Baume & Mercier’s Twinspir revolution
Baume & Mercier?s Clifton is the vessel for Richemont?s first silicon balance spring, the TwinSpir
By James Gurney
You have to question the timing: the news arrived as the watch world was heading off to Baselworld and Baume & Mercier isn?t really heavyweight enough to stop people in their tracks. The Richemont Group?s most accessible brand does, nevertheless, regularly produce good horological news, but that isn?t the brand?s main focus, so those stories don?t always get the oxygen they deserve and they do deserve a wider audience: the impressive annual series has already included a flying tourbillon, a perpetual calendar and, even, a 5-minute Repeater.
This year the focus is on a new silicon balance spring for the Clifton 1830 developed at ValFleurier, Richemont?s mammoth component production and research facility (ValFleurier did much of the heavy lifting for the Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Papillon Automate watch). Surprisingly, this is the group?s first significant use of silicon on the escapement ? even recently designed series production movements from IWC have relied on conventional materials and production methods. With the Swatch Group, Kering, LVMH and even Patek Philippe having years of experience with silicon components to call on, the surprise should, perhaps, be that we?ve had to wait so long.
It?s baby-steps so far as while the balance spring does reflect an innovation, it?s still matched to a conventionally made balance and escapement a...
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