Unlocking the Silicium Code
The use of silicium (Latin for silicon) in the non-electronics field is not a recent development. Transensory Devices co-founder Kurt Peterson’s review paper, Silicon as a Mechanical Material, appeared in the May 1982 issue of The Proceedings of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers), and is credited with inspiring widespread research in the field that has delivered impressive results. The story of silicium use in watchmaking however is plagued by many claims and counter-claims. Worse still, most media reports based on single sources threaten to throw even more confusion into an already muddled situation. So much so that Swatch Group CEO G. Nicholas Hayek described the silicium situation as "ridiculous," perhaps implying that the real story has been somewhat tainted by various marketing offensives.
Below is our attempt to reconstruct the silicium story viewed from multiple perspectives.
The development of the 2001 Ulysse Nardin Freak was plagued by many technical problems from the beginning. Ulysse Nardin’s owner, the ever dynamic Rolf Schnyder explained that it was made more complicated by the implementation the new Dual Direct escapement designed by the current MIH (Musée international d’horlogerie) director Dr Ludwig Oechslin. In the Dual Direct escapement, there are two escape wheels instead of one. Because these need to be stopped, started and accelerated many times each second, they had to be made extremely light. Ulysse Nardin’s technical director Pierre Gygax tried aluminum and the escapement worked, but without the required durability. Gygax explained that he then sought help from his friend Michel Vermot of Haute Ecole Arc ingénierie at Le Locle, using his facility of a high-speed camera which can shoot 6,000 photographs per second to complete the necessary motion study for the workings of the dual-direct escapement. According to Gygax, the viability of using silicium as the material for escape wheels first surfaced in a conversation between Gygax and Vermot, where the latter suggested that CSEM help Ulysse Nardin produce these silicium escape wheels. But the CSEM imposed steep conditions, and Ulysse Nardin was made to pay for the part manufacturing process on a best-of-effort basis. That is, each part delivered must be paid for, whether it works or not. The expense proved worthwhile—the silicium wheels were a success. It was essentially the miracle cure the manufacture was searching for.
Ulysse Nardin Executive Vice President Pierre Gygax.
The very successful Basel launch of the Freak was emotionally rewarding for Ulysse Nardin. During this heady period, Schnyder brought the Freak to the Swatch booth to show G. Nicholas Hayek. He remembered Hayek showing his immense appreciation for the Dual Direct escapement. Rolf feels that the successful launch of the Freak might have spurred interest in the use of silicium for the entire industry.
Sign being displayed at the Ulysse Nardin booth, Basel-2006.
The Glass Cylindrical hairsprings, origin unknown, found in the premise of Ulysse Nardin Factory, according to owner Rolf Schnyder.
The Patek Philippe Story
Patek Philippe’s Philippe Stern gave Musy full support
Patek Philippe’s technical director, Jean-Pierre Musy led the team that created the watchmaker’s legendary Caliber 89, and is judged by many to have been instrumental in the modern revival of watch complications. Musy explains that he was aware of the use of silicium in Ulysse Nardin’s Dual Direct escapement. Musy also knew that ComLab, the facility jointly run by CSEM and IMT, has been making silicium watch components for a watch brand (Rolex, according to sources) since 1995. In fact, Musy remembers being the one who suggested to Gygax the possibility of seeking help from CSEM for the new material and Michel Vermot for the high-speed camera. According to Professor de Rooij of the IMT, Musy is one of the most passionate proponents for the use of silicium in high watchmaking. Musy was also instrumental in getting the full backing of Patek Philippe’s president, Philippe Stern, for the use of silicium in Patek Philippe watches. To Musy’s understanding, Ulysse Nardin’s main objective was to reduce inertia because of the two escape wheels in their escapement. In contrast, Patek Philippe has been looking for new materials and new technologies for possible breakthroughs in the three main areas of a mechanical movement: Improved energy source, i.e. mainspring; more efficient energy transmission focused on the gear train; and improved precision and reliability of the whole oscillating mechanism. Today, rapid progress has been made in the latter area and Patek Philippe is ready to introduce major innovations in all three areas by 2007, according to Musy. When we asked if this meant a silicium mainspring and silicium gear wheels, the brilliant man smiled cagily and said, "You will see in 2007."
Professor Oechslin was involved in the creation of the first silicium hairspring, but this project was abandoned because of silicium’s inability to cope with thermal variation. While pure silicon is nearly a perfect material as a watch component, the biggest problem is the fact that it gradually becomes softer as the temperature rises. Three years ago, Patek Philippe, Rolex and the Swatch Group decided to sponsor and commission CSEM and IMT to undertake a project specifically to solve this problem. The solution for the temperature variation was surprisingly simple and according to Nico de Rooij, was almost completely provided by nature. When silicon is placed in the furnace at temperatures from 800 to 2,500 degrees Celsius, the outer layer is oxidized and turns into silicon dioxide. While silicon becomes softer when heated, silicon dioxide turns harder as the temperature rises. With the right technique and thickness ratio of the silicon dioxide surface and the enveloped silicon within, the new material called Silinvar can be made to exhibit consistent properties even as temperature changes.
