Carl F. Bucherer Patravi Evotec DayDate A1000

MTF provides an engaging report on the Carl F. Bucherer - PuristS Taipei Get Together, offering a deep dive into the brand's philosophy and its innovative Patravi Evotec DayDate. This article explores whether Carl F. Bucherer aligns with 'PuristS' values and its commitment to haute horlogerie, featuring insights from the brand's management and community members.

 Previously, the Carl F Bucherer - PuristS Hong Kong Get Together (GTG) was reported: click here

Our next stop was Taipei, but you already guessed that from this photo of their famous landmark - Taipei 101 - the current tallest inhabitable building in the world at 509.2m (1670 ft).  This will soon be surpassed by the Burj Dubai at a whopping 818m.  For our American friends, that's 2684 ft !  

PuristS were interested, not only in the workings of the new movement, but also the philosophy of the Carl F Bucherer owner and management. 

Are they PuristS' producing PuristS watches? 

Are they promoting just another horological fad or will there be respect for haute horlogerie and its pursuit?

And so we gathered from all around Taipei and further afield (Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore)......

The Carl F Bucherer - PuristS Taipei GTG (get together) was held at the Joyce East restaurant, a few blocks from the Taipei 101.

128, XinYi Rd, Sec 5, Taipei.
Tel: (02) 8789-6128

The chilling cabinets gave a clue as to the signature dishes at this establishment.

Joyce EAST is meticulous about their handling and storing of meat. With standard operating procedures for refrigeration and preparation, about 20% of the original meat is 'wasted'; they believe that an acceptable wastage for maximum taste. 
 

Meet & Greet

The visiting Carl F Bucherer management team pose with a PuristS guest before cocktails.

Carl F Bucherer Taipei team are headed by Sophia Shang, Managing Director) and Neil Wu, Sales Manager (centre)  

 Watches

This watch does not contain the new A1000 movement but I could not resist showing it.

It looks like a chronograph but isn't.

The Patravi TravelTec GMT with display of three time zones in parallel was first launched in 2006. The case contains part of the necessary mechanism that selects the time zone, which can be controlled in both directions via a unique mono push-piece.  The travel direction, east or west, is pre-selected using the multi-functional mono push-piece at 10 o'clock and, with each press on the push-piece, one time zone is crossed.  The flange (rehaut ring) with its 24-hour calibration rotates in either direction to guarantee that the red hour hand always displays the correct local time.

Patravi EvoTec DayDate is the first watch to encase the new A1000 movement base.

The A1000 movement has been reported before by SJX click here

But this was the first time that we had gathered as a 'PuristS GTG' to see the cased movement (in HKG and Taipei)

Cocktails & Catch-up

A few tasty morsels with cocktails.

We all sat down for the interesting talks and lectures during the dinner.  This was a gathering, mostly composed of some of the most serious PuristS watch collectors in Taiwan.

There were also a few guests of Carl F Bucherer that we hoped would become PuristS! 

Our secret guest was Dr Thomas Mao, an American-Taiwanese, who is also the founder of our sister website  -- ThePuristS . com .  What would he say about the people, process and products from Carl F Bucherer? 

Thomas knew many of the guests having spent a number of years in Taipei 'cutting his teeth' in business and 'sowing his wild oats'!  I was hoping that he would show me the delights of the country of his forefathers......but more about that later....or maybe never.....

Thomas Morf, CEO

Mr Morf described how Carl F Bucherer chose to pursue a twin-track strategy. “On the one hand, we’ll continue using tried-and-tested basic calibers, including those that were jointly developed. On the other, we'll be able to round off our product portfolio with our own calibers and complications.”

This means that Techniques Horlogeres Appliquees (THA) SA, which from now on will be known as Carl F. Bucherer Technologies SA, will have several different roles to play: that of think tank, as well as a research, development and production centre.

Smart Simplexity

Morf said, "We have trademarked the term 'Smart Simplexity'. A term that contains 'simplicity' and 'complexity'. We are convinced that this is a new approach in our industry where we have a complex problem (e.g. a perpetual calendar) solved with smart simplicity. The benchmark for me is the way that Porsche is engineering its cars. Very efficient, smart, powerul, and fast; yet reliable. OK? "

A modern interpretation of tradition
The design and decoration of the 30-millimeter wide and 4.3-millimeter high movement are an expression both of the high-quality technology and the brand philosophy of Carl F. Bucherer. The bridges and bars situated at various levels are exquisitely finished, featuring matt and brushed surfaces with diamond-cut facets. Alternating matt, brushed and polished surfaces ensure a highly finished but different aesthetic for many of the components. 

Carl F. Bucherer chose to finish their movement with a diferent aesthetic and 'modern interpretation of tradition'.
 

David Vallata, Managing Director Asia/Pacific

Mr Vallata described the strategy to use the base A1000 movement as the starting point for many different models and functions in the EvoTec range to come. Many interesting possibilities for PuristS discussions.......

The main function of any watch movement is to measure and display the time. The CFB A1000 caliber shows the hours and minutes on centrally positioned hands. For the seconds, there is a small hand at 6 o’clock. Carl F. Bucherer will be adding a number of useful functions to the basic movement. These may include a large date, a day display or even a power reserve indicator. 

