HEART BEAT MANUFACTURE
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 Internal
discussions on the development of new Heart Beat complications at
Frédérique Constant often focused on design issues with the original
Heart Beat watches. As these Heart Beat watches were all manufactured based on existing calibre ébauches, the Heart Beat design was bound by the basic architecture of these calibres. One of the issues was that
the balance wheel was very deep inside the Heart Beat aperture. It
would be a major improvement if the balance wheel could be closer to
the front side of the calibre, making it more visible. Another issue
was that the spiral, the most important component of a mechanical
watch, was on the back side of the caliber. After many discussions,
Frédérique Constant finally concluded that it would develop its own
calibre and solve these issues once and for all. In 2001, the
development of the Heart Beat Manufacture started with the
characteristic bridge for the balance wheel on the front side of the
calibre. Having the bridge for the balance wheel on the front side of
the calibre made it possible to have the spiral and fine regulation on
the front side as well, creating a much more appealing Heart Beat
design. This construction was completely novel - allowing Frédérique Constant to apply for a patent. This time, all the designs were also
properly registered before going to market.
Development and production of the first Heart Beat Manufacture took over three years. It was a major development in co-operation with the école d'Horlogerie de Genève, the école d'Ingenieurs de Genève and the Horloge Vakschool Zadkine. In 2004, the manual version of the Heart Beat Manufacture was introduced - with major success. In 2005, the Frédérique Constant Heart Beat Manufacture with Moon Phase and Date, also hand-wound, followed. In 2006, the first series of Automatic Heart Beat Manufacture watches were launched.
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TOURBILLON MANUFACTURE
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Frédérique Constant is proud to introduce a
World Premiere: a Tourbillon watch with Silicium Escapement Wheel.
Based on its award-winning Heart Beat Manufacture Calibre, Frédérique Constant developed its Tourbillon fully in-house with a number of
unique features:
- Silicium Escapement Wheel
- Fast Oscillation at 28’800 BpH
- Tourbillon Cage individually numbered
 With
its three main advantages compared to a regular escapement wheel, a
Silicium escapement wheel is particularly useful in a Tourbillon
mechanism. In particular, the reduced weight of the Silicium
escapement wheel and the better friction properties result in a
substantially higher energy efficiency. As a result, the Frédérique Constant Tourbillon with Silicium escapement wheel has an amplitude of
over 300 degrees in dial-up and dial-down positions. Even in the
crown-down position, the is over 275 degrees, which is substantially
better than the performance of other high-end tourbillons.
Smart Weight Balancing
  The
Frédérique Constant Tourbillon Cage consists of 80 parts. Each of these
parts is produced to the highest possible tolerance, with a precision
of 1-2 micron (0.001-0.002 mm). Many of the parts are produced on
Frédérique Constant’s ultra precise CNC machine in Plan-les-Ouates.
This CNC machine of the latest custom-made generation has a tolerance
of 1 micron on the X and Y axes and 2 micron on the Z axe. Even with
such a high degree of precision, it is impossible to have a 100% equal
distribution of weight in the individual parts; for a Tourbillon to run
accurately, an equal distribution of weight is essential. Frédérique Constant solved this problem by a “Smart Screw” system on the outer
edge of the Tourbillon cage. At first, the Tourbillon cage is
constructed with a slight over-weight opposite the Smart Screw system
on the main Cage Wheel. Thereafter, a highly skilled watchmaker is able
to balance the weight into the center of the Tourbillon cage by adding
or exchanging tiny metal rings under the two screws on the main cage
wheel. Typically, 8 hours are required for a watchmaker to adjust the
tiny rings and balance the weight perfectly for the entire Tourbillon
cage.
Fast Oscillation
The Frédérique Constant Tourbillon runs at 4 Hertz whereby the balance
wheel beats 28’800 times per hour. Hence, in a Frédérique Constant
Tourbillon, the balance wheel swings 28,800 times an hour and the gear
train moves forward 691,200 times in 24 hours. In four years, this
represents over one billion impulses.
Most competing Tourbillons run at 3 Hertz only. The higher ‘Beats per
Hour’ (BpH) enable a higher accuracy of the Tourbillon calibre. The
higher oscillation also makes the calibre less susceptible to gyration
effects.
