Materials For Watch In The Future

Material innovations such as silicon or scratch-resistant gold conquer the watch industry . They improve durability and precision

Who is honest when it comes to watches, must accept a hard truth : Any quartz watch for 15 euros done their day's work more accurately than high-quality mechanical watches. Even if many of these complicated time indicator cost a thousand times more . Even on the basis of physical laws , the mechanics watches can not compete with the precision : Your Vibration and inhibition systems that set the pace for the entire clock , can never move as fast as the electronic " oscillator " in a quartz movement. This resonates with clock speeds of up to 32 768 hertz. For comparison: Mechanical components and materials vibrate usually with four Hertz (28 800 vibrations ) .

This encourages the researchers from Patek Philippe at for years to reach at least the limits of scientific possibility. May increase with the development of innovative components , for example , the accuracy and reliability of clocks. Here, some requirements are quite contradictory.

So must be a balance - also called regulator - be as light as possible , yet transfer a certain amount of energy . A task that causes design-related friction and air resistance values. At least the friction is tackled by oils. But any long-term use in the movement makes the fats resinous. The lubricant is the limiting factor .

In order to investigate new materials that can fix such problems , Patek Philippe merged with Rolex and the Swatch Group. They explore common features and uses of silicon, a material that has so far been mainly used in the chip industry . The competitors want so share the development costs. " And in the subsequent use of knowledge in the production, which was responsible for each partner individually, we were very quick ," said Patek -Philippe - chief and owner Thierry Stern would .

The Geneva set the dazzling semimetal regularly since then for the production of the escape wheel , hairspring, balance wheel or even the complete inhibition module here. Approximately in their model 5550P (pictured above left). Their inner life is hard key parts , shock resistant , lightweight, and does not need any lubrication. The result : The movement runs precise, and its power reserve increases from 48 to 70 hours.

The watches manufacturers appreciate the new material but also because of its Amagnetismus . Because magnetism is in addition to dust or moisture such thing as the natural enemy of correct conventional time measurement. Silicon prevents passage deviations to the stoppage of the train wheels . The face if magnetic force causes the armature and spirals out of rhythm . After all, Thierry Stern , " it is in the use of new materials in the first place always about precision ."

This looks Jean -Claude Biver different. The CEO of Hublot (LVMH Group) is also about looks and robustness. He married 24 -carat gold with a scratch-resistant zirconium oxide ceramic to 750 gold. For Hublot , the new substance " Magic Gold " , with other manufacturers ' Ceragold " means .

Hublot operation the three-year development be implemented jointly with the Institute of Technology in Lausanne. Their material scientists had to produce a pressure of 200 bar and fuel the furnace at 1400 degrees, to the ceramic ( ie, the technology " sintering" ) with the precious metal to connect . The result is a degree of hardness of the gold of 1000 Vickers. By comparison, the robust Titan has 970 , 700 steel and gold alone just 25 Vickers. The new Magic Gold largely prevents the disadvantages of this small house of hardness , which has been frequently performed with buyers of luxury watches because of emerging signs of use to trouble.