Mechanical watches are powered by a mainspring, but it is the balance spring which is the most sensitive component in terms design, production, and assembly. Quartz watch movements entirely do away with traditional regulation balance wheel and balance spring-based regulation systems opting instead for a system which operates on a much more microscopic scale, powered by electricity. Without sophisticated balance spring production technology the wrist watch industry would not be able to rely on having as many interchangeable parts. Balance springs lie at the heart of what creates reliable accuracy in mechanical watch movements, and it likely goes without saying that anything which affects their operation also negatively affects a timepiece’s ability to be accurate. The problem is both in producing them in large volumes to begin with as well as producing them in such volumes with consistent properties. Even though mechanical watches are arguably outdated technology, many players in today’s watch industry continue to push the boundaries of what was once thought achievable in mechanical watch movement accuracy, reliability, durability, and of course, complexity.īalance springs are arguably the most challenging component to produce in mechanical watch movements. Today, the conglomerate of almost 20 timepiece brands including Omega, Breguet, Rado, Tissot, Swatch, Longines, and Hamilton announces the impending debut of Nivachron balance springs – a component which is an essential part of virtually all mechanical watch movements. In my time writing about watches, I don’t recall any previous moment when Switzerland’s Swatch Group sent out a press release related to technical innovation news.
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