Glashütte Original’s Post

Each of our watches has its own story. An idea that inspired us to create it. A tradition that we wanted to revive. Or an almost impossible challenge that was successfully overcome. With #AspectsOfTime, we want to shed light on one of these hidden aspects once a month - today: 'Flyback Tourbillon'. The tourbillon is considered one of the greatest challenges in the high art of watchmaking. In the heritage of Glashütte Original, it holds a special place. In 1920, Alfred Helwig, a teacher at the renowned German Watchmaking School Glashütte, succeeded in freeing the tourbillon from the upper part of its cage for the first time. Together with his students he created the world’s first Flying Tourbillon. With the Senator Chronometer Tourbillon, our engineers and watchmakers have gone one step further. By tackling multiple technical challenges in one stroke, they have brought the tourbillon to its next evolutionary stage. As the first of its kind, Glashütte Original’s Flyback Tourbillon features a reset-to-zero mechanism coupled with a minute detent. But how does this sophisticated mechanism work? When the crown is pulled out, a vertical clutch halts the balance and locks the tourbillon cage in its position. By pulling the crown to the next position and holding in there, the cage swings upwards in a smooth turn until the second hand mounted on top reaches the zero marker. At the same time, the minute hand jumps to the next index, allowing the time to be set with extreme precision. Two patents protect this unique design and underline our manufactory's clear commitment to innovation. Discover the Senator Chronometer Tourbillon – a masterpiece of haute horlogerie.