Those who innovate

Those who innovate

THE WATCH FILES

Those who innovate

A series of Europa Star articles devoted to the theme of innovation. In the clinical white rooms of the CSEM, the laboratories of the EPFL and the facilities of major suppliers like EM Microelectronic, or in the workshops of more visible brands or independents, innovation nurtures the flame of watchmaking passion. And thus the heart of watchmaking continues to beat.

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Girard-Perregaux: The Cosmos Infinity

Girard-Perregaux: The Cosmos Infinity

WHEN INNOVATION MEANS TWO GLOBES

A solar day contains 24 hours. A sidereal day, the exact measurement of celestial time, lasts 23 hours and 56 minutes. To do full justice to this minute (...)

Urwerk: the UR-100

Urwerk: the UR-100

WHEN INNOVATION MEANS SPACE-TIME

Let’s stay in space with the UR-100, the “fourth episode in the intergalactic saga of the 100 collection”, as Martin Frei, co-founder of Urwerk, in-house (...)

Louis Moinet: The Space Revolution

Louis Moinet: The Space Revolution

WHEN INNOVATION IS SCIENCE FICTION

We already knew that Jean-Marie Schaller, the CEO of Louis Moinet – named after the astronomercum- watchmaker who had more or less fallen into oblivion – (...)

De Bethune: the DB28 Steel Wheels Sapphire Tourbillon

De Bethune: the DB28 Steel Wheels Sapphire Tourbillon

WHEN INNOVATION IS TRANSPARENCY AND LIGHTNESS

Denis Flageollet, the founder and master watchmaker at De Bethune, has always said he takes his inspiration from classic, high-end horology while (...)

Bernhard Lederer's Central Impulse Chronometer

Bernhard Lederer’s Central Impulse Chronometer

WHEN INNOVATION MEANS TWO ESCAPE WHEELS

We might as well say it straight out: it is absolutely impossible to sum up here every feature that constitutes the huge originality of the calibre 9012, (...)

Ferdinand Berthoud: the Chronomètre FB 2RE

Ferdinand Berthoud: the Chronomètre FB 2RE

WHEN INNOVATION MEANS COMBINATION

The Chronomètre FB 2RE, the architecture and modular case of which are directly inspired by the Marine No. 6 clock built by the great horologist Ferdinand (...)

Greubel Forsey Balancier S

Greubel Forsey Balancier S

INNOVATION IN INCLINATION

A large balance wheel measuring 12.6mm, set at 7 o’clock and inclined at an astonishing angle, immediately catches the eye. Is it inclined for purely (...)

F.P.Journe: 20 years of Resonance

F.P.Journe: 20 years of Resonance

FROM THE THEORY TO THE WRIST

The most state-of-the-art innovations sometimes have roots reaching way back to previous centuries. Such is the case of the horological application of (...)

The lesson of Rolex

The lesson of Rolex

WHEN INNOVATION IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS

In watchmaking circles, people tend to mock Rolex fans who buzz with excitement on social media because the brand with the crown logo has made some (...)

In the white rooms of CSEM

In the white rooms of CSEM

INNOVATION REPORT

In the early 1980s, at the height of the crisis affecting the Swiss watch sector, three separate institutes funded by the Swiss state and large watchmaking (...)

The cosmic attraction of watchmaking

The cosmic attraction of watchmaking

NEW COLLECTIONS 2020

We have known since mankind first tried to measure time that its laws come from the cosmos, straight from the sky. What, then, could be more natural for (...)

Instant-Lab (EPFL): Breaking the second barrier

Instant-Lab (EPFL): Breaking the second barrier

INNOVATION

It is sometimes said that, as far as mechanical watch movements are concerned, everything, or nearly everything, has already been achieved. So is (...)

Innovating in times of crisis

Innovating in times of crisis

EDITORIAL

Innovations are perhaps were we need to look, if we are to overcome the major challenges of our time. In our latest report we identify some of the major (...)

Tissot: connection without disruption

Tissot: connection without disruption

STRATEGY

It will be new CEO Sylvain Dolla’s first major project. Tissot’s connected watch, the T-Touch Connect Solar, has been eagerly awaited, as the new market (...)

Nomos, the radical art of nuance

Nomos, the radical art of nuance

PORTRAIT

This year, the German town of Glashütte celebrates 175 years of watchmaking history. And while A. Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original are its traditional (...)

“Accutron becomes a brand in its own right”

INTERVIEW

For the 60th anniversary of the first fully electronic timepiece in history, Accutron has not just launched a commemorative limited series; it has (...)

Design: from concept cars to concept watches

Design: from concept cars to concept watches

INTERVIEW

For the past twenty years, Olivier Gamiette has created concept cars for a major automobile group. In his spare time, his passion is designing watches. The (...)

The intelligence service of the Swiss watch industry

The intelligence service of the Swiss watch industry

PORTRAIT

In the 21st century more than ever before, reliable information is the key to industrial success. As early as the 1960s, the Swiss watchmaking industry set (...)

Behind the scenes: a watch design war

Behind the scenes: a watch design war

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

On an object that measures just a few centimetres across – a watch – the shapes and lines can sometimes end up looking disturbingly similar... even when (...)

Initium: converting people to watches

Initium: converting people to watches

ANNIVERSARY

Five years after holding its first horological initiation class in Switzerland, the startup can pride itself on having modernised the induction process to (...)