Triple Axis Tourbillon Regulator by Thomas Prescher

Presenting the Triple Axis Tourbillon Regulator

The world's only triple-axis flying tourbillon wristwatch










A triple-axis tourbillon is extremely rare; a triple-axis tourbillon wristwatch even more so. However, Thomas Prescher's triple-axis flying tourbillon is not simply extremely rare – it is absolutely unique.

Prescher's Triple Axis Tourbillon Regulator features one of the world's most exclusive and most difficult complications to assemble, set to stunning advantage in a jet-black natural onyx dial that contrasts beautifully with the pink-gold case. Regulator-style hours and seconds are each indicated in their own separate sub-dial, while the constantly animated tourbillon tracks the minutes during its one-hour rotation.

Thomas Prescher has both an affinity and a talent for complicated tourbillons: while his classmates were submitting simple movements for their watch at the end of apprenticeship school, Prescher presented a half-flying tourbillon that confirmed his position as the top of the form. In 2003 he presented the world's first pocket watch with a flying double-axis tourbillon. On seeing Prescher's pocket watch, one of his colleagues mentioned that he thought a double-axis tourbillon was impossible in the constrained space of a wristwatch. Prescher not only met but surpassed the challenge a year later with a wristwatch trilogy of single-axis, double-axis and triple-axis tourbillons.

Thomas Prescher Triple Axis Tourbillon Regulator Watch

So many axes! Triple the tourbillon fun with Thomas Prescher's ultra complex and hard to make Triple Axis Tourbillon Regulator watch. These timepieces are quite cool to watch in action and fun to wear. But sort of an "I buy Rolls Royce car for each person in the house keeping staff" type of fun. Pretty much Oprah and a handful of other people in the world can give Mr. Prescher a serious call to talk about having him make one for them. Prices all start at about $500,000 (and it comes in gold. white gold, or platinum - one for him, her, and the live-in watch butler).

Thomas Prescher-TempusVivendi Qatar Watch

The name Thomas Prescher will forever by synonymous with the words Master Watchmaker. Credited with creating the first ever Flying Triple Axis Tourbillon, an exceptionally complicated timepiece, back in 2004 Prescher’s craftsmanship is highly lauded the world over. So when he was recently asked to create a watch with a flag or national symbol you could bet it was going to be anything but ordinary and true to his reputation, Mr Prescher has not disappointed.

National Pride
The country Mr Prescher was asked to incorporate into his design was Qatar, that often overlooked tiny Arab Emirate which happens to be home to the third largest gas reserves and the second highest GDP per capita in the world (thank you Wikipedia).

The starting place for all time sculpture manufactured by Prescher is the design. As the only instruction he had been given was that this unique piece should incorporate the country’s flag or national symbol Prescher decided to learn as much as could about Qatar. After a lot of research about this exceptional country it was a picture of its Coat of arms that caught his eye and subsequently inspired the ‘TEMPUSVIVENDI Qatar’.

The coat of arms of Qatar shows two crossed swords in a yellow circle. Between the swords there is a traditional sailing ship called dhow, sailing over the waves beside an island with two palm trees. The yellow circle is surrounded by a white and brown band, which is divided horizontally with a zigzag line.

It is this image that forms the backdrop of the beautifully sculpted Arabesque dial. At first look the design appears deceptively simple but this masks the true genius at work here. Time is indicated by the sword tips; one shows the minutes while the other indicates the hours. The movement incorporates a retrograde function which means that after the swords reach the end of the index sector they jump back to the beginning to rise again.

It doesn’t stop there, however. After pushing the button in the crown the swords move to a resting position to show the original coat of arms in gold and noble colours. After a second push the swords move back to continue to show the actual time.

Thomas Prescher has developed this exquisite concept to give the connoisseur the choice: Having the figure continuously showing the time or allowing it to simply remain in its non-temporal state. This could be only achieved through the use of a complicated and ingenious new system, which he created specially for his watches, after studying and repairing old originals.

