we can't stop we won't stop... 15,000 Gaus Anti-Magnetic Omega Aqua Terra
oops what does miley cyrus have to do with this post? clearly it's because this watch won't stop even if it's hit with 15,000 gauss... and also that Omega is not stopping going beyond the other players in the industry to the next level on this front.. and uhm just because the song is stuck in my non-twerkin mind ;) onto the PRESS RELEASE then!
The Seamaster Aqua Terra > 15’000 gauss
One of the most dramatic
technological innovations in recent memory is the OMEGA Co-Axial caliber 8508.
It is resistant to magnetic fields greater than 1.5 tesla (15,000 gauss), far
exceeding the levels of magnetic resistance achieved by any previous watch movement
and solving a problem that has challenged watchmakers for many decades.
The mechanical movement is
introduced in the Seamaster Aqua Terra > 15’000 gauss, a 41.50 mm stainless
steel Co-Axial chronometer presented on either a matching bracelet or a brown
leather strap. It has a slightly yellowed lacquered black dial, sun-brushed
from the centre and decorated with the distinctive vertical lines that define
OMEGA’s popular Aqua Terra collection. The yellow transferred legend, “>
15’000 GAUSS” identifies the watch as a very special timepiece.
The technology developed by a
team of ETA, ASULAB, Nivarox FAR and OMEGA Engineers led to the first prototype
of the movement, which has been fitted in an OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra. Unlike
other efforts to combat the effects of magnetism, the OMEGA movement does not
rely on a protective container inside the watchcase but on the use of selected
non-ferrous materials in the movement itself. Several patents are pending for
the new movement. Even after exposure to a magnetic field greater than 15,000
gauss, the movement still performs at a chronometric level as defined by COSC.
Magnetism had been dealt previously
with inner cases designed to limit the effect of magnetism. This approach with
inner cases had some limitations including the facts they couldn’t handle the
challenge of the increased strength of permanent magnets and that, from an
aesthetic standpoint, they block the view of the movement, thus preventing the
possibility of a date window display.
The Seamaster Aqua Terra >
15’000 gauss is water resistant to 15 bar (150 metres / 500 feet). With the
combination of its Co-Axial mechanical movement its Si14 silicon balance spring, it is so reliable that it is delivered
with a four-year warranty.
Magnetism has always been an
issue for watchmakers and magnets are now even more present in our daily lives
than they have ever been before. Watchmakers have to deal regularly with the
issue of magnetism, as it is necessary for them to demagnetize mechanical
watches whose performance has been compromised by exposure to magnetic fields,
a problem that will be solved with the new movement.
With the Seamaster Aqua Terra
> 15’000 gauss, OMEGA has introduced innovative technology that will forever
change the way the watchmaking industry approaches the ever-increasing
challenges of magnetic fields.
Key steps toward the antimagnetic movement
In 2008, OMEGA unveiled its Si14 silicon balance spring. Silicon is an
anti-magnetic element and the incredible stability and the resistence to any
sort of environmental disturbance – including magnetic fields – was the first
important step toward the development of an anti-magnetic watch.
Another factor that made the Co-Axial caliber 8508 possible was the
creation of staffs and pivot points made from a non-magnetic material called
Nivagauss™. These include the staffs from the balance whele, the pallet and the
Co-Axial wheel.
The steel for the Co-Axial plates – including the pallet fork, the
impulse pinion and the impulse wheel – was also replaced by non-magnetic
materials.
Finally, the spring of the shock absorbers in the Co-Axial calibre 8508
is made from an amorphous metal.
These innovations in combination contributed to the creation and launch of the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8508 – the world’s first truly anti-magnetic mechanical watch movement.
End note: lookin forward to this anti-magnetic movements being used in other models :)
These innovations in combination contributed to the creation and launch of the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8508 – the world’s first truly anti-magnetic mechanical watch movement.
End note: lookin forward to this anti-magnetic movements being used in other models :)
2 comments:
Impressive and logical approach, wonder what will be the response from Rolex and their antimagnetic offering.
It's cool to see Omega going the next leg. What kind of response it spurs is an interesting question.
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