The tourbillon: watchmaking’s most complicated complication?

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Of all the complications that can adorn a wristwatch, the tourbillon is perhaps one of the most curious.

The whirring, oscillating mechanical feature, which often emerges from the surface of a watch’s dial, these days serves no real purpose other than to dramatically increase a watch’s price. But once upon a time this was not the case.

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.