With mechanical watches, do you think it’s the status attribute of wearing them or the accurate timekeeping that’s more important?
In fact, because of the special structure of mechanical watches, it will always be affected by the earth’s gravity and inaccurate timekeeping. If you wear a mechanical watch for more accurate time reading, it is recommended that you purchase one with chronometer certification; or choose quartz and electronic watches, because even a chronometer certified mechanical watch still has timekeeping errors.
To cut to the chase, one of the best performing mechanical watches of all time is a mechanism called the tourbillon. With over 200 years of history, this timekeeping mechanism has been designed with precision to allow mechanical watches to be as free from the effects of gravity as possible, and there was a time when tourbillon watches were a popular choice for many users. The tourbillon was originally created to counteract the effects of gravity on the regulating mechanism, since at the time, when timekeeping instruments were predominantly desk clocks and pocket watches, the movement was fixed in a vertical position, which in the long run would have caused the problem of inaccurate timekeeping due to the effects of gravity. But today, the tourbillon is appreciated for its technical craftsmanship more than its functionality.
The dial is shown in several colors, but because it is skeletonized on both sides + suspended mechanism, its color scheme does not give a very eye-catching look. The dial is 40mm in diameter, and the front side is all made of sapphire crystal, which is noticeably shiny, so it’s difficult to take photos to show.
Once wound, the golden balance at 6 o’clock drives the escapement fork back and forth, controlling the even rotation of the escapement wheel, which in turn engages the gear base below and rotates clockwise around it, thus driving the entire tourbillon cage and regulator clockwise. Because it is skeletonized on both sides and has no frontal armature, the tourbillon appears to float in the air. This is the structure of the flying tourbillon of Aigle.
Compared to the traditional mechanical watches we commonly see, this Aigle Tourbillon can be described as a minimalist and new design, showing the inside of the mechanical watch through the plywood skeleton, without the second hand, and even the minute scale is as weak as possible, but it does not hinder the reading of the time. Seeing that fine workmanship inside, I felt a few moments of artisanal presence.
This is the back of the watch, also made of sapphire mirror material, which allows you to see the inner structure clearly, isn’t it a design that watch playing enthusiasts love?
The case is 10mm thick, just the right thickness to keep the slight stiffness of a mechanical watch without looking too thin like some quartz watches, and the watch doesn’t look incongruous when worn because it’s too thick.
There is a crown at 3 o’clock for winding and setting the time. To wind the watch, you simply twist it clockwise until the flywheel starts to spin, but to wind it once for a long power of 80 hours and to keep an accurate reading, you have to wind it tight.
On the top edge of the dial are two discs containing something like thin wires (actually two large skeletonized barrels). When the watch is wound, the barrels are slowly tightened and the current state of the watch’s kinetic reserve is made clear by this intuitive design. By the way, the double-barrel linkage technology used here allows for less variation in torque during the release of the barrel to improve timekeeping accuracy.
After talking about the dial of this Agora Tourbillon, it’s time to talk about the strap. The material is quite good, with a strong anti-wrinkle effect, the official information shows that it is made of first layer cowhide, which is very comfortable to wear. There are also many users who say that the strap is a bit stiff and will only fit the wrist after a while.
It takes many attempts to find a comfortable length ratio the first time you wear it to adjust it, and it’s not very comfortable for people with thin wrists who wear it without a snug fit and against their wrists.
Finally, the most interesting thing about this tourbillon is its skeleton design, which is the biggest difference between it and a traditional tourbillon.
However, it is worth mentioning that it has also won the IAI Design Award 2022, personally, I checked this IAI, it is much higher than the common red dot award, known as the design Oscars.
So the question arises, do you prefer the traditional kind of heavy mechanical feeling similar to Rolex, or this light and airy suspended mechanical?