Horologii

Seiko Spring Drive Movement Explained

Seiko are recognised within the industry for exceeding all expectations when it comes to precision, performance and design. Their Spring Drive moment in particular has won the hearts of watch collectors around the world for its immaculate construction and innovative use of components. Whether you have heard of the Seiko Spring Drive movement or not, what is truly fascinating is understanding exactly how it works.

The Seiko Spring Drive calibre takes the accuracy of a quartz movement and combines it with the intricate beauty of a mechanical one. In fact, the movement is almost entirely mechanical, and it is just the escapement that has been replaced with a piece of technology called the tri-synchro regulator. This innovative component was entirely designed and created by Seiko engineers. In typical mechanical watches, the escapement is needed to act as a brake between the components and the ticking sound that you hear in most traditional watches is the collisions between them. However due to friction caused between the balance wheel and other components, the parts are often susceptible to wear and tear.

Instead, the tri-synchro regulator is used to tackle these problems and consequently greatly increase the accuracy of the watch it lives within.  As the name suggests, the tri-synchro regulator works using three types of energy to regulate the moving parts and determine synchronicity: the mechanical power from the mainspring, electric power creating a reference signal via an IC/quartz oscillator and electromagnetic power to apply a brake via a rotor. These forces work together to control the way the mainspring unwinds and ensure maximum precision of the seconds hand.

From the mechanical power of the mainspring, minimal electric power operates through an integrated circuit and vibrates the quartz oscillator which produces highly accurate oscillations which are used to regulate the force of the electromagnetic braking. The integrated circuit monitor can then compare the rotor’s speed with the signal and intermittently applies this magnetic brake to prevent excessively fast rotation. Due to the lack of friction, this also means that Spring Drive watches are almost completely silent, and the seconds hand doesn’t ‘tick’ around the dial but runs perfectly smooth.

We highly recommend you watch the video below created by Seiko themselves which perfectly demonstrates how their Spring Drive movement works.

If you weren’t already in the market for a Seiko Spring Drive watch, we are amazed if you aren’t now. Their stunning collections not only promise some of the best in terms of precision and performance, but their aesthetics are just as beautiful. Check out all the latest Grand Seiko Spring Drive watch releases at Jura Watches today and get in touch with their helpful team of luxury watch specialists for advice and information on their collections, free delivery and interest free finance options.