Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon made its debut a couple of days ago, at the BaselWorld 2015 trade show. This special tourbillon, created by one of the most prestigious Swiss watchmakers, incorporates the constant Ulysse Anchor escapement, which is entirely made of silicon, and designed by the principles of flexible mechanisms, exploiting the elasticity of flat springs.
The prototype for this innovation was presented in 2014, while this year brings a new design for the constant force escapement, which breaks completely with the classic watchmaking approach. The constant Ulysse Anchor escapement is the final outcome of eight years of dedicated research and development. As explained by Ulysse Nardin, the Anchor Escapement - which is made in collaboration with Sigatec, a company specialized in production of silicon micro-components – is based on the principle of the flexible mechanisms, exploiting the elasticity of flat springs.
The device combines a number of technical innovations. For example, its pallet fork is no longer constrained by a pivoting staff, so that it now moves without any friction. Unlike the Swiss anchor system, the watch uses a circular frame that supports a pallet fork, which is stabilized by two extremely thin blade springs – each 1/10th the thickness of a human hair. The kinetic energy from the balance wheel is transmitted into the blades, which can only move left or right. The spring can become distorted along the left-right axis while remaining perfectly rigid along the up-down axis, thus replacing the function of a traditional pivot. Since the blades are snapping from one stable state to another, the final result is, the movement of the pallet arms without generating any frictional forces.
Furthermore, the pallet fork has been significantly redesigned, so that it now features an integral resetting face. This makes the escapement even more efficient, as it now requires less force for the balance wheel to push the pallet fork. As explained in the official press release: “as the tooth of the escape wheel slides along this surface as far as the banking face, it will bring the pallet fork back every time to within just 3° of the center line.” The center line is, actually, a line that separates the center of the balance wheel and the center of the escape wheel. In other words, the system is fine-tuned to generate a little bit of excess energy, which is used to maintain the positive energy balance and keep the oscillations of the balance wheel at a constant rate.
This complex system is housed within a 60-seconds tourbillon, whose cage is made of 35 components but weighs no more than 0.4 grams. The mechanism is visible through a large aperture in the dial at 6 o’clock, which is surrounded by the indication of its power reserve of at least 7 days. The watch is powered by the in-house caliber UN-178, which beats at a frequency of 18,800 vibrations per hour.
Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon is available in either rose gold or white gold, in two limited editions of 18 pieces each. Both versions are embellished with a white Grand Feu enamel dial, created by Donzé Cadrans, a dial-making specialist company owned by Ulysse Nardin. These beautiful 44mm watches are mounted on leather bracelets with simple buckles.
- 1786-133 - Limited Edition - 18 pieces in rose gold
- 1780-133 - Limited Edition - 18 pieces in white gold
Author: Marina Milojevic Pinterest
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