"DEFY Inventor" finally goes into mass production
Zenith's Defy Lab, released in 2017, featured a Zenith oscillator, molded integrally from silicium, to improve the accuracy of mechanical watches. Two years later, Zenith has finally released the mass-produced version. Many manufacturers have longed for a watch that overcomes the weaknesses of mechanical watches. At present, the Zenith Defy Inventor is perhaps the watch that comes closest to achieving this ideal.
Photographs by Masanori Yoshie
Masamasa Hirota (Kronos Japan): Text
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
The thoughts behind the statement, "The greatest invention since Huygens"
A few years ago, Guy Sémon, current head of development at the LVMH Group, told me, "LVMH is currently developing a completely new regulating escapement, which will be the first since Christiaan Huygens (who developed the balance spring)."
In 2017, Zenith announced the new Zenith Oscillator, which they called "the first invention since Huygens." Indeed, this is indeed the first invention since Huygens. You might think that it's just that the balance spring has been removed, but in fact, the parts equivalent to the balance wheel, balance spring, regulator, balance stud, and anchor are all integrated into one unit.
Guy Sémon is believed to have referred to it as a "regulating escapement" that includes the escape wheel, rather than a regulator that corresponds to the balance wheel. The material is silicon.
Before this, there were new regulators that did not require a balance spring and escapements with higher isochronism. However, as far as I have seen, there were only a handful of movements that physically integrated the regulator and escapement. The only exception was the escape wheel, which is made of silicon, but is a separate part. Furthermore, it is far superior to other companies' models in that it is easier to mass-produce.
Since silicon was first used in wristwatches in 2001, manufacturers have adopted silicium, a lightweight material with high component precision, for their mechanical watches. Over time, they discovered that silicium is elastic and can be molded into complex shapes. The Zenith Oscillator is a completely new regulator and escapement born from these properties of silicium.
Born in France in 1963. After founding the Institute of Energy Physics at the University of Franche-Comté, he worked at a private engineering research institute on projects such as an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. He later founded a flight simulation company and did business with Dassault and Lockheed Martin. After going independent in 99, he joined TAG Heuer in 2004. He designed masterpieces such as the Monaco V4, Carrera Mikrograph, and Connected. He is known as the "Einstein of the watch industry."
