Results for Escapement

Hands-On With The Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement - Could We Catch The Purple “Butterfly” Inside?

Why use a traditional, coiled balance spring when you can use a 14-micron-wide and 120-micron-“thick” silicon blade instead? With the latter, Girard-Perregaux set out to overcome the inherent challenge of fluctuating power delivery in mechanical watches. The goal for the 235-year-old Swiss watchmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds was to achieve consistently superior precision. The quest involves […] Visit Hands-On With The Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement — Could We Catch The Purple “Butterfly” Inside? to read the full article.

The ABCs of Time - An Extensive Look at Modern Alternatives to the Lever Escapement

There’s an old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That could easily apply to the lever escapement, a design so perfected that almost all mechanical watches rely on it today after its debut in 1754. It’s reliable, accurate and easily mass produced, and watchmakers like Rolex and Patek Philippe have lever escapement movements […]

Cleguer Debuts with Proprietary ‘Innate’ Escapement

In the run-up to Watches & Wonders, a new crop of emergent independents is making its debut. But even within a crowded field, the Cleguer Inspiration One manages to stand out with an ambitious proprietary escapement and clever construction. It’s a promising start for founder Mathieu Cleguer, an engineer who’s had a hand in developing several calibres for well-known independent brands. Initial thoughts The artisanal, highly finished time-only watch is a well-worn trope among independents, but occasionally one breaks from the pattern. The Inspiration One from Cleguer Horology is one such watch. Mathieu Cleguer is an industry veteran who has worked as a movement construction consultant and now produces watches under his own name. The opening salvo in what is planned to be a larger ‘Inspiration’ series designed to explore alternative escapements, the Inspiration One is built around the so-called innate escapement, a fresh twist on Breguet’s natural escapement. The system is Mathieu Cleguer’s own design, and from initial analysis it exhibits a surprising degree of ingenuity and is original in its execution. Discreet signature on the interior bezel. The open design - an off-centre dial with exposed escapement - is a familiar arrangement among independents, but the delicacy of the components gives it a refined quality. The 38.5 mm case is well-proportioned, though the 12 mm height borders on tall. While there’s room to develop a more cohesive design language goi...

In-Depth: Breguet’s Constant-Force Magnetic Escapement

Earlier this week, Breguet rounded off its grandiose 250th anniversary with the unexpected launch of the Expérimentale 1 chronometer in Paris. Showcasing modern Breguet’s most impressive innovation to date - a magnetic constant-force escapement - the watch left many scratching their heads simply because the novel invention defies easy explanation. Here we explain the actual functioning of this remarkable invention, and why it represents such a significant step forward in terms of chronometry and escapement technology. The origins of the concept Before turning to the decidedly modern and futuristic Expérimentale 1, we must first take a short trip to the past and consider how the idea of using magnets in mechanical escapements first came to life. For that we must turn to the late 1930s, when Cecil Frank Clifford, Fellow of the British Horological Institute (BHI), started experimenting with oscillators maintained by magnetic rails or escape wheels.  He was granted a British patent in 1954 for a variety of magnetised escape wheels paired with elastic vibrating magnetic blades. The device would operate silently and Clifford envisioned it being used for naval underwater torpedoes, so the lack of ticking would be harder to pick up by sonars.  Iterations of Clifford magnetic escapements. His designs were rudimentary. The principle was that the escape wheel would be braked by a vibrating pair of magnetised blades (in several possible configurations), while simultaneously ...

An In-Depth Look At The New Rolex Dynapulse Escapement

Rolex surprised friend and foe with a new movement at this year’s Watches and Wonders. While that’s always a relatively big deal in our little horological sub-universe, caliber 7135 represents a particularly big milestone. Rolex developed a brand-new escapement dubbed Dynapulse. We felt it was about time we took a closer look at it. Of […] Visit An In-Depth Look At The New Rolex Dynapulse Escapement to read the full article.

Explained: The Detent Escapement

Among the many different escapement types, one in particular stands out, the detent escapement. Taking its name from détente, French for “trigger”, this system is often considered to be the purest type of escapement due to its efficiency and virtually lubrication-free operation. Any sort of mechanical clock or watch requires an escapement, a mechanism that transfers torque from the power source to the regulating organ. The escapement bridges the steady rotation of the gears in the going train and the oscillation of the balance. As a result, the escapement fulfils a double function, both maintaining the swing of the balance and regulating the discharge speed of the mainspring and going train. The detent escapement was invented in the second half of the 18th century,  somewhat simultaneously but independently by the English watchmakers Thomas Earnshaw (1749-1829) and John Arnold (1736-1799). A somewhat similar escapement was prototyped by the Frenchman Pierre Le Roy (1717–1785) some three decades earlier, but the modern detent escapement is derived mostly from Earnshaw’s design. Initially, the escapement was conceived for use in marine chronometers, explaining why it is also known as a chronometer escapement. The chronometer escapement also inspired many innovative subsequent escapements, like the Breguet’s natural escapement, the Robin escapement, and the Daniels co-axial. Drawings of detent escapement types taken from ‘The Marine Chronometer: Its History and ...

Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement with Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux

In 2013, Girard-Perregaux debuted the acclaimed Constant Escapement L.M., earning the prestigious ‘Aiguille D’Or’ at GPHG, which is a mechanism that delivered remarkable rate stability irrespective of the available energy. Wei and Girard-Perregaux CEO Patrick Pruniaux explore the Maison’s latest innovation, the Neo Constant Escapement. Enhancing the already remarkable Constant Escapement, it features aesthetic and […]

Arnold & Son True Beat Tourbillon Escapement Reviewed by Tim Mosso: The Best Tourbillon that You are Unlikely to have Heard Of

The Arnold & Son True Beat Tourbillon Escapement (TBTE) embodies two of the Swiss watch industry’s greatest talents: craftsmanship and AstroTurf. Beautifully built but tenuously tied to an historical dead guy, the True Beat is a triumph on substance. With essentially no history but outstanding modern credentials, this tourbillon proves that talent alone can yield a great watch.

In-Depth: Girard-Perregaux’s True Constant-Force Escapement

Ten years after it arrived on market, Girard-Perregaux revived its most notable modern-day invention with the Neo Constant Escapement. Operating on the same principles as the original, the Neo Constant Escapement (NCE) features an upgraded movement inside a more compact case. A combination of a historical concept originating with Abraham-Louis Breguet and cutting edge horology, the NCE retains the defining invention of the original – a true constant-force escapement. “True” because the constant-force mechanism, comprising a lozenge-shaped silicon spring, is integrated with the pallet lever, which in turn interacts with a “natural” escapement of twin escape wheels. While the key concept has been retained, the rest of the NCE, however, has been improved over the original, with wearability in particular having been enhanced. Initial thoughts The fundamental concept of the NCE is appealing because it successfully combines a significant historical invention, Breguet’s double-wheel escapement, with an innovation that is entirely 21st century, a compliant mechanism in silicon. Both are brought together in an elegant yet ingenious manner. The basis of the movement is Breguet’s échappement naturel, the “natural” escapement with two wheels that has been adopted in the modern day, in a variety of modified forms, by Voutilainen, F.P. Journe, and Charles Frodsham. But the natural escapement here has been enhanced with a constant force mechanism made up of a single pi...

In-Depth: Understanding The Newly-Revised Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement

Ten years after the groundbreaking original, the Constant Escapement is back – smaller, and more refined than ever.

Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant (Force) Escapement: The Evolution of a Revolution

While it is remarkable how Girard-Perregaux made the movement, it is even more astonishing how they turned it into such an incredibly good-looking watch. Compared to its predecessor, the Neo Constant Escapement has a very wearable size of 45mm in diameter at a thickness of 14.8mm. It sits nicely on even a smaller wrist thanks to relatively short lugs, while the titanium case keeps the weight down.

New: Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement

Girard-Perregaux updates their (its 10 years old, but still innovative) ground breaking Constant Escapement movement in a new Neo guise.

Insight: What’s Next for the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement?

In an era of modern and accessible digital technology, the utilitarian role of mechanical timekeepers has inevitably dwindled. Yet, it is still pursued as a luxury of an artform – either of the highest finishing by hand that can’t be performed by machines, or the research and development in making a mechanical timepiece – in particular wristwatches – as accurate as possible.  One of these horological pursuits, to preserve the accuracy of mechanical wristwatches, is the supply of a constant force to the escapement. To isolate the varying torque as a mainspring gradually unwinds, some haute horlogerie watches today incorporate either a fusée-and-chain or a remontoir, which supplies a steady torque to the escapement for stable timekeeping.  However, there is one particularly novel take on constant force released by Girard-Perregaux, in the form of a proprietary escapement. First unveiled as a prototype in SIHH 2008, the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement has a patented, double escape wheel system that is designed from the ground up to inherently have a built-in constant force system, thus eliminating the need of a remontoir or a fusée-and-chain.   Despite being first created 15 years ago, Girard-Perregaux (GP) is still further developing the escapement today, with a new set of patented improvements publicly available – strongly hinting at a revamped model in the near future. These patents make it worth a deep dive into the original Constant Escapement (CE) fr...

Long read: Omega De Ville Co-Axial Escapement Limited Edition, a piece of watchmaking history

The Omega De Ville Co-Axial Escapement Limited Edition is one of the most important watches released in the last few decades.The post Long read: Omega De Ville Co-Axial Escapement Limited Edition, a piece of watchmaking history appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Rare Watches: Voutilainen Détente Escapement Tourbillon Wristwatch

Rare Watches: Voutilainen Détente Escapement Tourbillon Wristwatch

First Look - The Spectacular Pink Gold Edition of the Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement

A conundrum shared by watchmakers for centuries concerns the issue of constant force, or how to produce a steady, unwavering stream of power from the mainspring to the regulating organ to prevent rate variations and maintain amplitude consistency. The big question is how? Taking the bull by the horns, Girard-Perregaux tackled the dilemma with the […]

The Revolutionary List: 24 Technically Brilliant Watches - Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement L.M.

