Vincent Calabrese Watch Innovation: Spiral Area

Key Points from the Discussion

• Vincent Calabrese's CALASYS oscillator beats at an unprecedented 288,000 vibrations per hour (40Hz), ten times faster than most mechanical movements, and was developed in collaboration with Flexous, a specialist in experimental components.
• Calabrese asserts that while no mechanical system is perfect, CALASYS's continuous and controllable friction is a more ingenious solution than accepting the inherent faults of the traditional balance spring.
• While acknowledging Calabrese's cleverness and past innovations, the claim of the hairspring's death is met with skepticism, drawing parallels to past premature declarations about the demise of mechanical watches. Widespread adoption would require overcoming significant hurdles, including patent access and retooling existing movement designs.
• The CALASYS proposal, potentially utilizing non-repairable DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching) parts, faces a high burden of proof to demonstrate clear advantages over conventional hairsprings, especially given the mixed results of other brands like Zenith and Frederique Constant in developing hairspring alternatives.
• The introduction of silicon oscillators, hairsprings, and balance wheels has already pushed boundaries, but removing the spiral entirely might diminish the 'soul' of a watch for some enthusiasts, who appreciate the visible pulsation of the traditional balance wheel and hairspring.
• Despite the challenges, Calabrese has dedicated a decade to the CALASYS project, and the community should allow time for the concept to be fully implemented with new materials and potential mass production partners.