What is the Difference Between a Tourbillon and a Carrousel?
Blancpain is unique in the world of watchmaking, as it is the only house
that has mastered the art of placing a carrousel in a wristwatch.
Carrousels were originally conceived to defy gravity and the associated
rate errors incurred when the watch is in a vertical position. In this
way, carrousels are like tourbillons. But watch connoisseurs often get
confused in trying to understand how carrousels and tourbillons differ
from each other. Fortunately, Blancpain has created two watches that are
perfect vehicles for understanding the similarities and differences
between carrousels and tourbillons: its Le Brassus Tourbillon Carrousel
from two years ago, the L-Evolution C Tourbillon Carrousel, which
debuted at Baselworld 2015. Our visit to the world’s oldest watch
brand’s complicated workshop in Le Brassus allows us to place the
movement under a microscope and closely examine these two timing
elements to show how they are the same and how they are different.
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