Four-year warrantyOMEGA: The silicon balance-spring
Although it is one of the smallest components in a mechanical watch movement, it is among the most critical, playing an important role in the watch’s precision. It is the heart beating inside your watch – responsible for the oscillations that define the accuracy of a timepiece. To create a balance spring which will contribute to even greater stability and timekeeping performance, OMEGA has turned to a material which has long been associated with the high-tech industry: silicon.
Silicon is non-magnetic so the performance of the silicon balance-spring is not disturbed by exposure to magnetic objects. Also, while the performance of mechanical watches tends to deviate over time as a result of small everyday shocks, these disturbances have very little effect on silicon balance-springs.
Particularly significant from a horological point of view is that there is substantial freedom in the fabrication of balance-springs made of silicon. This allows their geometry to be modified for optimal isochronism, the quality of oscillations occurring in equal periods of time. This isochronous quality reduces the amount of deviation in the watch’s accuracy. New processes allow us to stamp out the silicon balance springs so that they are perfectly formed with absolutely consistent geometry and total quality control.
These unique properties mean that when OMEGA creates a watch with a Co-Axial calibre equipped with a silicon balance spring, they can deliver it with a four-year warranty. The four-year warranty also applies to Co-Axial timepieces equipped with silicon balance springs which are already on the market.