News 
On September 22nd, H. Moser & Cie and Precision Engineering took part in the first Swiss parabolic flight.
With this event the two sister companies are the first to have carried out tests on movements and escapements in weightlessness and hyper-gravity, confirming them as pioneers in this field of watchmaking.
Using instruments specifically adapted by Witschi Electronics to perform tests in extreme conditions, Edouard Meylan, CEO of the brand, measured the rate and amplitude achieved with various components. The solutions tested included different materials (e.g. paramagnetic) for escapement components (steel, nickel and ruby), each offering a distinct density and friction coefficient, different hairspring materials involving various degrees of rigidity, as well as hairsprings with alternative types of terminal curves, including flat end curves or a Phillips overcoil, as well as double hairsprings, to determine the influence of the end curve. An optical test with these components was also carried out on board the Airbus with the help of an observation test specially developed by the engineers from Precision Engineering.
This battery of tests enriches Precision Engineering’s overall research on regulating organs, which it has been carrying out for several years. As a specialist in escapement components - from the design and production to the final assembly of these high-quality products into the overall watch movement that it regulates - Precision Engineering is one of the few companies capable of defining and producing alloys for the creation of self-compensating hairsprings.
Edouard Meylan concluded: "The results we have obtained have exceeded our expectations and will allow us to confirm our theories. The tests performed will enable us to improve the stability and quality our chronometric performance and the isochronism of our timepieces. We have also been able to confirm new research directions, and we will capitalise on this by filing patents. These experiments are also the best example of Precision Engineering’s ability to provide clients with the most innovative and reliable solutions in terms of hairsprings and escapements."
October 22, 2015