Swiss brand Mauron Musy has produced the only “gasket-free direct-seal” watch in the world, meaning their watches should stay dryer for longer.

Usually when we talk of “complications” in the watch industry we speak of added features to the movement of a watch beyond simply telling the hour and minutes. The most common complications are chronograph features, alarms, and automatic movements. All of those added features are found within the watch. And all of them would be useless if the watch does not have a proper “external complication”: water resistance.

Christophe Musy and Eric Mauron, the gentlemen behind Mauron Musy have gone that route. They have developed an innovative twist to their watch cases, which they consider an “external” complication. Their starting point was to go back to basics, not looking to make a movement more complicated, but to protect it from complications that would arise from water exposure.

Mauron Musy’s Black Marmak

Traditionally water resistance is achieved by using synthetic gaskets, which of course have a limited lifespan and lose their functionality over time and need replacement. But that is not the only problem.

As many of you might already know, the water resistance that is listed on a dial does not represent the real water resistance of a watch. This is because when brands test for water resistance, it is done in ideal conditions: a fresh gasket, still water and a stable temperature.

So what happens when you wear your 50m water resistant watch – which you have owned for many years - while going for a swim in warm waters during vacation? Sometimes you might be surprised at what you find: condensation, or even worse, water under the glass.

In short, just because a watch says it is 50m water resistant does not at all mean that you can go diving with it to a depth of 50m. More likely you can take a shower with it on, assuming you do not put it directly under the faucet for a longer period of time.

After two years of hard work, Musy and Mauron produced the first prototype of a watch whose water resistance no longer depended on gaskets. Their patented system of water resistance is simple in practice but difficult to perfectly execute. The principle is based on clamp fixing technology. Somewhat simplifying their innovation, it means the inner case of a watch is made of several segments linked by hinges, which vertically clamp the case back, ring and crystal.

The end result means that their cases have no clamping screws and therefore do not deform. Water resistance is also helped by the fact that all the component surfaces are hardened and flattened. The crown also works on the principle of direct water resistance, because the stem is pushed through a ring with an infinitely small clearance, not giving water a chance to seep in.

Mauron Musy’s Black Steel Armure

Having ensured that you will not have to visit your watchmaker to have your gaskets replaced to ensure water resistance, Mauron Musy then designed typical Swiss-made watches with fine mechanical movements and quality technical design.

To date, their collection includes the Steel Armure (in Black and Classic variants), which run on a quality Eterna Calibre 3909A movement and have 100m water resistance. The Marmak line offers even more variety with both ladies’ and men’s watches. Of course, all of thier watches solve the issue gaskets, ensuring that they stay dry on the wrist for longer, and probably deeper. (VJ)