Tourbillon SkyWatcher

I don't do reviews, but in the case of the Ugears aero clock I just had to make an exception.The design and construction of this kit is definitely on another level. You get what you pay for in life. The build quality is of this kit is at the highest level.All I would say to would be buyers is take your time. Yes you could probably have it all together in a far less time than the 11 hours indicated by Ugears, but the result would certainly not be a working clock.Care and attention to detail are required. Sand all rough edges and pay particular attention to those parts with mating surfaces. Anything that rubs against or contacts with another part benefits from more attention when sanding and waxing. The smoother the better.The instructions are excellent, but in my case I had some difficulty in understanding the cord winding. Youtube did however quickly solve my problem.The end result is fantastic. Visually a work of art. A work of art that actually keeps good time and a pleasure to watch as the hour sees the balloon quickly descend from its slow rise over the hour.Personally I would not consider this kit as complex. Not for a child that wants quick results, more suited to teenagers and budding teenage adults who want to spend time creating something to be proud of. If youtake your time and follow the instructions carefully you will love what Ugears have helped you create.Looking foward to my next Ugears kit. Have made many hints to Santa

In my opinion Ugears do produce some of the best models, but this kit is not really for beginners,This is an 'advanced" model but if you follow the instructions, it fits together well and looks good when finished.This product is well made from plywood components, the instructions although look daunting are easy to follow. It's not a simple piece to put together but if you take your time to read the instructions several times and don't rush, you should finish with a working Tourbillon clock.There are several very good step by step videos available to aid construction if required.If I had some final tips they would be: -Friction is the enemy, always knowing how things work before deciding to make permanent modifications is advisable. I found that using CA glue in places did add to the stability of the model, but make sure that it is put together correctly before using CA.Learning how the mechanism works before fiddling with it is really quite important if you want it to work. For example, there are plenty of videos available to explain the workings and adjustment of the balance wheel, hair spring and other associated components, if required.

well made, but with a few design flaws.The kit is well presented with well lasered wood sheets. Instructions are good but you need to carefully check the views as to orientation/direction of view.I built the kit but would not run.Carefully checked against build instructions and built to the book.1. I removed one of the spacers (part number 128) on the forks to prevent the locking pin (part number 129) fowling the escape wheel.2. I replaced the 'toothpick' bearing for the tourbillon cage with a brass pin as this is an area of high friction.3. I added 2 washers to the tourbillon cage pivet to raise the assembly slightly to prevent rubbing on the circular gear track at the top.4. I added 4 rollers (made of brass for ease) to stabalise the tourbillon cage. The two wooden ones (part number 166) were to small to keep the cage vertical.Overall, happy with the kit. With the mods, now runs for about 3.5 hours on a wind.

A great kit, yes it’s tricky, yes it may not fully work if you do it wrong, clocks are a feat of math and engineering, anyone expecting more than a semi functional model is not understanding what goes into a real timepeice. For what it is I loved it, in fact I will make another but decorate this time. It’s not for the feint of heart or beginner yes, however! Anyone can build it if you can follow a picture instruction book and have good glasses. Not all will get it working.Time to build of 11 hours they say, yes I agree. You need to sand, wax and smooth parts for nice low friction movement. If you just pop out the parts, put them together it could take 3 hours too. It will not work and then you will give it less stars. So this where the advanced builder comes in. Advanced builder will take their time and make a nice model that functions at a basic level.For the impatient builder you will still achieve a nice model that will not function for long.Think what type of builder you are and expect the result that you put in.The kit:Read the instructionsRead the instructions againFollow the instructions (mainly for us men who believe manuals are for putting your cups on)Very well laser cut, did not need a knife in my caseGet more wax and check out YouTube on how to wax cogsWax the cordBuy good sandpaper and smooth all parts for low friction movementSand all cut edges where you can, the laser leaves joins to keep it framed in transit, these need removingHave patienceThe correct weight will be important in the bag, try lead shot rather than sandWeight on the balloon counterweight is also important to slow down the balloon drop when running.Test each cog as the kit comes together for friction and movementMake sure you hang on the wall to complete, if you try to build first, hang later you will tangle your cords and linesIt’s a model clock, please do expect to get the correct time after 5 minutes of useIt’s also quite sturdy once builtHave fun building it, that is the overall aim, it’s a great achievement no matter how far you get.Sorry! It’s a long review but I found it a great model to work on and looks good on my wall

