In 2003, Thomas Prescher became the first watchmaker to offer a double axis tourbillon pocketwatch. Just one short year later, he exhibited yet another world premiere: a triple axis tourbillon wristwatch as part of the Tourbillon Trilogy.
The Tourbillon Trilogy is a unique set of three tourbillon wristwatches comprising single, double, and triple axis flying tourbillons with constant force escapements. Each, encased in platinum, possesses a distinctive shape and various visual design features that share a common platform.
Although single axis wristwatch tourbillons are no longer rarities today, only occasionally are they flying tourbillons, and it is absolutely unique to find a flying tourbillon with a constant force mechanism within a tourbillon cage. The Tourbillon Trilogy is only offered in platinum in a limited series of ten sets. However, separate editions of each wristwatch are now available individually and in various case materials.
Thomas Prescher Single Axis Tourbillon
The single axis tourbillon was invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801 to counteract the effects of gravity in pocket watches and improve their rates. Pocket watches were generally carried in the vest pocket in a vertical position, which was why Breguet’s invention only worked on pocket watches in this position.
Once the watch was laid flat, on a table for instance with the dial up or down, the entire effect of the tourbillon was voided and no longer affected the rate.
Technical details
Movement
Flying tourbillon construction: Movement, Caliber TP 3W6A.1, designed and constructed in-house; First single axis tourbillon wristwatch with constant force mechanism in the carriage; Tourbillon is secured in a specially designed flexible spring to absorb shocks.
Diameter: 37 mm
Height: 5.43 mm
Number of components: 277
Weight of smallest screw used: 0.0009 grams
Number of jewels: 37
Frequency: 21600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Number of spring barrels: two
Plates and bridges: Gold-plated brass, hand-engraved with Guilloché Triangulair
Balance wheel: Copper-beryllium CuBe2
Balance spring: Flat hairspring
Power reserve: 40 hours
Number of sub-dials: two
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Tourbillon
Number of axes: one
Height of tourbillon rotation 12.2 mm
Revolution time: one minute
Constant force mechanism in tourbillon cage
System of constant force inertia acceleration according to Jaenneret
Constant force reloading :6 times per second
Diameter of balance wheel :9.5 mm
Diameter of cage :13.4 mm
Tourbillon weight :0.347 grams.
Case
Platinum 950 or 18-karat gold
Crystal: Convex sapphire crystal on front and back, anti-reflective on both sides, hand-engraved with individual number
Case Dimensions: 43 mm x 43 mm; Height: 12.3 mm
Water resistance: 1 ATM (10 meters)
Dial
1.2 mm solid silver, hand guilloché with Guilloché Triangulair 18-karat gold applied indexes; 18-karat gold dauphine style hands; 18-karat gold hand-engraved name and number plate
Strap
Hand-cut and –sewn black alligator skin uppers and lowers
Buckle: Platinum 950 or 18-karat gold
Thomas Prescher Double Axis Tourbillon
In the 1970s, an Englishman named Anthony G. Randall created a double axis tourbillon for clocks – more as an intellectual exercise than to actually address the issues of rate deviation mentioned above. He built a carriage clock based on these principles, adding the double axis tourbillon.
In a double axis tourbillon, the second axis revolves parallel to the dial, influencing the rate positively when the watch or clock is positioned with the dial up or down. Thus, this mechanism has an advantageous influence on the rate of all six positions.
Since the double axis tourbillon can only realize its full potential in wearable watches, Thomas Prescher first examined his possibilities in a pocket watch so that the feasibility of his vision could be examined and later added to a wristwatch version. It turned out that directly miniaturizing the same arrangement of components was not possible.
Problems concerning weight distribution, gearing, and friction of the micro mechanisms led to completely different reactions than in Randall’s clock since the smallest component of the new mechanism weighed a mere 0.0009 grams. The tourbillon had to be designed entirely new, most especially because Thomas Prescher wanted to create a flying tourbillon version.
Technical details
Movement
Flying tourbillon construction on both axes – Movement, Caliber TP 3W6A.2, designed and constructed in-house: First single axis tourbillon wristwatch with constant force mechanism in the carriage; Tourbillon is secured in a specially designed flexible spring to absorb shocks.
