This is one of the most famous German tourbillons ever made. Professor Helwig described its uniqueness in his letters to Professor Engel: "?I am happy to learn that you rediscovered the number 17. I thought it was lost during the war (WW II), as were so many other things?" "?My idea of constructing the freestanding cage, that is without a bridge, was to make a tourbillon as flat as possible. "?Several of my students have built tourbillons in the school under my guidance at their own expense. We all promised each other never to sell them, and if at all then not below the current value of three kilograms (over six pounds) of pure gold ?" "?The weight of the cage on No. 17 is only 700 milligrams. No one believed that it would be strong enough. Therefore, I tied a string on one side of the cage and another one on the other side but with a weight of 250 grams. I then hung this in the display case at the entrance hall to the Deutsche Uhrmacherschule and left it hanging there for four weeks, which stopped all critics?" "?I remember Nr. 17 very well. It was my masterpiece, which I made for Prof. Bassermann-Jordan. He took it into his big hands, looked at it and said: "This is the watch after which the God set the sun!"For a quite interesting and amusing story of the purchase of the watch and meeting with Helwig in Communist Eastern Germany see page 200 and 201 of Prof. Engel's book.From records and from Helwig's correspondence it follows that Prof. Basserman-Jordan owned two Helwig tourbillons. Apparently, after the first prototype, Helwig improved the system, and the one that he called his masterpiece, was sold to his best client and later presented at the Deutschen Seewarte Timing Contest where the watch received the first prize.Flying TourbillonAs opposed to regular tourbillon regulators in which the carriage is fitted in a plate and secured by a bridge, in the flying tourbillons invented by Alfred Helwig, the lower bearing of the carriage is fitted in the usual way, the upper bearing is fitted beneath the carriage, and the carriage is built around a free (flying) arbor. On the top of the carriage, there are neither pivot nor bridge.Long Desired Friend and the Book Next DoorIt was always my dream to top my collection of watches with a tourbillon, not necessarily a Breguet because the latter, money-wise was far beyond my means, but just one, a one minute tourbillon with échappement détente and in mint condition. I advertised in the papers, I went to sales, I visited during my travels old watch shops and antique shops, all without success. My search went on for years. One day I received a letter from a watch shop indicating that they would have a tourbillon for sale.I called them, but they said it was a five minute tourbillon with anchor escapement and that the price would be 10,000 DM. This I did not want.Another year passed and I still had not found a tourbillon. Finally I remembered the five minute tourbillon that I had so peremptorily rejected a year before, so I contacted the watch shop and I asked them whether or not it was still for sale. It was, so I agreed to look at it and if they would be willing to send the watch for inspection I would at the same time send them a check for 10,000 DM to be returned if I did not like the watch. They agreed.A few days later a box the size of a shoe carton arrived and well packed inside was a gold pocket watch of the Glashutte style; I was disappointed because being a Breguet collector, it was not really my type of watch, but being curious, I wound the watch and listened to it tick. What a surprise, I was not listening to an échappement anchor, it was a half second beat échappement détente! When I opened the back of the watch, I could not believe my eyes; there before me was the free-standing rotatig cage and the signature: Alfred Helwig, Glashutte 1927. Alfred Helwig, the famous teacher of the watchmaker school of Glashütte, the world-wide leading expert; the man who knows more about Breguet than anyone else of this generation. This was his tourbillon, which had been lost during the Russian Occupation. I had in my hands probably the finest watch ever made in Germany. Needless to say, the watch stayed with me and the check with the watch shop.I wrote to Mr. Helwig asking whether I could visit him. He was at that time 75 years old and he replied saying that it would be a pleasure to meet me. At that time, of course, it was almost impossible to travel to eastern Germany, but I managed to engineer an invitation from the Academy of Science in Dresden to speak on Polymer Chemistry, which I did. After that engagement, I motored south in my Ferrari which was something quite special in a Communist country, to Glashütte, where I spent some qute unforgettable hours with Helwig and his wife learning about Breguet and the art of building a tourbillon.Helwig had published a book about Tourbillons which was published in only a limited edition. I had been hunting for a copy without success for many years; regretfully Helwig did not have a spare one. However, he gave me the address of one of his former pupils, Appels, who told me that his daughter, living in Heusenstamm, Germany, Niederroderweg 10, had a copy. In those days I lived in the same town, same street, number 12! So after a long search, I found my book in the house next door and I am peased to say it now resides on my bookshelf.