It's Friday March 26th and a very important day. Today, we completed the very first production Tourbillon 1's and this means the first customers will start seeing their watches arrive very soon.
Silvan Deutschmann has been the lead on the Tourbillon 1 development and it just so happened that he be the one to pose with the first Tourbillon 1. The polished steel, gold movement and allure blue strap watch will be prepared by Celine for shipment.
To think, last June we decided to engineer a movement and not just any movement, a tourbillon, which is not for the faint of heart and here we are in March set to deliver. This has to be one for the record books. Time aside, there were no engineering corners cut and we had to test each and every part before it was placed in production some of which going through many iterations to get the optimal results. Challenging would be an understatement considering we were developing along side the tourbillon, our K2 micro-rotor movement, which is moving along very quickly so be sure to join the K2 journey starting in April.
A week ago to the day we also sent out the first batch of movements for COSC certification.
The movements are closely guarded by Silvan as he goes to drop them off.
The tourbillon is a very special movement and therefore the COSC process cannot be automated as is the case with automatic movements. This means the certifier must manually set the watch in each position and monitor results over a painstaking 15 days. From movement positions, length of time and temperature all things must be consistent for each and every movement. The reason this has to be done manually is because normally there is a temporary second hand, dial and crown installed that is specific to COSC so that their machine can read the time accurately. In the case of our tourbillon there isn't the possibility to fix a dial or a second hand and thus special measures need to be taken. Due to the fact that we cannot affix the specified dial and second hand the process is even more costly. We are building a series at a time and once the first series is complete we can send in the next for certification. Below you can see the criteria for testing.
2 days 6H up at 23°C
2 days 3H up at 23°C
2 days 9H up at 23°C
2 days dial down at 23°C
2 days dial up at 23°C
1 day dial up at 8°C
1 day dial up at 23°C
1 day dial up at 38°C
2 days 6H up at 23°C
As you can see the process is extremely thorough to ensure the watch performs as expected over a 15 day cycle. After the 15 days the results are averaged out and the result must be better than -4/+6 Seconds of deviation per day. Therefore the first COSC movement will be complete in a week from now and will start shipping out in April. I will continue to share more on the COSC process in a future K2 micro-rotor post 😉.
To celebrate I would like to keep this update short and leave you with an article published in our Inside Watch Tok journal written by Eric Tyler a long time Horage enthusiast who will be contributing articles to Inside Watch Tok more frequently in times to come.
Till next time...
Landon Stirling
Really useful user guide - thanks Lenny! What I can’t easily replicate is the “second stop” to stop the balance wheel: turning the crown back doesn’t stop the cage: I have to gently apply pressure to the crown but then I can’t adjust time forward as wheel simply starts up again. There’s a second click stop on the crown pull-out but this doesn’t do anything and just free-wheels the crown. Are there other instructions posted somewhere?
Wow.
I’ve had the watch now for several weeks, and boy what fun. No image on a screen does this watch justice. You need to see it, hold it, wear it... own it.
The tourbillon cage is mesmerising: so simple yet an engineering marvel. The glimpses of colours and sheens from different angles is quite stunning, from greys and bronzes to glimpses of the deep cobalt blue shining through from the PVD back plate. I’m so glad I opted for the brushed bezel as it draws the eye to the dial and cage and doesn’t make the watch too “showy”. Hard not to spend a few quiet moments just glued staring at my wrist. Well done team Horage. You’ve done it again.
My only two regrets: you’ve not integrated a micro rotor or power reserve indicator... yet! As that would complete this masterpiece - but hey, there has to be a reason to keep following the Horage journey and I’m sure you’re about to spring something new on us with the K2.
Oh... and how could I not mention performance: running +1s a day over a few weeks must put you up there with the greats of watchmaking. Not only did you pick up the challenge when LJP dumped you but you’ve bettered it many many times over.
Also easy to forget the Horage design flair doesn’t just end with the watch but has filtered through to the rather novel bamboo keepsake box with the H mosaic. I’m sure there’s a story behind selecting this box so look forward to hearing the back story in due course.
Lastly a question: I notice you’d attached the short strap at 6 and the tongue at 12 which is the other way round to how I’d normally fit a strap. Is there a reason why? Perhaps easier to close the leaf clasp this way or was there another reason? Easy to switch round with the quick release straps, but just curious.
and a pic... to wet the appetite of those still waiting or deliberating...
I have had my tourbillon serial number 007 since Sunday ...
I picked it up personally in Biel, thanks again to Andi and Tzuyu and also to Jonas for your time.
It's an incredible watch.
Jonas showed me that the Horage Loge lasered on the crown wheel changes color depending on the incidence of light. Cool. I would never have found out myself.
How many ideas and challenges are in this project is hard to believe.
The wait was worth it...
Concur...think something like this was mentioned on Jan 20, 2020
Congrats to the team. Can’t wait to receive my Horage Tourbillon 1.
absolutely agree with Jon's thoughts!
Have you thought about producing a “tribute“ that captures the amazing journey with the birth of the Tourbillon 1? It’s been fascinating to stay “tuned in” along the way and you now have some pretty amazing pictures of the watch and mechanism. Maybe you should commission a coffee table artistic photo book with the key moments and stories. So much thought and passion has gone into this project, it would be a real shame not to try capture the best bits as it says a lot about the Horage brand. A story of resilience and perseverance during a pandemic. Just a thought!
All sounding very real! thanks Silvan! thanks Landon for sharing the intricacies of obtaining COSC for a tourbillon. Also first glimpse of the box as I was wondering what you’d pick this time round. - and yes do keep drip-feeding update on the K2 ;)
Congratulations to Silvan and all his colleagues for making the impossible possible! 👏 Hope they will have some possibility to celebrate despite de circumstances. 🎉🥂
Countdown and Applaus to the team!
Countdown and Applaus to the team!