Dimensions: 37 x 37 mm
Height: 5.43 mm
Number of components: 279
Weight of smallest screw used: 0.0009 grams
Number of jewels: 37
Frequency: 21600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Number of spring barrels: two
Plates and bridges: gold-plated brass, hand-engraved with Guilloché Triangulair
Balance wheel: copper-beryllium CuBe2
Balance spring: flat hairspring
Power reserve: 40 hours
Number of subdials: two
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds
Tourbillon
Number of axes: two
Height of tourbillon rotation: 12.2 mm
Revolution time: one minute
Constant force mechanism on first axis in tourbillon cage
System of constant force inertia acceleration according to Jaenneret
Constant force reloading: 6 times per second
Diameter of balance wheel: 9.5 mm
Diameter of cage: 13.4 mm
Tourbillon weight first axis 0.347 grams
Weight of first and second axes 0.766 grams
Case
Platinum 950 or 18-karat gold
Crystal: convex sapphire crystal on front and back, anti-reflective on both sides, hand-engraved with individual number
Dimensions: 43 mm x 43 mm
Height: 16.1 mm
Water resistance: 1 ATM (10 meters)
Dial
1.2 mm solid silver, hand guilloché with Guilloché Triangulair; 18-karat gold applied indexes; 18-karat gold dauphine style hands;18-karat gold hand-engraved name and number plate
Strap
Hand-cut and –sewn black alligator skin uppers and lowers
Buckle: Platinum 950 or 18-karat gold
Thomas Prescher Triple Axis Tourbillon
The creation of a set of three types of tourbillons required Thomas Prescher to invent a third individual construction. Inspired by Randall’s work, Richard Good became the first clockmaker to add a triple axis tourbillon to a carriage clock in the 1980s. Thomas Prescher took out his old apprenticeship notebooks containing his sketches and interpretation of Good’s work in creating a triple axis tourbillon carriage clock.
He wanted to modify this for use in a wristwatch. Spurred on by the success of his pocket watches, Thomas Prescher set to work further miniaturizing these multiple axis mechanics. He met the challenge and added a third axis that revolved once every hour.
The construction of such a tourbillon wristwatch was considered long impossible: it was thought that the movement height would be too great for practical use and that the weight of the additional components would not let enough energy get through to the balance. However, Thomas Prescher found a number of solutions to address these issues. The meaning of such a complicated timepiece is much more art for art’s sake than the search for any improvement of a rate.
A triple axis tourbillon with its spiral-shaped movement takes up far more room in the space of a case than either the single or the double axis tourbillons. It is especially the unencumbered view that makes the tourbillon seem to hover in the air on its three flying axes. A triple axis tourbillon is not only a technical masterpiece of the art of watchmaking, but it is above all a piece of art that draws our eyes to it – magically – a kinetic sculpture of time.
Technical details
Movement
Flying tourbillon construction on all axes; Movement, Caliber TP 3W6A.3, designed and constructed in-house; First triple axis tourbillon wristwatch with constant force mechanism in the carriage; Tourbillon is secured in a specially designed flexible spring to absorb shocks.
Diameter: 37 mm
Height: 6.46 mm
Number of components: 327
Weight of smallest screw used: 0.0009 grams
Number of jewels: 47
Frequency: 21600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Number of spring barrels: two
Plates and bridges: gold-plated brass, hand-engraved with Guilloché Triangulair
Balance wheel: copper-beryllium CuBe2
Balance spring: flat hairspring
Power reserve: 36 hours
Number of subdials: two
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds
Tourbillon
Number of axes: three
Height of tourbillon rotation: 12.2 mm
Revolution time: one minute
Constant force mechanism on first axis in tourbillon cage
System of constant force inertia acceleration according to Jaenneret
Constant force reloading: 6 times per second
Diameter of balance wheel: 9.5 mm
Diameter of cage: 13.4 mm
Tourbillon weight first axis: 0.347 grams
Weight of first and second axes: 0.766 grams
Weight of first, second, and third axes with ball bearing: 2.879 grams
Case
Platinum 950 or 18-karat gold
Crystal convex sapphire crystal on front and back, anti-reflective on both sides, hand-engraved with individual number
Diameter: 43 mm
Height: 16.1 mm
Water resistance: 1 ATM (10 meters)
Dial
1.2 mm solid silver, hand guilloché with Guilloché Triangulair; 18-karat gold applied indexes; 18-karat gold dauphine-style hands; 18-karat gold hand-engraved name and number plate
Strap
Hand-cut and –sewn black alligator skin uppers and lowers
Buckle: Platinum 950 or 18-karat gold