What Is The Highest Ticks Per Second Number You've Seen In A Watch?
Reading some watch news about the use of silicon in movements and a number caught my attention.
"Unlike the normal hacking second-hand that we know from mechanical watches, the second-hand moves at 80 steps per second, perceived as smoothly as on an electronic watch."
Eighty ticks per second?! From a mechanical? Wow.
Just like nearly every feature of a watch, this implementation of a non-typical material in the movement has divided watchmaking.
One camp is of course more avant-garde & forging ahead (Patek Philippe, Rolex, others), while the other (A. Lange & Sohn and others) feels like only metals & jewels should be used in movements.
Where are you on this movement (pun intended 😁) and what innovations do you think may come from using silicon or other non-typical materials? Will it create a further divide between nice watches and true luxury pieces?
P.S. Plastic, while not a metal or a jewel, should be considered typical at this point 50 odd years into it's use.
Long time watch appreciator, 2022 inductee into the obsession. Originator (or perpetrator depending on your point of view) of #WhimsicalWednesday, #MacroMay & #MacroMonday Omega Speedmaster simp. Like...
Yeah! I can't believe that the Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture didn't get more attention. What they've achieved with vph is out of this world - equivalent, in terms of technical prowess to something like Seiko's spring drive.
I hope they make a bunch of watches with this technology. I'd definitely get one!
The technology in that FC offering really intrigued me, but I didn't really like the aesthetics of the watch itself.
I find this technology fascinating, but I can see why some traditional luxury brands may eschew it.
As long as it’s as easy to repair and source parts, I’m fine with technical materials being used. It’s when service and repair becomes exclusive, I balk.
Just learned about this insane watch with a beat rate of 7,200,000 per hour. TAG Heuer Mikrogirder 2000.
I was going to say the Mikrogirder.
That's just crazy right there!!! I've much to learn about such godly fidget spinners.
Seen personally? Not counting Spring Drives (since they don’t technically tick), a Bulova Accutron from the 1960s which hummed and the second hand moved 360 times every second. Of course, that involved electronics. The fastest ticking mechanical watch I’ve ever seen in person was the Zenith Defy with its 1/10th of a second hand.
I have earlier stated that the sunwatch is still an option for the purists 🤷
I have earlier stated that the sunwatch is still an option for the purists 🤷
Right?! Where & why do you draw the line on innovation if you're a watchmaker/enthusiast is a very interesting discussion.
They went to higher beat rates for a while but now are slowing them down a bit for power reserve. High beat sucks too much energy.
Breguet has some 10hz watches with a crazy balance spring system that uses magnets to counter the effects of shock instead of a bridge (I think).
Check out this model:
https://www.breguet.com/en/timepieces/classique/7727#!2438
That Mikrogirder is very cool, but I don't think I have the math skills to use it.
Right?! Where & why do you draw the line on innovation if you're a watchmaker/enthusiast is a very interesting discussion.
At the same time, I look down on smartwatches 🤣😂
At the same time, I look down on smartwatches 🤣😂
Like I said, VERY interesting. LOL
But me also, to a point
Yeah! I can't believe that the Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture didn't get more attention. What they've achieved with vph is out of this world - equivalent, in terms of technical prowess to something like Seiko's spring drive.
I hope they make a bunch of watches with this technology. I'd definitely get one!
I think it's because their debut watches for the movement just don't look that good. They're a weird paradox of classic design with an odd open heart. I think if they ditch the open heart and just put the movement in their Classic Index and Slimline ranges, they'll fly off the shelves.
Yeah! I can't believe that the Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture didn't get more attention. What they've achieved with vph is out of this world - equivalent, in terms of technical prowess to something like Seiko's spring drive.
I hope they make a bunch of watches with this technology. I'd definitely get one!
Technology wise it's one of the coolest mechanical movements in the world. I just wish they'd put the movement in something that looked a bit less fussy. The aesthetics look a bit too much like a Breguet Classique, except more cluttered....
infinate, it's called Spring Drive and it is smoooth.
The technology in that FC offering really intrigued me, but I didn't really like the aesthetics of the watch itself.
I find this technology fascinating, but I can see why some traditional luxury brands may eschew it.
Exactly the point! It is a faster, supposedly better movement, longer lasting (as yet unproven), but it is completely uniteresting to look at. Such high beat rates are an attempt to mimic quartz vibrations in the mechcanical domain.
My mobile will beat this new escapement for accuracy any day of the week. I DO expect my watches to be normatively accurate, but more important is their mechanical beauty and the pleasure gotten with each viewing of the dial and/or movement through the day.