Whilst it’s all well and good to try and describe this phenomenal piece it is far easier to just show you. Fortunately for us, Thomas has created a video (which he was kind enough to send me) that exhibits this stunning piece in action. Check it out below:

The TEMPUSVIVENDI Qatar is yet another dazzling example of what this great man is capable of. Showcasing superb creativity with highly complex watch making mastery Thomas Prescher continues to impress both admirers and critics alike.

Now for the exciting news.International Wristwatches will be interviewing Mr Prescher in the coming days in a humble bid to get some form of insight into this great man’s exceptional mind. Keep your eyes out for that one, it is sure to be amazing!

thewatchlounge.com

Thomas Prescher-Mysterious Automatic Double Axis Tourbillon.

If you haven’t realized yet, we are big Thomas Prescher fans over here at International Wristwatches. But, if you’re still not convinced, even after the triple axis flying tourbillion, the Qatar watch and of course our exclusive, in-depth interview with the man himself, this latest piece will remove any lingering doubts. Guaranteed.

So, without any further delay, we present to you this week’s feature watch for Weird Watch Wednesday; Thomas Prescher’s awe inspiring, mind-blowing Mysterious Automatic Double Axis Tourbillon.

If It Can Be Conceived, It Can Be Achieved
Few people would accuse Thomas Prescher of being predictable. The man thrives on breaking boundaries and pushing limits and has been gifted with the rare combination of talent and determination which allows him to realize even the most astonishing of his creations. Such as the Mysterious Automatic Double Axis Tourbillon.

When we interviewed Thomas earlier this week he actually said that this latest creation was his absolute favorite of all time, which is a pretty big statement when you consider the amazing watches this man has produced. The reason though was because for the first time he thought he had finally conceived a piece that was beyond even his exceptional skills. Fortunately for us, he was wrong.

As you can see in the picture only the time display, the Tourbillon, the calendar and the oscillating weight are visible. The movement itself is completely hidden, hence the name. The immediate and stunning visual appeal of this timepiece is undeniable, it’s almost as though your brain cannot comprehend it and that’s just the still photographs! Imagine what this piece must look like in motion with the brilliant Double Axis Tourbillon in flying form front and center!

So How Did He Do It?
Well, according to Thomas, while he was resting in a hammock the idea came to him to create an automatic movement with a horizontal swinging oscillating weight. However, this would be no ordinary piece (a Thomas Prescher creation never is) and so to crown this exceptional piece of art, it was a logical decision to choose something special for the heart. The escapement with its beating balance had to be a flying Double Axis Tourbillon with a constant force.

The idea to add a calendar to this creation came later while he was observing some people entering a giant swing. He noticed they were able to move on the surface of the swing and like any watch making genius he thought to himself; “why not create an oscillating weight with integrated calendar indications and then let gravity do the work so that the calendar on the oscillating weight remains always horizontal?”

Why not indeed!

Thanks to this unique feature, the calendar rotates with the watch to ensure it always facing upwards and therefore can be read regardless of which side of the watch is up.

Sculptured Symmetry
As important to Thomas as the mechanical complexity was, respecting the aspects of harmony was equally as essential. As such, the piece features two crowns to maintain the beauty of symmetry, with one used for winding and the other for setting the time and the calendar. To create the impression of a precise optical balance between the oscillating weight on one side and the indication of time on the other, a three dimensional moon was placed between the two barrels which indicate the hours and minutes.

Finally, to give the ‘mysterious’ appearance it was important also to hide the movement and so space was found on both the left and the right of the case, hidden by the bezel. Due to the limited space, it was necessary to locate the parts of the movement on both sides.

What more can be said? This piece crosses so many barriers, both mechanically and aesthetically that it is simply impossible to do it justice. The real appeal to me, however, is that is a timepiece created for both admirers and purists alike. To the untrained eye this is simply a visually spectacular piece which irresistibly draws the eye. However, to the hardcore enthusiast it represents a myriad of complexities and technicalities that are sure to delight even the most seasoned of watch veterans.

This piece is truly a testament to the skills and imagination of Thomas Prescher.