The "Morning Star" Tourbillon Mechanical Watch

• Free shipping!  We offer you the shipping costs.
• Orders are processed within 24 hours.
• Packages are shipped with our international shipping system and take approximately 15 to 25 days to arrive at their destination.
• We will provide you with the tracking number as soon as it becomes available (within 1 to 3 days on average). So please,  be patient, you will be able to track your package at any time.
• Please note: if the demand is high, orders can be processed within 48 hours maximum.
• We offer you the guarantee that if the content of your package arrives damaged or lost (which is extremely rare in both cases), contact us by sending us the relevant photos and we will refund you immediately.

Here are some pictures of your gifts:

The genuine leather case that will house and protect your tourbillon watch (with a little extra surprise).

The small booklet describing the tourbillon mechanisms.

What is a tourbillon?

A tourbillon watch is a luxury watch that is composed of a set of mechanical elements "enclosed" in a cage that turns on itself. It is the most complex movement in the world of watchmaking.

A tourbillon is intended to improve the precision of the watch by counteracting the disturbances caused by the earth's gravity.

The tourbillon was invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), a prestigious watchmaker who founded the Breguet brand in 1775.
This brand will become the absolute reference in the field of "Haute Horlogerie".
The first tourbillon was born and patented in 1801.

 

Abraham-Louis Breguet

 

 

There are two basic tourbillons, the so-called tourbillon, and the carrousel.
Here is the "standard" tourbillon:

 

 

 And the carrousel :

 

 

The carrousel was invented long after the Breguet tourbillon by Bahne Bonniksen in 1892. B. Bonniksen is a Danish watchmaker based in England. The purpose of these two tourbillons is similar but their operation differs.

To return to the main question, what is a tourbillon?
As I said earlier, a tourbillon is a set of elements enclosed in a cage that turns on itself.
These elements are the escapement wheel, the anchor, and the balance wheel.
You have certainly recognized them immediately in the two previous photos.
The visual difference you notice right away is the way the elements turn.
In the "standard" tourbillon the balance wheel remains in the center of the rotation axis of the cage and you can see the escapement wheel and the anchor turning around the axis.

In the "carousel" tourbillon the balance is off-center and also rotates along the edge which gives a more complex visual effect than the "standard" one. This is personally the one I prefer.

Of course, the coaxial tourbillon is also impressive and you can see right away that it is not a fixed balance of an automatic watch which is not a tourbillon.
Technically, the biggest difference between the two movements is that on the standard, the spring (which gives energy to the watch) transmits its energy to the escapement wheel which then transmits this energy to the rotation of the cage.
Whereas for the Caroussel tourbillon, two different gears are used. The energy is distributed by the first gear to the escapement wheel and the second gear is responsible for transmitting the energy to the cage.

I am not a watchmaker, and even if I were, having the skills to build this kind of movement requires a very high technical level that only a few people on this planet have.

To give you an idea of the complexity of a "classic" tourbillon, here is a small diagram of the cut.

 

As you can see, owning a tourbillon watch is something very rare, and unique and makes you a specialist in beautiful things. Almost all the watchmakers and jewelers I have met in the area where I live have never seen a tourbillon in their lives.

The two previous photos of the two tourbillons (which are a little more complex than standard tourbillons) are photos of the same watch, from Blancpain, called the Brassus double tourbillon, and costing the modest sum of $250,000! A quarter of a million dollars!

Here is the pictuce of this watch:

There is some confusion when looking at websites that sell watches, it is not uncommon to see stamped tourbillon watches when it is not.
Or call a tourbillon the balance wheel that can be seen on a "simple" automatic watch.

For example :

 

  

Is this watch a tourbillon watch?

This watch is not a tourbillon watch at all. Its mechanism is complex with all the dials it has but it is not one.

What are the elements that allow us to see it quickly?

First of all, the price. This watch costs around $120 while a tourbillon is more in the range of $600 to $1000 for the entry-level.
Second, a tourbillon is meant to be seen! Designers are proud of their work and they want it to be seen. If in this example we can distinguish the balance wheel in the back, we cannot see the escapement wheel for example.
Therefore, for a tourbillon to be seen in its entirety, it is necessary to provide a large location. The hole cut for this purpose will be much larger.

Compare the two locations with the picture below for example. You can see that the hole cut in the dial goes from the very bottom of the watch to almost the hour hands.

The picture of the watch you see above is the watch from the product sheet you are currently viewing. It is also mine and I can tell you that I am a big fan of watches but even more of tourbillon watches.

Customer service & F.A.Q:

What is the shipping method?

To see the shipping details, see the "Shipping from our international warehouse to USA" tab. 

What is the payment method?

The payment system used is paypal, it's one of the most used payment methods, the most secure and which allows you to have a detailed follow-up of your payment and the follow-up of your parcel.

I have some questions about the tourbillon before buying it. How can I contact you?

You can ask us all the questions you want, at any time about the purchase of this tourbillon watch by using the link "contact" at the top of the site. Fill in the form, and don't forget to put a valid email address so that we can answer you. We will answer you within a few hours. Do not hesitate to contact us!

Is there a tracking number with the shipping?

Yes there is a tracking number, it is usually available within 2 to 5 days and it will be sent to you immediately by email and will also be available in paypal. If you want the address of a website or a powerful smartphone application to track the packages, do not hesitate to contact us.

I have changed my mind about my purchase and would like to cancel it, is this possible?

 No, it is only possible to get your money back if your watch is damaged, due to the delivery and by sending us pictures proving the problems. See the "Shipping from..." tab for all the details about the delivery.