Individually Numbered
Each Tourbillon cage is individually numbered to show the Limited
Edition of 188 pieces. The minuscule top plate in the center of the
Tourbillon cage is sequentially numbered during production on the
Frédérique Constant CNC machine. The number on the cage will match the
Limited Edition number on the case, making the combination of calibre
and case unique. |
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SILICIUM MANUFACTURE
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 The
accuracy of a mechanical movement is dependent on the accuracy of the
timing device. The timing device for a Frédérique Constant mechanical
Heart Beat Calibre is the balance wheel, the balance-spring and the
escapement. The balance wheel spins back and forward with a frequency
of 4Hz. The period of swing of the balance wheel determines the
accuracy. The crucial element in escapement design is to give just
enough energy to the balance wheel in order to keep it swinging, and to
interfere with the free swinging of the balance wheel as little as is
possible. As the lubrication
of the escapement ages, friction will increase, and less power will be transferred to the balance wheel.
 The
escapement must keep the balance-spring winding and unwinding. For most
of watch-making history, these requirements have involved considerable
friction in the escapement. The teeth of the escapement wheel are
powered by the main spring power source, and they actually slide
against the ratchet teeth before they lock; this is the friction which
kicks the anchor but which requires lubrication. In a modern
escapement, the teeth of the ratchet are made of very hard and very
polished stone, but lubrication is still essential. The ticking sound
of a Frédérique Constant watch is the sound of the balance-spring gear
and escapement
teeth locking into with each other. If the lubrication fails (through
age-related thinning or drying) then the escapement can suffer damage
and metal parts will require replacement. The increased reliability of
modern watches is due primarily to the higher quality oils used to
lubricate the escapement. Typically, a mechanical calibre needs to be
cleaned and re-oiled every four years.
Research & Development
In line with watch industry developments, Frédérique Constant
researched the application of new materials for its Heart Beat
Manufacture calibres. Obviously, a major improvement would be an
escapement that does not require regular lubrication. Frédérique Constant is proud to introduce a limited edition series that
incorporates a silicium escapement wheel that will no longer need
lubrication. Silicium is the ideal material for use in watch making as
it is not magnetic, is extremely hard (1100 Vickers compared to 700
Vickers for steel), and is highly resistant to corrosion. The biggest
advantage of a silicium escapement wheel is that it does not need to be
lubricated. As it does not need to be lubricated, previously mentioned
disadvantages such as age-related thinning and drying of lubrication
will no longer occur.
Silicium
Silicium is the chemical element in the periodic table that has
the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, Silicium
is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon. It does not occur
free in nature. It mainly occurs in minerals consisting of
(practically) pure Silicium dioxide in different crystalline forms
(quartz, chalcedony, opal) and as silicates (various minerals
containing Silicium, oxygen and one or another metal), for example
feldspar. Silicium is the principal component of most semiconductor
devices and, in the form of silica and silicates, in glass, cement, and
ceramics. Silicium is widely used in semiconductors because it remains
a semiconductor at higher temperatures than the semiconductor Germanium
and because its native oxide is easily grown in a furnace and forms a
better semiconductor/ dielectric interface than almost all other
material combinations. In its crystalline form, Silicium has a dark
grey color and a metallic luster. It is similar to glass in that it is
rather strong. Pure Silicium has a negative temperature coefficient of
resistance, since the number of free charge carriers increases with
temperature.
Manufacturing
The crafting of silicium escapement wheels requires a new technology
called Deep ReactiveIon Etching (DRIE). A multiple image of the
escapement wheels is produced and projected onto a round silicium wafer
measuring 100 mm in diameter by 0.5 mm in thickness. Typically, wafers
are made in various sizes ranging from 1 inch (25.4 mm) to 11.8 inches
(300 mm), and thickness of the order of 0.5 mm. Generally, they are cut
from a boule of semiconductor using a diamond saw or diamond wire, then
polished on one or both faces. Using a 100 mm wafer, approximately 250
wheels can be produced. The wafer is composed of three different
substrates or layers of silicium. The central substrate functions as a
separation layer. After the image of the escapement wheels has been
projected on the wafer, the exposed lacquered substrate is cleaned
away, leaving the non-exposed parts on the wafer. Then, the non-exposed
lacquered substrate is etched with plasma down to the separation layer.
The silicium escapement wheels are thereafter released by isotropic
etching. The pieces that come out of this operation have only to be
cleaned on the surface. They are all identical and do not need
balancing, centring or polishing. Wafers are thus of key importance in
the fabrication of the Frédérique Constant silicium escapement wheels.
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