Likes: 
A few tidbits of information concerning the cool new movement Zenith introduced last year as a ten piece LE:
In 2017 Zenith introduced a movement with a very innovative escapement. So far it has only been used in a ten-watch limited edition. How long will it be until that model, the Defy Lab, can be be mass-produced?
It should be ready by the end of 2018.
What difficulties did you need to address?
We do not manufacture various components of this movement ourselves, like those made of silicon. They are created by CSEM, a research and development center in Neuchâtel [Switzerland]. I’ll give you an example: At the beginning there were certain wheels in the movement that were made of steel, not silicon. But, to put it simply, the metal and silicon parts did not work smoothly together. So we had to make some of these parts, which were originally not made of silicon, out of the silicon material. This kind of change means that everything had to be recalculated. Plus, the scientists at CSEM are independent, they don’t work for us. This all costs time, which you have to take into account in developing a groundbreaking technology like this. Right now we’re trying to manufacture between 1,000 and 3,000 by the end of 2018.
Are you able to provide the new Zenith caliber with additional functions?
Yes. That was an important point for us in the development phase. It is possible to add functions like a moon-phase indication or a chronograph.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by FuzzyB
