the beauty of the mechanism. Most
tourbillon mechanisms are visible and this is the reason that this watch
fetches thousands of euros.
Very few watch
repairers and restorers can handle the mechanism. One among the select few is
Perpetual Time in Great Britain. Both their peers and clients as evidenced by
several testimonials gracing Perpetual Time reviews acclaim
them for the professionalism, passion and precision. Alex Photi is the Managing
Director of Perpetual Time and possesses credentials from WOSTEP - Watchmakers
of Switzerland Training Education Program and BHI - British Horological Institute.
These august institutions train watchmakers in an exacting and rigorous
program. Apart from the experience of working for many years with some of the
best Swiss watch brands Perpetual Time is recognized by The Guild of Master
Craftsmen; this certification cannot be bought; it can only be earned.This badge adds
to the credence that several Perpetual Time Reviews have alluded repeatedly.
No comments:
Post a Comment