Rare Italian Tourbillon Skeleton Clock By Carlo Croce
The only one of its kind in the world, this remarkable skeleton clock features a tourbillon movement, a marvel of engineering achievement, and one of the most highly sought-after complications in luxury timepieces. Taken from the French word for whirlwind, this clock’s hypnotic oscillation embodies the name perfectly.
The tourbillon, invented by famed watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in the 1790s, endeavored to counteract the effects of the earth’s gravitational pull on watch movements, known as positional error. The solution was to suspend the balance wheel, balance springs, and escapement in constant oscillation within a cage, averaging out any potential errors caused by gravity when the watch rests in one position for too long. The result is a timepiece of the highest precision.
While tourbillons are typically implemented on a diminutive scale within pocket watches and wristwatches, this remarkable complication is often difficult to view and appreciate. Italian clockmaker Carlo Croce sought to display this feat of engineering, physics, and horology on a grand scale, masterfully creating not only a remarkable timepiece but the only large-scale tourbillon skeleton clock of its kind.
An 8-day Mudge escapement movement powers this tremendous skeleton clock, which bears a full restoration and a one-year warranty.
The clock stands 12 inches high alone and measures 17 inches high by 12 inches in diameter overall under the glass dome.
Circa 1999