I am currently at the Zenith Manufacture in Le Locle to witness the historical moment of the world's first presentation of Zenith's new Defy Lab watch, featuring a revolutionary, groundbreakingly new watch regulating system, which abandons the multipart balance cum hairspring principle for watch regulation originally developed by Dutch astronomer, mathematician and physicist Christiaan Huygens in January 1675:



Zenith's new oscillating system, developed by LVMH Watch Division R&D Institute under the auspices of a team lead by Guy Semon, for the first time in 342 years, does away with the regulating principle af a coupled balance and spring assembly universally used in mechanical clocks and watches (with the balance being a balance wheel, a pendulum or else).



Instead, and to my knowledge for the first time in history, a monolithic oscillator made of monocrystalline silicon coated with a layer of silicon oxide (at certain parts finer than a human hair), replacing the entire balance, balance spring and escapement wheel assembly usually comprising of about 30 single parts.



One can clearly spot that this device unites both tension (spring) as well as weight (pendulum) function:









Instead of the friction-controlled stop-release-stop interactions of the conventional regulation system, Zenith's new regulator makes use of topological changes of the silicon monolith. The absence of conventional mechanical couplings eliminates contact, friction, wear, slack, lubrication, assemblies and dispersions.

The following video illustrates the system:



Zenith's new ZO 342 calibre (sic, that name!) measures 32.8 mm in diameter and 8.13 mm in thickness, with the barely 0.5 mm thick Zenith Oscillator appears beneath the dial. It beats at the high frequency of 15 Hz (or 108,000 VpH), but with an amplitude of only +/- 6° (compared to the 300° of a conventional escapement). The entire movement provide 60h of power reserve and achieves a mean daily rate deviation within just 0.3 seconds, which is maintained for 95% of its power reserve, i.e. for 57h.





The small turbine-shaped wheel is the equivalent to the escapement wheel on the Zenith Oscillator:



Furthermore, the regulating system does not need to be lubricated, and is inert to influences of temperature gradients, gravity and magnetic fields.





Its chronometric quality is attested by a triple certification:

1. a chronometer certification awarded by Besançon Observatory, on behalf of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures
2. the ISO-3159 standard has been broadened: variations of around 0.3 seconds per day and per degree Celsius of deviation are certified, and measured on the thermal spectrum -7°C to +53°C, whereas the standard is limited to +8°C to +38°C
3. the ISO-764 magnetic criteria, exceeding them by 18 times (for the completed watch), meaning it can withstand 88,000 Amperes per meter or 1,100 Gauss

The production requires cutting edge laboratory facilities with clean-room conditions:













The new watch which will first house the new movement, the Zenith Defy X Time 10 Laboratory, comes with a new case alloy called Aeronith (developed by Hublot’s R&D department under the supervision of its director Mathias Buttet), according to Zenith a new material resembling an extremely solid metal foam which features superb technical advantages such as a low density of just 1.6 kg/dm3, which is 2.7 times lighter than titanium, 1.7 times lighter than aluminium and 10% lighter than carbon fibre.

The material is unsual, but this is something that I think befits Zenith's tradition, as long as one keeps in mind that innovation does not equal 'classical design'. Zenith supplied us with a few life shots:









The first 10 watches of the new Zenith Defy Lab series are released as a special edition, each single watch in a one-off design: 5 different colours, with either rhodium or gold plated hands an indices. They are already sold to distinguished collectors.



I shall write up a more an in-depth report on this outstanding technical achievement by Zenith in a few days - stay tuned!

But right now let me close with Jean-Claude Biver's words: “Without tradition, there is no future”, but also “Without innovation, there is no future”.

There is nothing to add!
Magnus

Note: Special thanks to Purist Sascha Glistau for sharing the images as well as the videos with me, and to Zenith, particilarly the Austria team, for arranging my trip - and allowing me to get my hands at the information early...
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Technical details:
Reference: 27.9000.342/78.R582 10 unique pieces (each is different)

ZENITH OSCILLATOR (CALIBRE ZO 342)
Monolithic regulating organ (Zenith Oscillator) made out of Silicon Calibre 141⁄4```
Diameter: 32.80 mm
Movement thickness: 8.13 mm
Components: 148
Jewels: 18
Frequency: 108,000 VpH (15 Hz)
Power-reserve: approx. 60 hours
Finishing: Oscillating weight adorned with “Côtes de Genève” motif

FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes and central seconds

CASE, DIAL & HANDS
Diameter: 44 mm
Opening diameter: 35.5 mm
Thickness: 14.5 mm
Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides
Case-back: Transparent sapphire crystal Material: Aeronith
Water-resistance: 5 ATM
Dial: Openworked
Hour-markers: Rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with black varnish
Hands: Rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with black varnish

STRAP & BUCKLE
Black rubber with alligator leather coating Titanium double folding clasp