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Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon 2:

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Сообщение от Ego (Сообщение 186710)

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Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2

It would be far from seeing the truth to consider this Gyrotourbillon 2 as a Reverso cased Gyrotourbillon 1! In fact this watch nearly only keeps the Gyrotourbillon principle, here applied with several innovations in a new calibre.

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A fifth Reverso Tourbillon

The first and main difference with the Gyrotourbillon 1, and also in my opinion the most appealing new characteristic of this calibre 174 is its cylindrical balance spring with end curves. This kind of balance spring is totally new in wrist watches even if John Arnold patented this kind of helical spiral in 1882 (some references also date this patent to 1776) and if it was even apparently invented much earlier by Robert Hooke.
Such cylindrical (or helical) spring supposedly improves chronometry as it is easier to make it isochronous.

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A heat blued cylindrical balance spring

So far only marine chronometers and a few pocket watches have been equipped with such balance spring. The reasons were that it is complex to manufacture and particularly to miniaturize. In fact its geometry goes well with the form of the Gyrotourbillon whose tourbillon cage has the necessary third dimension to house this voluminous balance spring.

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Calibre 174 on dial side

The Gyrotourbillon combines two intertwined tourbillon cages, the first inner cage doing one rotation in 18.75 seconds and the second outer cage in 1 minute. This combination on 2 axes set at a 90° angle creates the ellipsoidal movement of the regulator that is said to isolate this very regulator from the gravitational effects on the rate in any position. While the Gyrotourbillon 1 needed 2 minutes to take all positions, this Gyrotourbillon 2 will need 5 minutes.

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Calibre 174 on back side

Once again everything has been done to ensure the best timing to this calibre. The large size 14 carat gold balance wheel regulated to 4htz, or 28800 vph, has a 12.5 mgXcm² and is adjusted through gold inertia blocks arranged around its rim.

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A horologically glamorous blue colour

The cylindrical balance spring has a rectangular section.

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The heat blued cylindrical balance spring

The two final curves are chosen to allow a perfect breathing and a consequent isochronism. I have not been able to know the name of these curbs. Jaeger-LeCoultre has used existing curbs, but not Phillips curbs. The spring is pinned in a traditional triangular stud and the stud holder is secured with two screws for a safe fix.

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The Gyrotourbillon 1 balance spring

The difference of geometry between the two Gyrotourbillon is particularly obvious if you compare these two drawings. It also shows that consequently the cage is not exactly the same.http://jlc.watchprosite.com/img/watc...age.603216.jpg

The Gyrotourbillon 2 new geometry

Looking at these cages below it looks like a torture cage for the balance wheel but it is apparently a magical treat to forget gravity!

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Horology is getting more and more complicated

The new balance Wheel has open-worked arms to decrease the overall moving weight inside the cage. The 100 or so parts of the Gyrotourbillon apparel weight 3.4 grams (while the full calibre is 371 parts). The full spherical diameter of the aluminium cage is 10.85 mm.

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The balance wheel

The dial side shows the hours and minutes through two heat blued hands on a sapphire dial at 12, and a close wheel on the left upper part of the dial shows the 24 hours. This is not a second time zone.

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The dial side of calibre 174

The back side shows the power reserve indicator of 50 hours.

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The back side of calibre 174

The watch has simple functions but once again that's the basic functioning that is improved.

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The torque limitation device

The mainspring is fitted on top with a torque limitation device that limits the power reserve to 50 hours and that ensures that the watch is stopped before becoming un-precise. In fact I'm tempted to consider also this torque limitation device, coupled with the power reserve indicator like a torque indicator. As long as you make sure that the power reserve is between the two extremes you have a torque considered as optimal, or at least sufficient. Or in more pragmatic terms, with this device as long as the watch is running it has the desired torque!

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The power reserve blued hand

The torque imitation device is quite nice and simple in principle. The principle is about two wheels turning together. One is concentric with the barrel, the other one is below the little bridge. They don't have the same number of teeth.

One is driving when the barrel is giving power to the main train, the other one is driving when the barrel is being wound. The driving one drives the other, in one direction or the other. Both have each a unique upper tooth and these two teeth can't cross. When they touch the device is stopped, either stopping the winding or the main train.

There's a patent applied for this device.

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The back of the Gyrotourbillon 2 in its full glory

The power reserve indicator also has a little refinement. There's an additional hairspring to compensate the play in the gear train, so that the power reserve indicated is always the real power reserve in the main spring.

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The main spring

The main spring is covered on top and below with sapphire parts to reduce friction.

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The main spring in the calibre

The winding system is equipped with conic wheels.

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The cannon-pinion wheel

The cannon-pinion wheel has a new and surprising design.

The cannon-pinion wheel is used to engage the main train to the cannon-pinion, i.e. to the hands. When the watch is running the wheel is attached to the cannon-pinion through sufficient friction. When the hands are set through the crown the friction between the cannon-pinion wheel and the cannon-pinion is not enough to make the main train be driven by the cannon-pinion. In some way the cannon-pinion is by force disengaged from the main train when the hands are set.

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The cannon-pinion wheel in place

In the case of the Gyrotourbillon 2 the cannon-pinion wheel is slightly flexible and is not round when it is not engaged. This wheel has 5 arms, one being detached from the others.

When the cannon-pinion is engaged in the wheel the wheel takes its round shape and the movable fifth arm applies a force to the cannon-pinion so that the necessary friction is distributed all around the cannon-pinion.

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The cannon-pinion wheel below the dial

There's also a patent applied on this new wheel design.

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The awesome Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2

Obviously this amazing watch is not just a chronometric machine. It is somewhat a simple watch with little additional complication http://jlc.watchprosite.com/img/watc...iley/smile.gif

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The chronometric necessity of the seconds hand

Still it is a very beautiful watch, with a pure horological design, and also a very high level of finish not seen before on a Jaeger-LeCoultre wrist watch.

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Defintely not a design gimmick

The launch of the Gyrotourbillon in 2004, and several following upscale models, have necessitated the creation of a new finish department at the manufacture.

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The highest level of finish

The « haut de gamme » finish department is in some way the legacy of the work done for years by master watchmakers like Sylvain Golay and his colleagues.