Stolní hodiny Sky Watcher Tourbillon

So far so good, I'm about 10% into it and am amazed how well its made. I'm taking it very slowly but so far only one mistake which was fixable. Very impressed with including spare parts. I've done another model by a different company and if you break something during the process you can't proceed. Loving it!

What to say... another great model, which provides some difficulties to solve. I added a youtube video.
Unluckily I had to ask for a replacement part, because I forgot to block the main drive, while fiddling with the tourbillion. (Reseating and regreasing the impulse pin axle, add metal spacers to reduce friction etc.)
Although UGEARS does not charge for such a replacement, customs had me pay 13€, but what the heck...

I actually learned what a tourbillion does and how and that it is a real masterpiece of clock work (only the enhancement that the inventor hoped to reach was not THAT huge and using tourbillions in a watch has been ceased)

Excellent quality of all parts: They fit perfectly and everything is very stable. You will profit from a small hammer, though. Bee wax is essential for getting the clock to work automatically.

I have never done something similar before but the manual is a very good guidance almost everywhere. I only made two small mistakes and found one imprecise picture which rendered the transmission to the minutes and hours wheels unworkable. The image I uploaded gives you some hints. But I even enjoyed partly disassembling the clock to somewhere in the middle - and the process worked fine also backwards ;-).

I always played around with the larger assemblies for quite some time (like when you have just mounted the minutes wheel, the hours wheel, or the tourbillon) not just to distribute the wax on the gears but also to check whether the mechanism makes sense and works correctly, e.g., wheels turn in the right directions, or lining up the impulse pin and escape fork thru the two levers managing the balance spring. You will need the latter many times when setting the clock mechanism in motion :)

The last action might be really difficult if you have no idea how a mechanical clock works internally so you might want to check out some YouTube videos on how the escape wheel and all the other parts of the escapement interact.

As I did not put any time pressure on my work, it was an extremely enjoyable experience with a great reward in the end when the clock worked automatically (for a few minutes b/c the transmission of power from the watch's mainspring barrel to the escapement was too weak in my case).

Now I contemplate fixing the last minor detail during the next longer vacation period...!

Finally I've got this excellent and beautiful model to work. After carefully building the clock it used to work always for some minutes then the escape fork hit the escape wheel from above, causing the whole thing to get stuck. I don't know if this was caused by my build, but I knew, I would have to fix it.

Some research taught me that the impulse pin would not provide enough energy to the escape fork, which then was too slow compared to the movement of the escape wheel.

I had to rework the inner and outer mount of the balance spring. On the inside the spring was mounted in an incorrect angle, causing the spring to touch the inner mount, so I bent it to a proper position. On the outside the spring was several centimetres too long, so I shortened it just by letting it stick out on the back side of the mount. To avoid interference, I had to place the inner mount closer to the balance wheel.

Then I removed some vertical play on the metal axle and the escape fork mount using washers and also placed washers below some gears to reduce friction.

This whole process took me longer than the initial build, I rebuilt the tourbillon about 20 times, but it was great fun and worth every minute. Now the clock runs without any problems, it runs for about three hours before I have to wind it up again and keeps time very well.

I can recommend this model, but be aware this thing is an advanced build.

Definitely anadvanced build (not for the faint of heart)! This is my first Ugears project after doing six of a competitor brand. I find that the instructions weren't as detailed BUT the parts are much more sturdy. Actually thepanels are at least twice as thick.
I have it completed but I have a couple of gears jamming and Ihaven't found out whichones they are so it won't operate (annoying) but I will figure it out.
One other thing I discovered is that the "lock" is just a hair too long making catch on the drive gear!
Try it if you dare and want a challenge!

John

Fun project
Now if I can just get it to work. LoL

An excellent puzzle! A challenge to build and impressive to show off. Adequate instructions, easy to follow. Not for beginners though! And extreme care must be taken - this is very intricate puzzle, and demands full attention at all times. (I made one minor mistake: I installed the UGEARS logo backwards on the top part.) They point out that you need to seat the top tourbillon part. However, once it is completed, there is a breaking-in period: The first time it only ran a few seconds, but I kept restarting it and now it runs continuously.

I made my clock work as it should, and for 3 hours and 10 minutes, so happy about that. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because it has many flaws (one 'fatal'), that other less mechanically inclined people might not be able to overcome to make it work. And it's a shame. Hopefully I can help those.
First, the 'fatal' flaw. The 2 levers that hold the hairspring in place, do not have the proper friction to hold it in place. This is probably the reason for those who just couldn't make it work. If the spring moves even a little, throwing the balance wheel out of its intended orientation, the clock just doesn't work. I ended up fixing this by cutting 2 'rings' (used an actual lever as the template) out of a (tan) manila folder, and it worked very well. Just a hair tighter than perfect, but good enough. By the way, the gap for the levers to be flush with the part above was 0.40mm (and both manila folder 'rings' were 0.43). I installed the 'rings' first, then both levers as instructed, then the top part.
Another big flaw is the wheel that makes the hour jump. Only TWO (out of 12) jumped in my case. I had to file the darn wheel once the clock was built, and took forever. This is not a big deal, since it's not a working clock, but I wanted it to work as it should. The solution is to file the wheel before assembling it. It needs a much rounder profile, so the moving pin drops in place easier. Another 2 flaws related to this is that tiny pin has more weight to it, so I added 3 squares of a weight I cut out of a ceiling fan balancing kit. Just make sure it's at the very end of it, and doesn't interfere with it going all the way up on its perch. The final flaw regarding this, is the spring is way too weak for this application. I had to basically cut it in half, so it didn't jump 2 hours at a time. Those 3 changes made it work perfectly.
Other flaws (that I can remember) were LUBE THE METAL ROD. I didn't do it (not mentioned in instructions), and the tourbillon squeaks in certain positions. Other flaws were mentioned before, like final parts made up of 2 coming apart, so I glued everything like that, plus many other parts that didn't have enough friction, and would have come apart. I think I'm forgetting some, but at least I could tell what needed to be glued. I didn't want to dismantle my clock, so I made sure it was built right the first time, and other than wasting hours fixing the hour wheel, and just undoing the levers, when it was obvious the hairspring was too loose, it worked the first time. However, it was stopping initially, so I gave it some help by applying helping pressure on the main wheel driven by the main spring, and after a minute or so, I stopped the 'assistance', and it continued running by itself for 3 hours and 10 minutes. So don't be discouraged if it doesn't work perfectly right off the bat. It needs to loosen up a little once fully built. And yes, I ran the tourbillon manually the 10 minutes the manual said. If the clock stops, and gets going again, it might need a minute adjustment of the hairspring to make it swing quicker. Hope this helps others.

I have started my fifth model - Sky Watcher, Tourbillon Table Clock. This model has exceeded my expectations. Special appreciation to the staff that created the "Instruction Booklet". Applause to the staff that designed and built the "machines" that fabricate the wood pieces in addition to staff that arrange the "placement of the pieces" on each "board".

It is the coolest thing ever. I love it. The design is genius. Putting it together is challenging. Watching it work is very entertaining. I thoroughly appreciate horology and to be able to build a tourbillon is beyond my wildest expectations.