The tourbillon was invented sometime around 1795 and was later patented by French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801. Through the decades, this development in the world of horology has been synonymous with hand-craftsmanship and high-end watch making. However, very recently, a Swiss engineer named Christoph Laimer came up with a fantastically modern way to create the tourbillon, with the help of a 3D printing machine. Yes, you read that right; Laimer has created a fully-functioning tourbillon watch that runs by itself, using 3D printing technology! This is probably one of the biggest breakthroughs in the world of modern watch making, given the magnitude of innovation put into this one.
The watch certainly isn’t small and is quite chunky and slightly inaccurate as compared to the tourbillons created by high-end watchmakers globally. Also, the watch works for only 30 minutes once wound and isn’t a full-fledged timepiece yet. That, however, doesn’t stop this development from being a modern-day marvel. Laimer has also made all the source files of his innovation available for free, giving watch enthusiasts a chance to 3D-print and craft their own tourbillon watches. The only non 3D-printed parts of this watch are the metal pins and some screws and washers.
Also read - Kross Studio has created a custom-made one-of-a-kind tourbillon inspired by Wonder Woman
[ Via : Hodinkee ]