A good kit that will engage the builder and great quality, however the finished product can be very frustrating, I have managed to get it to run reasonabley accurately for a couple of days and then it either runs fast or slow and there doesn't seem to be any reason?.... Maybe a change in temperature?..... Edit - since writing this review UGEARS has contacted me to offer a full refund! Unexpected but very welcome benefit of dealing with a reputable company!......:)

Great kit. Went together well. The balloon was fiddly, but all in all, great fun. And it all worked! The balloon rises, then falls on the hour. It kept stopping and eventually traced it to one of the mounting screws that wasn't fully screwed in, so it twisted the whole clock slightly. Found that 2kg of sand totally filled the weight bag. (dried it well before weighing). The minute indicator has to be turned about 7 minutes cw before the ratchet kicks it when adjusting. The pendulum "weights" could do with finer adjustments to achieve more accurate time keeping, but I'm just happy it all works 😁

My first U Gears modal, really liked this a lot. As everyone mentions it is vitally important to sand all gear pieces and all parts that will rub past each other. I didn't use the wax that came with it but instead I used my Bees wax Furniture wax. This is soft enough to apply with just a micro fibre cloth and a tooth pick for small areas, works really well and gives the pieces a nice waxed colour to add definition to the parts. I would recommend buying additional high grit sand paper as what is supplied is no where near enough.The pendulum, when doing that part I would advice some extra sanding on the parts that rub, I sanded it down a fair bit so when you install the small wooden end piece the pendulum doesn't rub and stop movement.I had to get replacement parts from u gears as one of the sheets was warped so one of the cogs was bent out of shape, the customer service was Ace!! I didn't have to pay anything towards these parts but did take a few weeks.Take your time with this build and you will be rewarded with a beautiful accurate working wooden clock.

I bought this purely on the look of it, but after reading up a bit, was unsure if it would actually work.The instructions a very good but you do need to pay a lot of attention to them and understand exactly what they are trying to tell you. The instructions are very pictorial with very little text.The most complex part is the final assembly and threading of the cord.The best tips to ensure your clock runs are:1: spend a lot of time with the sandpaper making 100% sure the edges of the cut wood are smooth and free of ridges left by the laser cutting.2: The small round washer things are actually bearings that run on their outer edge, so make sure these are really nice and smooth and test them in the holes they go in to make sure they don't bind or have any tight spots. Slide them onto the stick tool so you can rotate them against the sandpaper to get them are true and smooth as possible.3: The wax is applied as a lubricant. I used a lighter to melt the wax after I'd applied it, so it soaked into the wood.4: When you assemble the gears, make 100% sure they run true. There's no obvious way to ensure the gear is sitting dead square on its shaft unless you make up a jig. You just have to tap the gears home and make sure they are seated flush. Then check that they run true and don't wobble once put into the clock. This is the main reason the clock will stop itself. Mine still are not perfectly true and you can see them wobble a little as the spin during the 'spin test' (see no. 5)5: Once assembled, disengague the pendulum and let the weight run the mechanism at high speed. Do this a few times. It helps bed in the gears and bearings and it also allows you to see if you have any wobbly gears. You'll also hear if anything is rubbing. It should all spin smooth and at a consistent speed. Then put the pendulum back in and it should run perfectly.Its a fantastic kit. It's ticking away as I write this and the balloon is just about to do its hourly drop!

