A mechanism that rotates the balance and escapement in a cage to average out gravity-related timing errors in vertical positions.
A tourbillon carries the balance and escapement in a revolving cage. As the cage turns, it moves the regulating organ through successive vertical positions, averaging the timing errors that gravity can produce in those positions. In the arrangement described by the Fondation Haute Horlogerie, the escape-wheel pinion turns around a fixed fourth wheel. The mechanism addresses a particular source of rate variation, so its presence alone does not establish a watch’s overall accuracy. Watchmaking convention counts the tourbillon as a complication, even though it adds no separate display function to the indication of time.
In job listings
Few roles involve servicing a tourbillon, and specialist training is usually a separate step. The word is more common in fine-watch sales, where an advisor may need to explain what the mechanism does and why it commands attention. Search local jobs for “watchmaker”.
