The watch company, Cartier, recently release information about it’s newest concept watch the ID Two. According to Cartier this energy efficient concept will change the future of watch technology. By utilizing a light-weight low friction movement in a vacuum sealed ceramic case, the watch is able to power itself for up to 32 days. Most watches of similar movement only run for a couple of days under their own power.
The all transparent case is made from a very strong polycrystalline ceramic material Cartier calls Ceramyst. It can be molded into many different shapes and has immense potentials of use in the watch making industry. One of the most interesting features of the two piece case is that it is held together by only the force of vacuum inside of it. No screws, no glue, just the vacuum that is sealed with a nano-engineered rubber gasket designed to stop movement of molecules through it.
The internals of the watch include high efficient fiberglass spring barrels and low friction and lightweight oil free gears. Cartier had to do this because in a vacuum at room temperature lubricating oils will boil. Overall the innovations in the ID Two are groundbreaking in the overly outdated and traditionally inefficient watch community. Cartier doesn’t plan on releasing this concept watch to the market, but instead plans on incorporating its features on their watch models in the future.
References:
http://www.watchtime.com/featured/cartiers-crystal-ball-understanding-id-concept-watch/
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/16/view/22379/cartier-id-two-concept-watch.html
http://www.hodinkee.com/2012/7/11/in-depth-introducing-the-cartier-id-two-concept-watch-watchm.html