 

Dr. Albrecht Konrad Haake, Executive Vice President of Technology

Dr Albrecht completed his PhD thesis on 'Manipulation of Small Particles with Ultrasound' at the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich). His patented idea was to manipulate small particles with ultrasound. In a fluid (liquid or gaseous) a sound field is excited. In the sound field a force acts on any particle. To be able to position particles in one or two direction on a surface a sound field is excited by a vibrating plate. A sound field is created in the fluid. This sound field concentrates the particles at determined positions. Clever huh?

He went on to IWC Schaffhausen as Industrialisation Manager before joining Carl F Bucherer.

A1000 movement specifications

Dr Albrecht explained that the design team laid down a number of goals before finalising the specifications.
The list of specifications included a range of different targets, such as:

1) the use of conventional, tried-and-tested technologies such as a classic regulatory system,

2) a Swiss club-tooth lever escapement, and a traditional going train with jeweled bearings

3) a progressive caliber design with an unimpeded view of the bridges, bars and other components

4) a platform principle, which would facilitate the addition of new features to the movement as required

5) high reliability

6) semi-industrial production of the movement blanks

The key to success

The key to reliable functioning of the peripherally positioned rotor is the efficient shock-absorption system. The rotor bearing is built to withstand even the most traumatic conditions. This is achieved by Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC)-coated rollers, which, in their turn, are equipped with ball bearings. The latter, which are made of ceramic, make the system virtually maintenance-free.

DLC has been reliably used in the manufacture of surgical instruments and increasing the useful life of industrially produced tools such as drills or milling equipment. DLC is considerably harder and more resilient than more commonly found PVD coatings, and adheres particularly well to stainless steel. The thickness of the coating, which can be applied at a maximum of 250 °C, is around one thousandth of a milimeter. Its hardness is 2000 Vickers, or about three times that of steel.

Dynamic Shock Absorption (DSA) protects the rotor against impacts In the CFB A1000 caliber, the roller/ball bearing units are mounted on rocking bars, which are precisely positioned by springs. The setting of the rocking bars takes place through a cam. The new dynamic shock absorption (DSA) system is highly efficient. A transmission wheel transfers the rotor’s kinetic energy to the winding mechanism. They also equipped this transmission wheel with two Incabloc shock-absorption systems to ensure that its axis does not snap in the event of a sharp impact. In the case of a sharp impact, the walls of the bridge limit the radial displacement of the rotor. Any axial play is held in check by special screws. Which prevents the rotor from banging against the bottom of the case.

Bidirectional winding
Another feature is the efficiency of the self-winding mechanism. The rotor supplies energy when turning in either direction. The rotor’s movements characterise a low-loss winding system. It consists of two clutch wheels with eccentrically mounted clamp rollers. The pair of wheels spring into action reciprocally and are simple in design but also very reliable. They require no lubricant and are maintenance-free.

Central Dual Adjusting System (CDAS) for intelligent precision adjustment
The crux of any mechanical watch is its balance and spring in combination with the escapement. This is another patented innovation. In this case it is CDAS, which stands for Central Dual Adjusting System. The main advantages of the intelligent precision adjustment system with its central control element are:

1) The balance and escapement require adjustment only once. The system is subsequently secured in position to protect it against shocks.

2) To guarantee the system’s long-term quality, precision adjustment can only be carried out using a special key issued exclusively to authorized service centres.

The balance and stem are bearing-mounted at both ends by two identical Incabloc shock absorption systems, which permits optimum setting of the endshake.

The technical specifications of the new A1000 movement gave us pause for thoughts.

Mechanical automatic movement wound by a bidirectional rotor running around its edge.
– Diameter: 13˝ or 30 mm
– Height: 4.30 mm
– Functional jewels: 29
– Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour/3 Hz
– Power reserve: approx. 55 hours
– Escapement: Swiss club-tooth lever escapement
– Subassembly: Nivarox Type ASUAG No. 8
– Balance: ring-shaped, gold-plated Glucydur beryllium alloy balance
– Double roller: nickel-plated brass
– Impulse pin: jewel, red
– Balance spring: flat (volute), CGS 71, Anachron, thermally treated ‘ETAstable’
– Collet: Greiner
– Escape wheel: steel, polished flat, 1 chamfer, polished impulse face, epilame-coated
– Pallet: steel, polished flat, fork notch rounded off
– Pallet stones: red, synthetic ruby, epilame-coated
– Impulse angle: 50°
– Index: classical

Q&A Session

Guests asked what the minimal case size could be for this new A1000 movement and whether using a denser material for the rotor would reduce the diameter of rotor used significantly.

It seems that for a 30mm movement, a reasonable 38mm round case could be used, hypothetically.  But remember that for now, the A1000 will only be used in the Patravi range with its funky-shaped tonneau case.

Using a denser material would not change the rotor diameter substantially; so a case 38mm across is practically the smallest that could be produced.

Other topics included the speed of growth at Carl F Bucherer and PuristS were relieved to hear that the brand was not planning any "whizz bang fusion multiple-axis tourbillons".  Instead, their next couple of watch introductions seemed sensible progression steps and worthy of further discussions on PuristS' websites.

Photo taking galore......

Some photos of watches around me are shown below: 

Conclusion

From current evidence, Carl F Bucherer under the stewardship of Mr Thomas Morf and in private founding family ownership, seems to be in pursuit of certain values associated with PuristS ideals. We are encouraged by their current clear vision and hope that it translates into continued realisation of significant products that attracts the attention of watch lovers and PuristS.

That is a towering target indeed........

Photos and Text Copyright Dr Melvyn Teillol-Foo, December 2009