Vianney Halter - DEEP SPACE RESONANCE PROTOTYPE - A NEW TECHNICAL DEVICE IS COMING BACK TO EARTH FROM OUTER SPACE!
A lifelong dream is being realized at last!
Vianney Halter, the space and time travel watchmaker, is happy to introduce you to the new
technical breakthrough at the heart of his emblematic 3 axis tourbillon : the Deep Space
Resonance. Vianney reingeneered the tourbillon cage in order to integrate two acoustically
synchronized balance wheels. A technical challenge and unheard mechanical prowess.
This creation is a tribute to undulatory physics, galaxy-shaking events and our Universe’s very
fundamental mechanisms. After multiple years in research and development, creative phases
and external influences, Vianney shows a unique system that accurately depicts a true
physical phenomenon.
INSPIRATIONS AND PHYSICS
The idea of creating an acoustically resonant double-balance time instrument
emerged in Vianney’s mind in 1996 when he started learning to play the piano.
When attuning the keys where three harmonic strings overlap, he noticed an energy
exchange between the strings that forced them to resonate. Just like on the tuning fork, the
resonance mechanism seemed to depend on the fixed base through which the energy flows.
Vianney felt there could be a similar way to synchronize two balance wheels.
As he was doing some research on the subject, Vianney found early 1800s blueprints of
Abraham Louis Breguet’s attempts to achieve resonance. The schematics showed devices
allowing for the fine tuning of the distance that separated the two balance wheels, which
were in this case using a fundamentally different coupling than the piano or tuning fork.
Breguets’s works were based on the interactions between the balance wheel rims and the air
between them, using the air as a fluid gearing. In this case the size of the gap, air viscosity
and rotation directions were critical. Air behaved as a clutch and only one rotation was
allowed. Without air, there could be no resonance.
On the other hand in order for the acoustic resonance phenomenon to occur, waves are of
utmost importance. Using a linkage of some sorts, waves could be transmitted from one
balance to the other. By having both spirals attached to a well designed common bridge, the
two oscillators could influence each other and attain resonance, whichever direction the
balances were turning.
In order to form solid bases for the mechanical groundworks, Vianney needed to study the
preexisting resonance watches, then craft an instrument that could demonstrate the
possibility of resonance from coupling two oscillators. He then started collecting every
chronometric object linked to undulatory phenomena he could, aiming to build such a
demonstrator.
The final construction will be a tribute to all the scientists and craftsmen who developped
theories, and imagined and built machines to share them.
The workshop changes into a laboratory
In 2007, Vianney Halter starts the construction
of the demonstrator he has been imagining
since 2005. To build his movement, he uses
two identical Russian deck watches that give
him identical gear trains. For the two balances
to resonate, he needs the two oscillators to be
as similar as possible, and links them using a
solid bridge, like in a tuning fork.
As day to day watchmaking and manufacture began to consume Vianney’s time more and
more he had to set his experimental works aside. However as time passes, the urge to return
to it grows stronger. In 2012, Vianney buys an antique clock from watchmaker Langlois,
crafted in 1660. With the help of horological expert Jean-Claude Sabrier, he discovers the
clock is in fact one that Christiaan Huygens subcontracted to various craftsmen to
demonstrate his novel isochronism theory. Beyond confirming his theory, the scientist and
father of modern horology witnessed the resonance of multiple pendulums when installed on
a single frame. For Vianney, this experiment was the initiator of the horological acoustic
resonance idea.
In 2016, a major scientific breakthrough pushes
Vianney forward with the resonance. Almost a
century after Albert Einstein relativity theory,
gravitational waves were detected, confirming the
existence of two collapsing black holes and
sending ripples through the scientific community
and Sci-Fi buffs alike.
Photos credit : Guy LUCAS de Peslouan
Space-Time is the fabric of our Universe. Heavy objects bend it and deform it and when they
accelerate or collide, those objects generate waves that propagate through the cosmos at
light speed, in all directions. Those waves perturbate the whole Universe, and finally were
measured on Earth using a resonance based space-time seismograph.
This discovery was so important to Vianney he was determined to finish the research about
acoustic horological resonance. By trying multiple configurations for the coupling of the two
balances, he eventually finds one that allows acoustic resonance without relying on
aerodynamics.
At the same time, a new idea and new challenge emerged. In 2011 Vianney dreamt of an
object designed to remind us of our four dimensions during our stellar travels: the Deep
Space Tourbillon. In 2013 the watch was born – a 3 axis central tourbillon to show you the
physical dimensions, surrounded by the display of our 4th dimension, time.
With these 4 dimensions making the elastic fabric of our universe, being warped and
reshaped by gravitational waves, it appeared evident that the resonating oscillators will be
placed at the center of the Deep Space Tourbillon.