In-Depth - Deciphering the Revolutionary Rolex Dynapulse Escapement and the Calibre 7135

Rolex has changed… Not marginally, but significantly. We knew the brand was capable of being rather unpredictable and capable of bold creative moves, such as bubble-decorated dials and watches with a guilloché pattern. The days when Rolex simply revamped a collection every 10 years by implementing incremental upgrades and releasing new dial colours every two […]

MB&F;’s LM Split Escapement Meets Eddy Jaquet’s Mastery of Engraving

Video - A Closer Look at Laurent Ferrier’s Natural Escapement and the Micro-Rotor Movement

Today, for our latest in-depth video, we’re going technical. This is what MONOCHROME is all about, after all. Sharing the knowledge behind fine horology and understanding how our beloved mechanical watches actually work. Today’s topic is one dear to our hearts, as it combines everything we love in fine watchmaking: high-end finishing, mechanical ingenuity, profound […]

The Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement, Live From BaselWorld 2013

Introducing - The Arnold & Son Constant Force 11 Platinum Edition

Friendships matter in life, and what better way to celebrate the bond between two of watchmaking’s greatest individuals than with a tribute watch? Bringing together Abraham-Louis Breguet’s renowned tourbillon escapement and John Arnold’s beloved fusée-and-chain system, lovingly replaced with a constant force mechanism, the Constant Force Tourbillon 11 made a deep impression when launched earlier […]

Hands-on - The New Lederer Three-times Certified Observatory Chronometer

Independent watchmaker and proper horologist Bernhard Lederer has once again captured the spotlight in recent years, with the horological community admiring and discussing his Central Impulse Chronometer series. This collection of wristwatches features a unique movement designed by Lederer, regulated by a high-accuracy escapement inspired by Breguet’s natural escapement and George Daniels’ independent two-wheel, dual-impulse […]

Year in Review: Our Best Stories of 2023

Reflecting on the past year, we are proud of the stories we have shared. We extend our gratitude to all our readers for their support. As the year comes to an end, we revisit some of our standout content from 2023, which range from deep dives behind complex movements to enlightening conversations with influential figures in the watch industry. A better understanding of complexity Reflecting a key focus of the site, amongst the year’s best stories were those that went deep into the technical details of complex movements. These stories went beyond mere close-up photos and often incorporated illustrations to reveal fascinating mechanics. One highlights was the meticulous examination of the Daniels co-axial escapement, a modern landmark designed by the late English watchmaker George Daniels. But despite being a major invention of 20th century watchmaking, contributor David Ichim revealed the co-axial escapement might have evolved from a long-forgotten design invented in the 19th century by little-known American watchmaker Charles Fasoldt. In a similar vein, our technical editor Richard Lee wrote extensively on the intricacies of a landmark 21st century invention, the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement. Conceived by Nicolas Déhon, this patented double-wheel escapement boasts a built-in constant force mechanism, and was made possible only with advances in materials technology. The innovation underwent a significant update this year with the introduction of the new and impro...

Business News: Middle East War Forces The Escapement To Cancel Abu Dhabi Event And Move To Las Vegas

Organizers of The Escapement, a planned gathering aimed at attracting thousands of watch collectors and enthusiasts, featuring major independent brands and scheduled for November in Abu Dhabi, canceled the event due to corporate travel restrictions related to the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East. They say they will now stage the three-day show in Las Vegas in February, 2027.  Neeshu Hajra, a U.S.-based luxury event-planning executive who is among the shareholders of the group organizing the event, said some watch brands and executives would have been unable to attend the show at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi due to travel policies affected by the ongoing war in the region. The Escapement will now hold its inaugural event next year at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas from February 5 to 7. "Our decision was mainly made due to corporate travel policies that affected certain brands and the ability to come.  Ultimately,  because this is our inaugural edition, we want to make sure that we have the strongest showing and the best surface area for success," Hajra said in an interview. "The community experience in its totality, both leading up to the event and on site, led us to really believe in Vegas," he added. Biver watches is one of the many brands expected to exhibit at The Escapement.  The event's cancellation and rescheduling underscore the challenges and disruptions to global business and the watch industry amid military conflicts in the Middle East and Ukrai...

Introducing: Cleguer Debuts The Inspiration One With A Proprietary “Innate” Escapement

The French watchmaker launches a debut built around a reworked natural escapement.

Breaking News: Breguet Creates The First Contact-Free Escapement By Using Magnets

Breguet continues to surprise us in its 250th year. In the spirit of the brand’s name-giver, it now presents a world first. Breguet has utilized magnets to create the first 10Hz tourbillon with a magnetic escapement, which delivers constant force to the balance, and has incorporated it into the Expérimentale 1. This fast-beating tourbillon in […] Visit Breaking News: Breguet Creates The First Contact-Free Escapement By Using Magnets to read the full article.