Horological Meandering

I just finished reading about Harrison's marine watches and the significance of his H4. The H4 was such an advance in horology that it did change watchmaking for all time. I reflected on my visit to the Patek Phillipe Museum several years ago. When I visi... 

Maybe this isn't directly related to timekeeping, but specifically from Hublot, Urwerk and Richard Mille - seems like every few months there's a new gold, or crystal, or ionized titanium or whatever. In addition there are struts and cushions and isolating... 

Mag Bang as an earlier example where not only was the case made of a new material but also the plates of the 7750 movement were in the magnesium compounds. Interesting about the sapphire chain - that may have some time keeping significance with lack of ne... 

It is hard to find something new, never seen on a pocket watch. There are very few people in the world, who know the pocket watches and the history of watchmaking and they are not CEOs or Marketing people.

if what they insist on proclaiming to us is truly new and innovative. mk

Some things are really new, but not to make watches better. They need this for their marketing to create a difference to other brands.

. . . since Saturday afternoon. It was just serviced by my current watchmaker. ['44 Ω cal 30T2SC, special 18 jewel version] It's gained two seconds in three days. ;-) ...  

if a 75 year old watch can be made to be so accurate.

. . . as I've another identical Omega reference with the same obscure movement that doesn't run nearly as well. Who knows how long this freshly serviced movement will hold its adjustment? It's not even protected from shock - one good whack and it could be... 

Certainly there is a matter of degree. The difference tolerances between watches and pocket watches is very significant in and of themselves and should not be minimized in significance but was thinking of complications. Your mention of shock resistance ch... 

A great way to kick off the new year! A few innovations came to my mind: the magnetic pivot Breguet developed in 2010; first presented in Reference 7727 original oscillator in Zenith Defyn 21 Lab (2018) constant force escapement from GP (2013) I'll keep t...  

The Breguet might but may only be in Breguet if they own the rights to it. The Zenith Lab certainly was advertised as revolutionary and might be but will to see. Again the silicium was brought into play by UN. Who knows what would have happened had not th... 

The other watchmaker using silicium? I am actually not sure. Wild “stab in the dark” - Does their name rhyme with “Latek Polype” ??? 😜 Happy New Year!

“Simplify and add lightness” as exemplified by how he added complications but reduced parts counts in the MIH and Ochs & Jr watches. Maybe Seiko’s Spring Drive should get an honorable mention. Mike

So 60 years ago batteries finally developed to the point they were reliable & powerful enough. Then in 1960 we got the Bulova Accutron, the first electric tuning-fork watch. Nine years thereafter, Christmas Day 1969, the Seiko Astron 35SQ arrived - th... 

Your post, and reply to your friend intrigued me to do a little research myself. Reading up on the development of watch movements, in particular the use of silicon was very interesting and informative. Although I could not really identify who the other wa... 

I saw a teaser which hints at a new Freak X for SIHH.

Click through to the link above and watch. It's hard to tell but it does look like it will be technologically different and innovative as always is UN.

I’m not so convinced by the shark as a marketing symbol.

I am in marketing everyday and have been for 20 years... but I’m not a guru It does not stop me from loving the Freak timepieces.

So I think we could expect another innovative Freak in a few weeks.

like the GP Constant force escapement. Or to some degree the Breguet 7727. The Cartier concept watches showed what would be possible here but to my understanding they will not be available Going further back in time I find the Journe resonance ia worthy a... 

I see now this has been mentioned above ... apologies. At least we agree! Best Andreas

The Breguet 7727 (and the magnetically governed minute repeater, if they ever release it), could be the start of something. I think the trick is to catch the imagination of the public and of purists. For example, Zenith's new silicon escapement doesn't mo... 

For me, the first thing I think about when someone says innovation in the watch world (in my collecting time) is really materials, and mostly case materials. I would think these innovations are in many ways the easiest "sell" for the watch brands to the m... 

If we take a look at Patek Philippe’s Advanced Research we learn that their greatest achievement thus far is a rate of -1 to +2 seconds per 24 hours. So +/- 3 seconds a day. If Seiko already did that almost 50 years ago (!!!) we can safely assume no more ... 

Even today, many of the innovations were directed at time keeping accuracy. I remember being at a dinner hosted by young watchmakers Gruebel and Forsey. They showed charts that demonstrated that they were more accurate with their tourbillion by a second o... 

and with it their expectation that 8 days power would last 180 days, or something like that. Do you remember? ...  

Perhaps someone else might know and can comment.

I was thinking of GF specifically when I commented about Grand Seiko’s cost 50 years ago relative to the average salaried government employee. Their quest for accuracy / consistency was aimed at the general market (for fine mechanical watchmaking) while G... 

The challenge with pocket watches was gravity and the watch remaining in the same position throughout the day. Breguet tackled that with the tourbillon. Mitch you're correct that highly-accurate mechanical watches aren't groundbreaking. Both my FPJ chrono... 

... Duometre. My two cents. Happy New Year. - Scott

... Dual Wing concept is a new way of thinking. Sure, many watches have had "dual" barrels, but never with two separate power supplies. Not that I'm aware of, anyway. - Scott

It remains to be seen exactly what use they will put the 321 to, but in terms of the overall picture it seems their big pitch for 2019 is not new advancements in timekeeping, materials or movement design but rather a full on marketing drive based on nosta...