Watch innovation based on compliant mechanisms

Earlier this year, Swiss watchmaker Frederique Constant launched a technological breakthrough in the field of precision timekeeping. Redefining the principles of mechanical watch regulation, its Slimline Monolithic Manufacture delivers industry-leading precision by ticking ten times faster than most mechanical movements. Etched from silicon, its monolithic oscillator, designed as a compliant mechanism by Dutch company Flexous Mechanisms, replaces an assembly of several parts and eliminates many of the major weaknesses of mechanical watches, as described in this Mikroniek article. The high-frequency oscillator fits inside a traditional movement configuration, housed inside a 40-mm case. (Photo by Eric Rossier, courtesy of Frederique Constant)