Zenith Defy Lab – how compliant mechanisms helped to design the new oscillator

Did you like my presentation about the new, revolutionary oscillator?

As an additional source of really valuable information I invite you to watch this 12 minutes video.

Today in Le Locle at the Zenith Headquarter Thomas Mercier, an engineer from Guy Sémon´s team, explained with some very illustrative slides how compliant mechanisms helped to build the new oscillator.

What you will see is simply amazing and absolutely worth to be seen. 

The monolithic regulating organ made out of silicon

In mechanical engineering, compliant mechanisms are flexible mechanisms that transfer an input force or displacement to another point through elastic body deformation. These may be monolithic (single-piece) or jointless structures.

Lean back and enjoy!

This compliant mechanisms is a single-piece structure, there is no need of assembly. With no joints, “rubbing” between two parts or friction as seen at the joints of rigid body mechanisms is absent.

Compliant mechanisms are elastic.

Thomas Mercier explains the new Zenith Oscillator from WatchAdvisor on Vimeo.

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Why 31? That´s the number I counted when finishing my choice and putting the story together. 

Please do not expect a product listing of ticking superlatives here or a ranking of the most expensive / crazy watches.

What I will show you instead are watches that really impressed me – 31 in total. Either through their good and cool design, technical realization, impeccable quality and/or reasonable price. 

The watch brands featured are:

Blancpain, Breguet, Breitling, Bulgari, Certina, Chanel, Chopard, Frédérique Constant, Glashütte Original, H. Moser & Cie., Hamilton, Harry Winston, Hermès, Hublot, Longines, Mido, Nomos, Omega, Patek Philippe, Porsche Design, Rado, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Tudor and Zenith.   

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Jean-Claude Biver is no longer the CEO of the LVMH Watchmaking Division

Last week Jean-Claude Biver celebrated his 69th birthday and already days before I knew that he would announce something not really unexpected for me. Jean-Claude has a health issue and needs to take care of himself now. That’s more important than to serve LVMH. He needs time for himself and this is not possible when you are the CEO of the LVMH Watchmaking Division, the CEO of TAG Heuer and if you steer Zenith. 

First I invite you to read the official LVMH announcement and then to listen to my taped 7:49 minutes comment.

Please let me know what you think and how you see the situation by posting your comment here underneath …

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Zenith Defy Lab – learn all you need to know about the palace revolution

What you will discover here is tantamount to a palace revolution! 

With its “Defy Lab” Zenith is the brand to present the new revolutionary oscillator – a monolithic regulating organ made out of silicon – of the LVMH Watch Division Research & Development Department.

It is made out of monocrystalline silicon, including details finer than a human hair and it replaces the sprung balance.

The 31 components of a standard Swiss lever escapement, measuring usually 5 mm or more, which require assembly, adjustment, timing, testing and lubrication, are completely replaced by a single element measuring just 0.5 mm thick.

I invite you to learn all you need to know with plenty of EXCLUSIVE pictures and videos and of course with my interviews.

I talked to Guy Sémon the brain and driving force behind the development of the new monolithic regulating organ made out of silicon and I talked to Thomas Mercier, who is a member of Guy´s Research & Development team in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

It is only today the world premiere of the new oscillator. But everything you will discover here I was already able to discover last week. So I was able to put this comprehensive article together for you. Enjoy!