This is the first time I’ve built one of these wooden models, and I gotta say it was super fun. Instructions were pretty clear for the most part and the end result feels like a solid mechanism. Didn’t break anything and got all the strings set up without too much trouble. It looks great, especially when it’s in operation.All that said, don’t expect it to work smoothly without putting in some extra effort to fine tune it. It’s super important to sand all the places that are indicated in the instructions, as well as any gear faces that may pass against the static supports. Especially important to sand the pendulum and escapement gear. The wax included in the kit is tricky to apply properly to the gears, so I got some candles from the dollar store and applied melted wax with a paint brush. That took a bit of time but overall it was enjoyable.I’ve spent a bit of time trying to break the clock in, and so far I’ve been able to get it to go for about 15 minutes before I need to give it a slight nudge. It’s improving quickly with more use though, so I’m feeling optimistic about it breaking the hour mark by the end of the week. Edit: 1 day later and it’s going for more than an hour now at a time now. Didn’t do anything except keep nudging it along to break in the mechanisms.I’d gladly build more of these models if I had the space for it!

Background:This is the second UGears model that I have assembled and just like the first one (Steam Locomotive U-460), the plywood quality felt very good and hefty and the engineering put into the model was very impressive.I purchased this clock thinking that all the lessons I learned from building the Steam Train would make getting this clock smoothly functioning in a jiffy. I was extremely wrong in this assumption.Assembly:My kit was missing the cardstock for the clock dials, but I contacted UGears's customer service and they mailed me the parts to me with no charge. Very nice!It took me 3 days to assemble since I spent the time to wax and sand for a soft finish on every surface (it is imperative that a 90 dollar kit should look and feel good). The build was very complex but satisfying to engage with. I however do recommend buying your own set of quality round toothpicks as I found the ones provided to be of quite low quality. Also, consider buying own your supply of paste wax as you will need a lot more wax than what the kit provides.The instructions for installing parts were clear, though I had to look online to understand some of what was happening when it came to the moving/calibration steps - the descriptions there were a bit lacking. Fortunately a QR code in the manual pointed me to videos that I found helpful.Tuning:It was daily process of fiddling with the tourbillon to figure out what needed sanding or further lubrication. After assembly without tuning, the clock would run for a minute at a time before seizing - which wasn't up to my standards.Learning how the mechanism works before fiddling with it and sanding down actual geometries is vital for not bricking this expensive puzzle. I did craft some parts myself, such as a cleaner pallet lever with lower friction gems and a longer guard pin essentially get near perfect performance. It runs as advertised now, keeping up power for 2ish hours before stopping. I am now extremely familiar with the Swiss lever escapement mechanism.If I had some final tips - it would be that friction is the enemy, and always know how things work before deciding to make permanent modifications.Conclusion:This is a very nice kit and the plywood is of good quality. Costumer Service was helpful in proving me with missing parts and had a fast response time. The toothpicks and wax provided are insufficient in quality and amount so it would be best to purchase your own. The Clock is unlikely to work well right after assembly and will require to be taken apart for further tuning. Perfecting the clock is time consuming process and requires a passing level of knowledge or mechanical intuition but doing so will result in a clock that runs as advertised. I recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in these sorts of things and the patience to back it up.

Il modello è di grande qualità, i pezzi sono realizzati al laser con estrema precisione. Le istruzioni per il montaggio sono molto precise, ma è essenziale NON AVERE FRETTA e seguire tutto passo-passo. Essenziale una buona lubrificazione dei pezzi in movimento: io ho usato un sottilissimo strato di grasso di silicone anziché la cera. E' anche estremamente importante il rodaggio: nei primi tentativi di funzionamento, il mio orologio si fermava dopo pochi secondi, ed era necessario rimetterlo in moto manualmente agendo sulla ruota del bilanciere. Dopo un po' di rodaggio, l'orologio ha cominciato a funzionare sempre meglio, ed ora funziona per oltre due ore con una sola carica !!!! Guardarlo è quasi ipnotico. In sostanze, un modello molto complicato e difficile da montare, ma fattibile con pazienza. E il risultato finale è spettacolare. Un grandissimo BRAVI!!! ai progettisti di UGEARS, dei veri geni....

El producto es lo descrito y es lo que se espera. Muy entretenido y relajante de hacer. No esperes una carga de días, solo durará unas pocas horas (4-6h). Pero es para lo que es, entretenimiento y tener una cosa curiosa.

Heel mooi. Wel voorzichtig ermee zijn. Ben er druk mee. Fijne tijdsbesteding. Hoge kwaliteit en duidelijke omschrijving. Prima product.