The M is stamped in front of the number because there is a (second) Geneva seal behind it. It means that it was originally meant to be a regular 27-460. That's why the serial number was changed. I found a picture of another reworked version (same ref.) with S/N 1121983. My guess is that it was done
ready for serial production (which is, umm... highly unlikely ) I doubt that they would introduce two new escapements two years in a row. Developing a new escapement takes (a lot of) time obviously - even with traditional materials or design based on a hundred year old idea. Add to that new material
This is a single direct impulse, variable torque escapement with additional locking/unlocking for the part of oscillation when the escapement doesn't deliver the impulse (4 stable positions per oscillation). Patent publication number: EP1522001 (3 MB file) Different layers are in different colors to
for a great report and beautiful photos. Just a small correction: The auto winding in IWC chrono is not Pellaton's design, but a new mechanism very similar to Seiko's Magic Lever. It has 2 mutually offset (pairs of) pawls to increase the efficiency - one pawl drives the pawl wheel while the other on