Regulating organs, from past to present (IX)

Accordingly, Patek Philippe created its Advanced Research department which set about developing an entirely new regulating assembly - lever, escape wheel, balance and spring - based on silicon components Patek Philippe's silicon assortment differs from a manufacturing point of view but, as far as purists are concerned, remains a classic detached escapement; only the raw material for the components has changed None of these systems, which use silicon as an alternative material, alter the fundamental nature of the escapement.

Credit for the movement goes to Pierre Genequand, an engineer from Geneva who started work on the idea in 2004 after retiring from the CSEM This unconventional, frictionless escapement, which would not be possible without silicon, is still under development Zenith, in September 2017, presented its vision of what the future holds with the Defy LAB.

The single-piece oscillator couples with a monolithic escapement in monocrystalline silicon Apart from the monocrystalline silicon escapement, which doesn't require lubrication, the rest of the movement is a classic automatic calibre vibrating at 108,000 vibrations per hour In fact the striking escapement is, strictly speaking, a regulating assembly which, if adjusted for long-term reliability, could become a means of regulation in itself. Source