Tourbillon of Tourbillons

 
Video
 
The TOURBILLON of TOURBILLONS
 
Mechanical Choreography from Antoine Preziuso Genève
 
The latest creation by Antoine Preziuso Genève features three tourbillons on a revolving plate, which resonate like three hearts beating in unison. Producing this ‘mechanical ballet’ involved challenges of incredible complexity, notably the creation of a central planetary triple-differential. The result is a timepiece full of poetry: a vibrant homage to the watchmaking’s finest complication.
 
The Tourbillon of Tourbillons sees Antoine Preziuso write a new chapter in the long history of that most emblematic of watchmaking complications: the Tourbillon.
 
The tourbillon already defied the laws of gravity – now it plays with the laws of resonance.
 
The three tourbillons of this exceptional timepiece, arranged around a revolving plate, resonate together – oscillating at a stable frequency like three hearts beating in unison. This technical tour de force, protected by three international patents, is made possible by a differential, installed in the centre of the movement, that required many years of effort, calculations and imagination.
 
The central planetary triple-differential is blend of physical laws and mathematical formulae: the watch’s veritable ‘brain.’ It is of such complexity that no computer programme has succeeded in accurately simulating its way of functioning. It even required the creation of the smallest ball-bearing in the world: scarcely 1.6mm in diameter! The challenges involved were tremendous: the differential has to distribute constant energy from the twin-barrel to the three tourbillons; it must also deliver this energy through the centre without disturbing the axis of the hands; and it must correct any variations of frequency and even, if necessary, adjust as necessary should one of the tourbillons stop working.
 
The Tourbillon of Tourbillons is a dream Antoine Preziuso has nurtured since 2004. It is also the fruit of 35 years of independent watchmaking – and of an authentic passion Antoine has transmitted to his son Florian, with whom he has collaborated closely to overcome all of the countless technical obstacles that rose up along the way.
 
The association of three tourbillons on a revolving plate gives the timepiece unmatched regularity. It also enriches the Tourbillon of Tourbillons with the symbolism of the figure 3, as in the three dimensions of Time: Past, Present and Future. Each tourbillon completes one rotation around its axis every 60 seconds. All are equidistant from the centre of the plate, which completes six revolutions every hour... another reference to the figure 3 and its multiples. This tribute to measuring time superbly ignores the decimal system in favour of a system founded on the figure 12 – as in the year’s 12 complete lunar phases.
 
The Tourbillon of Tourbillons is characterized by total respect for the codes of luxury watchmaking. All components are finished and assembled by hand; the plate and tourbillon bridges are made from titanium; the support columns, crown and horns of the GTS Power case are in solid 18ct gold. The waterproof case has 45 components tooled in the block, and is reinforced by 24 ANTOINE PREZIUSO GENEVE Power-Screws.
 
Antoine Preziuso has no business plan or even marketing strategy – but what he does have, most of all, is a passion for Haute Horlogerie, to which he is devoted. He strives to transmit DNA to his designs, and is one of those rare, intelligent artists born with special gifts, a love of work and a love of art. He is not content with applying time-honoured watchmaking principles, but seeks above all to discover new ones. As Antoine Preziuso likes to say: whatever is known is finished, whatever is unknown is infinite. He bows to no convention – witness his 35 years of watchmaking independence. His brand’s origins lie in Geneva, yet the designs of his timepieces betray the influence by his Italian roots. When people speak about Antoine Preziuso, they speak about exquisite, made-to-measure Swiss watches and a talent at the frontier of science and art: a world of dreams, and sublime aesthetics.