The word “innovation” especially when used in the context of watchmaking can sometimes be an oxymoron. With the luxury watchmaking industry so entrenched in the traditions of craftsmanship and mechanical movements, is it really an “innovation” per se when someone invents a slightly more efficient way to keep time in an inherently inefficient device. All of this is said in jest however as we, of all people, know that despite how inefficient our timekeepers are in the grand scheme of things, there is an intrinsic beauty in the very traditional ways our favourite watches are put together. That is not to say within the industry context there is no room for improvement. With technology where it is today, and with the amount of money going into research and development, even for something this niche, advancements will naturally occur.
For this issue, we put Chanel’s J12 Couture Workshop Automaton Calibre 6 on the cover because it represents the type of innovation we are looking at in the context of the luxury watch industry. The automaton movement may not be the most cutting-edge technological advancement in watchmaking but when you look at Chanel as a whole, the story is remarkable. For a brand that, just a few short years ago, had zero complications to their name, to now have a jumping hours complication, a tourbillon movement and, of course, the Automaton calibre, all of which are made in-house, is a testament to the brand’s commitment to serious watchmaking. And when you take their roots in couture into account, there are undoubtedly some really unique watches in terms of design and ideology coming out from the Watch Creation Studio in Place Vendôme in Paris and executed to perfection in the manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
In addition to this, we take a closer look at watches in the dark. When there is an absence of light, the lume glows bright. We watch enthusiasts often compare lume, considering its brightness and longevity, but we have never really thought a great deal about the history of this material. For instance, did you know that Super-LumiNova is Swiss-made but it is actually licenced from its original creators, a Japanese company called Nemoto & Co.?
Also, besides materials like Super-LumiNova, brands have experimented in various ways to illuminate a watch including some very clever use of piezoelectric materials and most recently some mini electricity generators powered by the unwinding of a spring.
Innovation appears in more than one form within the watch industry and it is something we will probably have to revisit again sometime in the future. But for now, we hope you enjoy what we have explored in this issue and until next time, happy reading.
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