The watches that can cheat gravity
The watches that can cheat gravityWrist watches were often less accurate than stationary clocks of the same construction. Horologists used to believe that wrist watches suffered from the effects of gravity since they were usually carried in different positions during the day. As far as the movements of wrist watches and similar pieces were oriented with respect to the cases and the dials, their movements were positioned with the axes of motion perpendicular to their faces. This meant that when the timepiece was placed vertically, the axes of motion of the movements would be parallel to the ground, and thus the force of gravity. In such a position, the force of gravity would affect the motion of parts of the movement differently when the parts were in different positions and moved with gravity or against it. This would cause variations in the rate the movement, which in turn would affect the timepieces' accuracy. If adjusted for one position, the rate would change when the piece was kept in a different position, such as when being held to be read or when placed on a table at night. In a tourbillon, the entire escapement assembly rotates, including the balance wheel, the escape wheel, the hairspring, and the pallet fork, in order to average out the effect of gravity in the different positions. 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. The first production tourbillon mechanism was produced by Breguet for Napoleon in one of his travel clocks. Nowadays each watch making company like 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 produces about 10 tourbillons a year. This way they are not only expensive, but also truly hard to get.
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