Substance Over Flash

A new definition of luxury haute horlogerie is upon us.

- Celine Yap

One of the most common reasons why a mechanical watch loses its chronometric precision is magnetism. Because the movement within is made up of iron-based metal components, prolonged exposure to magnetic fields will cause them to be magnetised. When that happens to the critical timekeeping components, a watch will begin to run either too fast or slow, or it may stop working entirely.

Mechanical watches require some degree of proper handling. It’s shockingly easy to break even a simple three-hand automatic movement, especially one with the date display. Most watch collectors know that before adjusting the date, one must always change the time first to position the hour and minute hands below the three and nine o’clock level. This prevents the gears of the date mechanism from jamming up.

With grand complications, things get far more complicated. Perpetual calendars and minute repeaters are notoriously vulnerable to any form of mishandling, which is guaranteed to send the entire system of wheels, springs, racks and snails into a tailspin.

Unless your watch was made within the last five years. That was when the result of years of technical R&D spearheaded by the industry’s leading firms finally trickled down to the market at large. They focused on improving the core aspects of watchmaking. Age-old bugbears relating to magnetism, precision and robustness could soon be a thing of the past thanks to these innovative marques.

Omega: Anti-magnetism

Magnetism has been an issue for watchmakers since time immemorial. The most straightforward method of protecting the movement from magnetisation is to encase it in a Faraday cage. Most amagnetic timepieces are made this way but in 2015 Omega introduced a new solution which eliminates the use of a Faraday cage altogether.