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Kit O. Payumo
July 20, 2016     |    

Tomorrowland

Introducing Breitling Chronoworks, a test bench for tomorrow’s technologies

We at Calibre have always said, “Say what you will about Breitling,” but that watchmaker knows what it wants. Perhaps most importantly, their loyal followers know what THEY want. And that is Breitling’s signature militarized aesthetic turbo-charged by weapons-grade sensibilities. In other words: In-Your-Face DEF-CON 1 watchmaking that will make any military institution stand up and notice.

Just recently we featured the Manufacture’s latest Avenger Hurricane, a watch so unapologetic in its “Breitling-ness” it encapsulates every masculine bit of propaganda the brand has ever espoused in one gargantuan militarized package. That watch alone makes it easy to dismiss the La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker as a “poseur” concerned only with “shock and awe” aesthetics, powered by a seemingly bottomless well of confidence, and nothing else. Fortunately, the truth is very different. There IS reason behind the madness; there IS a brain behind the brawn. And apparently, quite a substantial one at that.

Introducing the Breitling Chronoworks, a state-of-the-art laboratory and the Manufacture’s test bench that develops and assesses technical breakthroughs that can subsequently be introduced into series-produced watches. Think of it as a think tank for tomorrow’s watch technologies similar to how the innovations created for F1 race cars subsequently trickle down to series-production road-going cars and you get the general idea.

Indeed, aside from their patented Avionic predilections, Breitling has always been known as a specialist that has played a crucial role in the development of the chronograph. Inventions such as the first independent pushpiece at 2 o’clock back in 1915, or the second independent pushpiece in 1934, not to mention the selfwinding chronograph in 1969, have made Breitling synonymous with the COSC chronometer certified chronograph.

In fact, (in case you’ve been living under a rock) the firm is one of the rare watch companies to own its own mechanical chronograph movements (that would be the Breitling Calibre 01), entirely developed and produced in the ultramodern Breitling Chronométrie complex in La Chaux-de-Fonds that has led to the development of a range of smart, high-performance ‘engines’ equipped with useful and user-friendly functions, all chronometer certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute), the industry’s bedrock symbol of reliability and precision.

These developments would not have been possible without the Chronoworks department. Indeed, Breitling has always been the independent watchmaker that could, and in their effort to constantly improve the quality of its movements, Breitling has collected the finest specialists to work in one of the best-equipped labs in the entire watch industry. This cutting-edge unit is dedicated to seeking out innovative solutions that will serve to enhance movement performance and to testing avant-garde concepts suitable for introduction into standard production.

Just recently Chronoworks experts entirely reviewed the brand’s star ‘engine’ from the ground up, the Manufacture Breitling Calibre 01, a selfwinding chronograph movement featuring a modern structure, column-wheel construction, a vertical coupling-clutch and an over 70-hour power reserve. Their aim (naturally) was to increase efficiency wherever possible and that meant stripping away the fat and pinpointing the slightest losses of energy in all the movement organs.

This led to….

Ceramic baseplate and gear-train bridges

The first optimization involved the movement chassis (baseplate and gear-train bridges). To reduce friction due to the pivoting of the arbors, these components were made from a high-tech ceramic (hexagonal boron nitride) already used as a solid adjuvant in high-performance engine lubricants, but applied here for the first time to mechanical horology. Thanks to an extremely low friction coefficient, the arbors can pivot directly in the baseplate and bridge holes without any wear or energy loss – and also without any lubricant, thereby eliminating 11 out of 47 jewels.

Silicon wheels

Contrary to what one might think, a watch movement is actually at a halt 95% of the time and each “restart” results in a loss of energy. To counteract this inertia, the caliber has been fitted with three wheels (center wheel, third wheel, and fourth wheel) in silicon, a material twice as light as normal and thus, easier to set in motion. Further the geometry of these wheels, made using deep-reactive iron etching (DRIE), has been revised to make the structure more rigid avoiding any distortion of the spokes.

Silicon escapement

Not to be left out, attention was also focused on the “distribution” organ, the escapement – the part of the movement where most of the energy losses take place. The Swiss lever escapement was maintained, but with a wheel and lever made of silicon serving to reduce weight and inertia. The need for pallet jewels was also eliminated thereby enhancing precision in terms of shapes. And to ensure more efficient transmission of the energy from the barrel, the geometry of the two components (the profile of the teeth and pallets) was revisited. The banking-free angular limitation of the lever also contributes to increasing reliability. The overall result is a 42% gain in efficiency for this vital organ, thereby ensuring optimal security.

Variable-inertia balance

Balance-wheel oscillations are generally adjusted by modifying the active length of the balance-spring using pins, an operation that can disturb chronometry. The Chronoworks specialists opted for a variable-inertia balance adjustable via four tiny gold weights situated around the rim. To free this organ from temperature sensitivities and maintain the same rating precision in all circumstances, the watchmakers chose to combine a nickel felly (ring) with a cross (spoke) made of brass, using the metal’s expansion/contraction to modify the inertia. When the temperature rises, the cross expands and “pulls” the felly towards the center reducing inertia. This system reinterprets the principle of bimetallic balance-wheels by leveraging state-of-the-art production technologies (LIGA).

Elastic toothing

Another key nerve center in a vertical coupling-clutch chronograph mechanism is this tiny organ responsible for connecting the base movement and the wheel bearing the sweep-seconds hand (chronograph wheel and pinion). The jerking caused by this set of one arbor and two wheels (2 mm in diameter) is usually eliminated by using a “friction spring,” but its use causes a 15% energy loss. Rather than compensating for this play by braking, the Chronoworks specialists opted to equip the two wheels with elastic toothing molding the shape of the opposite teeth, by means of a nickelphosphorous structure. The result is an end to energy loss, as well as identical autonomy whether or not the chronograph function is activated.

Breitling has always been the independent watchmaker that could, and in their effort to constantly improve the quality of its movements, Breitling has collected the finest specialists to work in one of the best-equipped labs in the entire watch industry.

These five innovations have led to the significant increase in the energy efficiency of the Breitling Calibre 01. These modifications have also led to the specification of a slimmer and thus, longer spring, increasing the movement’s power reserve from 70 to 100 hours, a 45% gain in autonomy. And to showcase all these innovations, Breitling has chosen one of their most stellar models: the Superocean Héritage, this time with the additional moniker: Chronoworks.

A 100-piece limited edition borne of the fruits of Breitling Chronoworks efforts, the new Superocean Héritage Chronoworks has been reinterpreted with a sleek all-black visage via a brand-new matte 46 mm ceramic case. Yes, that titanic size practically ensures Breitling hasn’t completely disavowed its weapons-grade aesthetic, even if they have gone for a softer arm-chair-general vibe for their latest asset.d.

To make sure of this, the dial is adorned with pointed hour-markers recalling the 1957 Superocean, which was originally designed for diving enthusiasts and thrill-seekers. A transparent caseback provides a chance to admire the Chronoworks movement with its revisited mechanism and its stealth-black oscillating weight. And in a final exclusive touch, the watch has been equipped with a woven rubber strap inspired by the original woven steel bracelet.

Naturally, many of the Chronoworks breakthroughs will eventually be made available on standard Breitling models, but in the meantime we have the Superocean Héritage Chronoworks to keep us satiated.

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