The History of the Tourbillon
Although the tourbillon can be considered impractical on today’s wristwatches, it was certainly a revolutionary complication, and an extremely useful one, when it was introduced to pocket watches in the early 19th century.
Abraham-Louis Breguet, the famed Swiss watchmaker and founder of the eponymously named Montres Breguet, is accredited with having invented the tourbillon, which he patented in 1801. Breguet observed that gravity was causing his pocket watches to lose time. To solve this issue, he had the idea of installing the entire escapement in a carriage that rotated once per minute, thereby compensating for the effect of gravity on his timepieces, and creating the world's first tourbillon
Tourbillons may be regarded as more of a status symbol today, but their historical significance should earn them a place on the wish list of any watch collector.
Depicted above is the Breguet Classique "Grande Complication" 5317BA/12/9V6, which of course features a tourbillion and notably: running seconds on the tourbillon shaft and a 120-hour power reserve and indicator.
📽: Breguet