What is a Tourbillon Regulator? A Tourbillon is a regulating mechanism in which the escapement of a movement is housed within a revolving carriage. It was developed in an effort to attain better precision. When a watch is in a vertical position the force of gravity will speed the balance wheel as it moves in its downward (arc) direction and slow it as it moves upward creating deviational errors of timekeeping. By placing the balance and escapement in a carriage that revolves 360° per minute these errors become averaged and the timekeeping becomes constant and consequently adjustable. Created by Abraham Louis Breguet in 1795 the tourbillon is considered a diffi cult and complex achievement by any watch manufacturer.