If you break it down, what really defines a mechanical timepiece? At its most basic level, it only needs three core components to function: a power source, a regulator to moderate the release of energy and a display system to translate that into something readable by the wearer. The most complex of the three would undoubtedly be the regulating organ and it’s staggering to realise that the most common form of system used, even today, is the lever escapement, invented by British clockmaker Thomas Mudge back in 1755. That’s more than 250 years ago and, yet, most luxury mechanical watches today are still governed by the same principle.
Over the years, mechanical engineers have found ingenious ways to build upon this basic principle, adding on functional complications like the chronograph, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, tourbillon and more. Although, back when they were invented, these complications were considered a necessity, they are more of a vanity today, adding more to the aesthetic and emotional appeal of a watch rather than functionality. And this shift in watchmaking philosophy happened when the industrial revolution gave way to the information age.
It started with the Quartz crystal that allowed production of a more accurate timekeeper at a fraction of the original cost. Then, as the digital revolution happened, watches could suddenly do so much more than just tell time: they could connect to phones, track the wearer’s location via GPS, recharge itself with the power of the sun and more. As technology advanced, so did the functionality of these watches.
So where does that leave the old-school, (mostly) handmade, mechanical watch? It became a luxury product, one that appealed to the emotional side of people rather than the practical. But it’s not to say that since the 1800s, the mechanical watch has remained exactly the same. Sure, there is a huge element of craft involved in the assembling and decorating of these watches, but with advancement in technology, many watchmakers are integrating them into the mechanical watches of the 21st century. Here are but a few.
EVOLUTION OF TIME
Compared with the very first pocket watches, the wristwatches of today have undoubtedly undergone vast improvements. However, it can be argued that the operating principle of a mechanical watch has remained unchanged since Christiaan Huygens presented the system of a coupled balance and hairspring to the French Royal Academy of Sciences in 1675. Unchanged, that is, until Zenith recently presented the Defy Lab.
The Zenith Defy Lab represents not just an upgrade to the mechanical watch but, rather, an evolution of it. Instead of a sprung balance, the Defy Lab’s oscillator is a monolithic whole made of monocrystalline silicon (with details finer than a human hair). The 30 or so components of a standard regulating organ, which requires assembly, adjustment, timing, testing and lubrication, have now been replaced by one part measuring just 0.5 mm thick, vibrating at a frequency of 15 Hertz.
What this means in layman’s terms is that Zenith’s new Defy Lab will be able to offer a 60-hour power reserve (which 10 per cent more than the standard El Primero movement despite vibrating three times faster); and a degree of precision to within just 0.3 seconds deviation per day. Just to give you an example, the chronometer testing has a tolerance of 10 seconds per day (-4/+6) and even Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer certificate has a tolerance of four seconds daily (-2/+2).
As this is a totally new way of regulating time, the watch is like nothing we have ever seen before. The Defy Lab was a limited run of 10 pieces and was cased in a high-tech metal foam which is 2.7 times lighter than titanium, 1.7 times lighter than aluminium and 10 per cent lighter than carbon fibre. But the most eyecatching feature of the watch is the oscillator that can be seen vibrating just beneath the dial.
