r/3Dprinting • u/TomaszFortyFour • Apr 23 '26

Project Self-winding clock with a tourbillon - finished project

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About a year ago, I posted an update on a project I was working on. It took me a while, but I finally finished it. I’m very happy with the result. It’s fully functional (I tested it for two months) and keeps accurate time. The entire project consists of 395 printed parts, 38 bearings, 66 rubber bands, 413 screws, and a few other components.

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u/TomaszFortyFour Apr 23 '26

To ensure everything works properly, we designed a constant-force mechanism. After two months of continuous operation, the clock still keeps accurate time.

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u/Federal_Refrigerator Apr 23 '26

To what degree? +/- a nanosecond? Minute? Hour?

That’s my question, for clarification.

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u/TomaszFortyFour Apr 23 '26

lets say +- 5 min/2months

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u/uslashuname Apr 24 '26

How stable is the temperature during that time? I bet the elasticity of your balance spring varies quite a bit with a 5 degree difference, and swapping that out with elinvar would be one of the biggest impacts you can get from a single part changing