The St.Petersburg Centre of Watch & Clock Restoration

Tourbillon from Saint-Petersburg

A young watchmaker from St.-Petersburg Konstantin Chaikin has created the first Russian desk-top clock with a flying tourbillon made of titanium. It took 5 months to make the clock. The unique device is wound up once a week and consists of 146 handmade components. The base of it is a serial mechanism of clock “Vesna”. Konstantin has completely transformed it, having left untouched only 17 components.

- The main thing in clockmaking, - Konstantin says, - is to achieve accuracy in producing details. Unfortunately, at that time I did not have the experience required and any proper equipment as well. But the wish to create a clock with a tourbillon on my own helped to build up confidence and realize that I can overcome all the difficulties. The ball started rolling, when I realized the truth, simple as it seems at first, the clock never forgives miscalculating, faults and haste, of course.

Though the clock is the only one sample, the master is sure that it is the starting point for new projects among which there are a unique astronomic clock with a tourbillon, with a repeater, a moon calendar and equation of a time.
_____________________________________________________

«Kotoruy Chas?»
No 8-9/2004

The St.Petersburg Watch&Clock Atelier
The Centre of Watch&Clock Restoration
off. 36, Malodetskoselskiy pr.
St.Petersburg, 190013, Russia
phones: +7 (812) 703-17-56
+7 (812) 316-56-39
+7 (812) 911-02-71
mail@clockmaker.ru