Property of a German Collector Flying Tourbillon In the early 1920s Albert Helwig, Technical Director of the Deutsche Uhrmacherschule invented what is now commonly known as a flying tourbillon: ??My idea of constructing the free-standing cage that is without a bridge, was to make a tourbillon as flat as possible ? The weight of the cage 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 4 weeks, which stopped all critics?? Flying tourbillons were made as masterpieces by the best students of the Deutsche Uhrmacherschule in Glashütte, under the direction of Professor Alfred Helwig. They represent the ultimate achievement in the making of revolving escapements.
Alfred Helwig One of the most eminent German precision watchmakers, he was apprenticed to Master Watchmaker Gustav Dunkel, and then entered the Deutsche Uhrmacherschule. He then worked for Bavarian Master Watchmaker Georg Braun. Helwig subsequently returned to Glashütte and found employment in the Glashütter Präzisions-Uhrenfabrik AG, where he worked until 1908. Focusing on chronometry, he worked for a year at the Chronometerwerke Hamburg, acquiring practical knowledge in the production of precision timekeepers. On April 1, 1913, he found the fitting place for his talents at the Deutsche Uhrmacherschule, where he became professor and director of practical watchmaking, staying until his retirement. He was drafted during WW I, but returned to the school after the war. Very organized and disciplined, as demanding of himself as he was of his students, he encouraged them to work to the best of their capabilities while conserving their enthusiasm for horology. From his own experience he knew exactly how a talent is best nourished and he employed this understanding with great success. In the workshop he hung up the motto: ?We don?t train only watchmakers, we train watchmakers to become extraordinary people with character?. During Helwig?s years at the school many improvements in the field of horology were made by his students and himself, and many excellent watches were built. In 1922 Helwig became a master. After WW II, under Communist rule, he was so appreciated that on his 64th birthday, his students all donated their monthly rations (in Eastern Germany food was rationed then) to make a large cake for him. Helwig wrote articles, pamphlets and books, including ?Drehganguhren? and ?Die Feinstellung?, coauthored with Dr. K. Giebel, one of the most comprehensive works on technical watchmaking. Alfred Helwig died on May 18, 1974, and was laid to rest with other accomplished members of the DUR. On the 25th anniversary of his death Glashütte Original introduced a new model, called ?Helwig?, employing his flying tourbillon. Only 25 pieces were made.