The study of the demonstrators configurations allowed to define the tuning fork
configuration in which will be the two balances. To prevent the wave dissipation, Vianney
chooses specific, solid materials, and minimizes the length and complexity of the path the
wave must travel. This led to the configuration in which the two spirals are mounted opposite
in front of each other. Using a rigid shared bridge for the two spirals, Vianney made sure that
the resulting resonance was a genuine behavior, not a functional artifact.
Work and perseverance eventually bore fruit, and at the beginning of 2019 the two balances
in the demonstrator were beating as one. The behavior was stable and allowed Vianney to
start the construction of a wrist worn model: the Deep Space Resonance.
Each development is made of steps, and one could
see the original Deep Space Tourbillon as a step, a
host to be transcended by the resonance.
Those four dimensions are the basis of our human
condition but are not an absolute. The resonance
found its way in the Deep Space to show us that the
fabric of the Universe is, in fact, the canvas on which
things interfere, interact, and resonate.
DEEP SPACE RESONANCE PROTOTYPE
The Deep Space Resonance Prototype immense works took over the entirety of 2020.
Vianney built it to check that the acoustic synchronization correctly functions when worn on
the wrist.
Thanks to the three axis rotation, every detail on the structure is visible. The complexity of the
mechanism is highlighted by a unique and light architectural construction.
Photos credit : Guy LUCAS de Peslouan
The 42 polished
curved pillars that hold the bridges are a testimony to Achille BenoĆ®t’s beautiful 1939 marine
chronometer. Every part of the mechanism is traditionally decorated and refined by hand for
a breathtaking effect. Despite the apparent complexity, the technological architecture was
kept at the most simple and efficient.
Nothing is superfluous.
The axis structure is layered in concentric
cages: The innermost cage holds the
balances and weighs 0.6 grams for 162
parts. This cage rotates inside the traverse
in 60 seconds. The traverse weighs 2.8
grams and rotates around it’s horizontal
axis in 6 minutes. The traverse is mounted
in the cradle, that rotates on it’s vertical axis in 30 minutes. The whole 3 axis system counts 371 individual parts.
The balances are nominally 21‘600 vph but in reality they vary a little. Each balance will
transmit its motion to the shared bridge which will in turn affect the other balance. This way,
both balances will influence each other, and quickly and reliably reach a common frequency.
In turn, this makes the whole regulating system more accurate.
The Deep Space Resonance Prototype is a manually wound, 65h power reserve watch. The
balances start to resonate as soon as the energy is sufficient to set the balances in motion,
and stay synchronized until all motion stops. The balances will synchronize and oscillate at
the same time, but not necessarily in the same direction at the same time. This will define the
resonance mode.
The mode depends on the position the balances were occupying when they started beating,
and will keep this mode until the end of the power reserve. The next time the watch is
wound, the balances may start beating in a different mode, and will offer a new view to the
resonance phenomenon.
The dial was developed as a no-nonsense tool, and directly inspired by
the Vernier caliper. The Hours and
Quarters can be read in the top
aperture. At the bottom aperture one
can read the supplemental minutes by
finding where the marks match the
best.
For the final realizations of this
technical device, the reading of the
time will be easier thanks to a
fascinating dial specifically designed to
match the resonance principles. The
power reserve will be drastically
enhanced.
In the meantime, please enjoy this first wrist worn acoustic resonance. The beauty of the
mirror construction, architectural symmetry, light reflections and finishing contrasts give an
magical sense to the mechanical ballet. As in mirages, you will be entranced by the
shimmering of wheels and pillars. There will be no up, no down, left or right. You will be lost
in the resonance as in the middle of the cosmos.
Watchmaking is the way Vianney expresses himself and shares. With this construction he
wanted to resonate with everyone surrounding him and share his fascination for science and mechanics. As a watchmaker, he claims no absolute scientific certainty, and rather offers a
beautiful step upon which future generations will build. "When I imagine and build demonstrators like this one, I learn a lot from it. Each mechanical
challenge helps me understand our Universe more and more. Every time, I marvel like a child
facing it’s complexity and subtlety. What I like the most is understanding, crafting, testing,
and in the end sharing. Sharing is the ultimate goal of my work as a watchmaker."
Special thanks to the team at Vianney Halter and special thanks for allowing me to bring the exclusive images (information below.).
Vianney Halter is continuosly pushing the boundaries of design engineering, craftsmanship and dedication to his work. Check out the collection and further information at:
www.vianney-halter.com
Photos credit : Guy LUCAS de PESLOUAN
Video credit : The Horophile & Vianney Halter https://youtu.be/Jtqmc1RqyMM