Horological Meandering

The title of this post truly reflects the situation, I believe. There were multiple attempts in the past to create high-frequency movements. Chopard 8HF and Zenith Defy Inventor come to mind. There is also DeBethune Resonique, but it is a design exercise rather than a real watch. And then there's this one. It was announced a few years ago, and despite the revolutionary movement, it seems that the watch is largely unknown.

Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic gets away with the Swiss lever escapement entirely. It replaces it (all 30-something parts) with a single silicone monobloc that flexes with an incredible frequency: 40Hz or 288,000 beats per hour. It is still a mechanical watch; there are no batteries, capacitors, or electrical current anywhere. Because there are no escapement gears, pinions, pallet forks, etc., it needs no lubrication and very little servicing. The second hand glides incredibly smoothly, making 80 jumps per second instead of the traditional 5.

What is interesting is that the monobloc is visible through the opening on the dial, the oscillation cannot be seen with the naked eye, but video can capture it.  The blur ion the second picture is the oscillating monobloc. It is not customary on this forum to discuss prices, but still, if this watch came from any other manufacturer, it would cost tens of thousands of dollars. Frederique Constant is only $5,000.

  login to reply