The name combines “paramagnetic” together with “chrome” (Greek for color). Parachrom is an alloy of niobium and zirconium, with an oxide coating. Following more than five years of research and development, the first Parachrom hairsprings went into production in the early 2000s. To be independent from Swatch Group, Rolex was one of the first players to develop a full in-house production capability for hairsprings. It is then shaped and coiled to obtain a spiral shape. Tolerances are usually under 0.1 micron, as the slightest variations of the spring profile have an impact on the watch performance a variation of just one micrometer in the thickness of a spring can make a change of 30 minutes on the daily rate. ![]() It takes days to transform a metal wire into a thin spring by successive steps. ![]() This alloy is in the same category as Invar, an alloy (FeNi36%) invented by Swiss Nobel prize winner Charles Edouard Guillaume.Ĭombining high tech industrial precision and manual work, hairsprings are manufactured through ultra-precise metal lamination techniques to produce a malleable blade. Nivarox is an acronym for Nicht Variabel Oxydfest (Non-Variable Non-Oxidizing). Hairsprings are nowadays often made of iron-nickel alloys such as Nivarox, whose elasticity is almost unaffected by temperature. This dominant position however, and the assortment sourcing difficulties which arose during the boom of the industry in the early 2000s, led to the creation of alternative sources. It remained the main supplier largely because no other firm emerged that could offer comparable quality at a competitive price and with the same production capacity. Nivarox (a company of the Swatch Group) has long been the inescapable supplier of hairsprings and assortments (escapement / regulator) for the Swiss watch industry. The extremely thin coiled hairspring ensures that the balance swings back and forth at a constant frequency. Its role is similar to that of a pendulum in a clock. The oscillations of the balance wheel regulate the flow of time: each swing of the balance allows the gear train to advance a set amount. In return, it is regulated by the balance. The escapement gives impulses to the balance wheel. Since then, the principles of the regulating organ of the watch have changed very little. Manufacturing hairsprings is a complex process and the whole Swiss watch industry has been relying on one supplier, Swatch Group’s Nivarox… at least, until very recently!Ĭhristian Huygens is credited (by common consensus) with the invention of the first movement with a balance wheel and hairspring in 1675. ![]() It is a strategic component in several respects. Sprung to life: who manufactures Hairsprings? An industry perspective on this key component whose production is still shrouded in secrecy – Barely one centimeter in diameter, the hairspring is the beating heart of a watch movement.
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