Patek Philippe Directeur Technique Jean-Piere Musy.
Outside of the Silinvar project, Patek Philippe also created a newly patented hairspring—the Spiromax, made from Silinvar. This new one-piece design has different thickness at different points of the spiral, made possible by the way the single crystal silicon is grown by the DRIE process. Spiromax not only pulsates and expands centrally, it has only one-third the thickness of a Breguet overcoil hairspring. Although it is still very expensive to manufacture Silinvar, once the manufacturing process is industrialized, Silinvar hairsprings could prove to be flatter, better and even cheaper than the Breguet overcoil.
The success of the patented Silinvar process should be credited to the CSEM and the combined investment of Patek Philippe, Rolex and the Swatch Group; and both Perret and Rooij emphasize the strong consultation and support of the Patek Philippe team. Rooij added that Musy is a humble man and won’t blow his own horn, and that without constant consultation, attention and pressure from Musy, the Silinvar project would not have succeeded so quickly.
The CSEM and IMT Story
CSEM is a private company owned by the Swatch Group, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Richemont, FH (Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry) and others. The body was created when CEH (Centre Electronique Horloger, founded in 1962), FSRM (Fondation Suisse pour le Recherche en Microtechnique, founded in 1974) and LSRH (Laboratoire Suisse de Recherches Horlogères, founded in 1926) merged in 1984. IMT belongs to the University of Neuchâtel and has a common research lab with CSEM, called ComLab.
CSEM Vice President for Strategic Relations, Dr. Andre Perret.
Since 1992, the CSEM has known that silicium could almost be the perfect material to make watch components and intended to sell the idea to watch brands willing to sponsor the research. Commissioned by a watch brand (by many accounts, Rolex), CSEM made and delivered silicon anchors with integrated pallets. The component was not used in commercial production because of two problems: roughness of the surface caused by the etching process, and changes in response to temperature variation (both problems now solved). Even then, the silicium part was functional and the potential of the material was obvious. It survived repeated cycles of shock tests of up to 10,000G and nothing seemed to be able to destruct the silicium part.
CSEM Senior Project Manager Dr. Philippe Niedermann.
At the dawn of the millennium, Ulysse Nardin’s technical director Pierre Gygax came to CSEM and requested they make escape wheels with reduced weight and inertia. Perret claimed that "Gygax did’t request for silicium and I showed him a photograph of the silicium part we made for another watch brand."
IMT Head of Laboratory Professor Nico de Rooij.
In 2001, the CSEM needed a silicium spiral to demonstrate the very useful high elasticity of silicon. Requesting a hairspring design from a watch brand would create an obligation, so the CSEM decided to seek the help of Ludwig Oechslin from the MIH to design a watch spiral. Oechslin supplied the design, CSEM made the spirals and supplied a few pieces to Oechslin for testing.
Hayek advises patience with regards to the true performance potential of silicium
Using this hairspring designed by Oechslin, CSEM shot a video of a silicium spiral resting on the tip of a pen held vertically upright. The spiral was then manually pulled right to the bottom of the pen and released. The spiral not only sprang back immediately but retained the exact original shape even after many cycles. This demonstration, shown live or via video, never fails to impress. Some media reports credit Oechslin as the originator of the silicium hairspring idea, and this is particularly frustrating to Perret. He told us that, "the involvement of Oechslin starts and stops with his single hairspring design and his short test of the silicium hairsprings we made" According to Perret. Oechslin, being a traditionalist, seemed very negative about the use of Silicium in mechanical watchmaking. Swatch Group’s CEO (the Group owns 14 per cent of the CSEM) G. Nicholas Hayek tells us the success of Silinvar demonstrates that the Swiss watch industry is still the most innovative. The issue of who came out with the idea and who contributed the most should not be the focus. Since the manufacturing process of Silinvar and silicium is still so expensive, the real challenge is how to effectively industrialize the manufacturing process. The Swatch Group appears to be ready and willing to start the industrialization process now.
Finally, is silicium the new miracle material to solve all remaining watchmaking problems? Hayek advises patience and says that if the material is really that good, the tell-tale sign will be if everyone is using it in 10 years time.
Please see some photographs and a very brief report of the Prof. Nicolaas De Rooij talk jointly organised by Sincere Watch Academy and The Revolution Press http://www.revolution-press.com/news/?p=159