Frederique Constant Beyond Innovation: Will Monolithic Oscillators Change the World?

At first glance, the opening at 6 o'clock on the dial of the Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture is reminiscent of the brand's heartbeat movement. However, what peeks out from the opening is not a balance wheel, but an entirely new monolithic oscillator. What powers this otherwise conventional-looking watch is a new-generation heart that goes far beyond innovation.

The evolution of mechanical watches thanks to the monolithic oscillator

　The escapement and balance wheel are essential components of a mechanical watch. Many manufacturers have attempted to improve them, but few have produced truly revolutionary results. This is especially true when it comes to mass production, let alone small-scale production. Frederique Constant's Slimline Monolithic Manufacture has thrown a wrench into the mix. While the company doesn't make any big claims, this is the first time in centuries that a mechanical watch has been redesigned.

　This model is equipped with a monolithic oscillator that integrates the pallet part of the escapement with the balance wheel (balance wheel and hairspring). The escape wheel converts the rotational motion of the mainspring into amplitude motion, just like in conventional mechanical watches. However, the pallet and balance wheel have been replaced with a monolithic silicon oscillator made in one piece. Combining the pallet and balance wheel into one reduces the number of parts, and by using lighter silicon material, the frequency has been improved to 288,000 vibrations per hour, which is 10 times that of a typical mechanical watch. As a result, theoretical isochronism has improved and positional error has also been reduced.

　In the past, various companies within the LVMH Group had worked on similarly designed integrated oscillators. However, these attempts were unsuccessful. The main reason for this was said to be the large size of the oscillator, which combined the balance and anchor. As the size increased, the manufacturing costs of the oscillator increased, and the inertia also increased, making it more susceptible to shocks. Later, a "guide" was added to this oscillator to maintain smoothness even when subjected to strong impacts, but this did not provide a fundamental solution.

　It can be said that Frederique Constant's monolithic oscillator has eliminated this weakness. Visible from the 6 o'clock position on the dial is the monolithic oscillator, which is made of silicon and consists of a single molded escape wheel, anchor, and balance. You can see that it is extremely small compared to other companies' silicon oscillators that cover the entire dial.

　Pim Korslag, who developed the oscillator, said, "I would like to refrain from judging or speculating on the performance or mechanisms of products made by other manufacturers. However, our monolithic oscillator is extremely thin, at just 0.3 mm thick, and has a small outer diameter of just 9.8 mm. This not only makes the oscillator extremely light, but also reduces the moment of inertia."

　The movement of a monolithic oscillator is similar to that of the escape wheel and pendulum of a grandfather clock. When the escape wheel rotates, the protrusion on the oscillator that comes into contact with its teeth moves back and forth like an anchor, causing the one-piece oscillator to vibrate. Unlike a grandfather clock, the oscillator can operate in any position because a portion of the oscillator has been hollowed out to provide a spring-like spring. Similar to the hairspring in a balance, an elastic spring returns the oscillator to its original position, allowing the oscillator to operate in any position.

As Korslag explained, "The monolithic oscillator is a component that replaces mechanisms such as the balance wheel, hairspring, anchor, and escape wheel," and what's new about the monolithic oscillator is that it also performs the role of the hairspring.

　Furthermore, by using non-magnetic silicon as its material, the monolithic oscillator has extremely high magnetic resistance. According to Frederique Constant, the oscillator itself is completely unaffected by magnetic forces. The watch itself also meets the "Second Class Magnetic Resistance Watch Standard" established by ISO 764, which means it has a high magnetic resistance of 16,000 A/m. While it can be assumed that the theoretical magnetic resistance is even higher, it is typical of Frederique Constant that they did not advertise excessive specifications.