The Harmonious Oscillator: A Watchmaking Revolution

The Harmonious Oscillator: A Watchmaking Revolution

Seth Semilof
By Seth Semilof March 21, 2012

Defying accepted watchmaking theories, the Harmonious Oscillator, distributed in the United States by Westime, uses twin, interlinked balances driven by a single component – the escapement. Standard theories have always proclaimed that this system wasn’t feasible due to the stress on the interlinked balances.Water designer and specialist Mike Rissanen, working for the Rudis Sylva brand, has masterminded this new, patented invention.

The Harmonious Oscillator functions through the use of two toothed balances that are interlinked with each other. This combination ensures amplitude between the two balances, allowing for the symmetry and energy of the balance springs to eliminate the effects of gravity and overcome the stress problems that prevented interlinked balances from previously working.

The patented system boasts a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3hz) and has a full cage rotation of one minute. The cage diameter is 17.40 mm. The escapement has one lever positioned at 90 degrees, coupled with 2 flat balance springs in asymmetric deployment and 2 specially-shaped toothed balances that make up the primary system.

The harmonious oscillating watch uses a manual winding mechanism with a power reserve of approximately 70 hours.

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