News 
Swatch Group continues to push the boundaries of precision and innovation. After silicon, the world’s leading watchmaker is proud to introduce a new balance spring – a key component in mechanical movements – with exceptional paramagnetic characteristics.
In collaboration with Audemars Piguet, the group has developed a new non-magnetic compensating alloy called Nivachron for this revolutionary balance spring. With its complex composition, the alloy was developed with the aim of optimising the resistance of watch movements to magnetic fields.
The Nivachron balance spring offers a number of advantages. It allows a considerable reduction in the influence of the residual effect of a magnetic field on the running of a watch (a reduction by a factor of 10 to 20, depending on the calibre). The Swiss-made balance spring, made of a titanium base, is very effective against temperature variations experienced in wearing conditions. In addition, it offers excellent shock resistance. Ultimately, all of these advantages result in a significant improvement in chronometric performance.
Magnetic fields, which are pervasive in our environment, severely disrupt mechanical watch movements. They affect a watch’s operation and its performance and can even, in some cases, stop it completely.
Of all the watch components required to make a timepiece, the balance spring is one of the most critical. Its production requires a high level of know-how and expertise. Swatch Group, in partnership with the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), has already revolutionised Swiss watchmaking in recent years with its silicon balance springs.
September 27, 2018