Launched in 2002 with Revolution One, clearly the “Master of Complications” would not be satisfied with just another “simple” tourbillon. Acknowledging that the appeal of a tourbillon wristwatch is as much (or more) about watching the hypnotic rotation of the tourbillon cage as it was about improved chronometric performance, Franck Muller “rose” to the occasion with a new concept. With the push of a button on the case, the still-running tourbillon escapement rose from deep within the movement to stand tall just fractions of a millimeter below the sapphire crystal. This allowed for an unfettered view of the tourbillon escapement in a function that is at once both playful and complex. Part of the challenge was moving the hands out of the way in case the indicated time placed them over the escapement as it rose. In a clever solution, the Revolution One’s hands both jump to the 12 o’clock position when the button is pushed and remain there until the button is released when they jump back to indicate the correct time.

The following year Franck Muller introduced the Revolution 2. This evolution of the Revolution placed the one-minute tourbillon escapement within a second cage that rotated on the vertical axis every 8 minutes to redefine the genre and add a new technical achievement to the watchmaking pantheon. Miniaturization and power supply were two major challenges that had to be overcome and the Revolution 2 did just that by creating a truly wearable sized wristwatch with a substantial 70-hour power reserve.

In 2004, after years of development, Franck Muller revolutionized the watchmaking industry with the Revolution 3.  By its very nature, this triple axis Tourbillon transcends into the 3^rd dimension and averages the forces of gravity in all positions by constantly changing the aspect of the pull of gravity on the balance wheel. This stunning complication is the result of one of the most complex creations in Haute Horology with the inner cage rotating every 60 seconds, the second cage every 8 minutes, and the third once per hour.

The inner cage rotates around its own axis, which is the center of the balance wheel. The second cage rotates from top to bottom, or along the vertical axis. Finally, the third outer cage rotates from left to right, or along the horizontal axis. Power flows from the gear train through all three cages to impulse the balance wheel five times each second. With so many cages to push, there is substantial resistance for the gear train to overcome, yet the watchmakers at Franck Muller were able to engineer solutions that created a massive 10-days’ supply of power. And as with the Revolution 2, there are two retrograde indications for the eight-minute cage as well as the 60-second cage’s progression.

 Evolution 3-1 takes the excellent chronometric results of the Revolution 3 triple-axis tourbillon and adds a retrograde display perpetual calendar. Watching the hands of the perpetual calendar display change is a choreographed expression of watchmaking wizardry at its finest.

Our goal at Franck Muller Watchland continues to be pioneers and originators, striving to innovate and daring to achieve what has never been done before. The Evolution 3-1 is an expression of this goal that is as powerful today as it was when it was first imagined.  

Collectively, the Revolution series of tourbillons from Franck Muller Watchland represent some of the most ambitious, radical, and amazing achievements in the history of contemporary watchmaking, and to this day, each of these timepieces is an extraordinary milestone. No true watch collection can be considered complete without all three of these watches as its centerpieces. Each is individually built to order at our Watchland manufacture. We await your call to bring another masterpiece from the Revolution collection to life.