Ball Bearings in Watches
As you probably know, ball bearings can produce very precise results, which makes them particularly suitable for precise applications and one of the most famous and lauded of these applications is the Eterna-matic system invented in 1948 to produce a highly accurate time piece. The eterna-matic set a precedent in watch manufacturing and there classic 1948 design is still popular today.
Previous to the Eterna 1948 watch makers had used jewel bearings which suited the small gears of a watch well. To develop a wrist watch with automatic winding however a different kind of bearing was necessary. A pivotal requirement of a rotor within a winding wrist watch is substantial weight. Ball bearings were implemented into the watch design to provide robust support for a heavy object to rotate smoothly and reliably even under unexpected stress like the watch falling on the floor or getting knocked. The ball bearing greatly eased the oscillating weight or rotor’s rotation around the pivot axis reducing wear on other parts of the watch. Overall the design increased the lifespan of the watch, thereby increasing its value.
The “1948”
The 1948 Eterna was an instant success and soon became popular worldwide leading to Eterna adopting their well-known five ball logo. It offered the first watch which ran with unrivalled precision for an unprecedented amount of time. In 2012 Eterna decided to re-launch the classic 1948 watch with a few design alterations to bring it up to speed with contemporary design. The aesthetic design is almost identical with a finely polished stainless steel case complete with transparent sapphire porthole at the back to give it that contemporary edge.
Eterna have also launched a new kind of watch which incorporates ball bearing engineering. The Spherodrive is a watch fitted with tiny, self-lubricating ball bearings inside the barrel. The bearings which are attached to zirconium-oxide spheres ensure rotation is even smoother, meaning even less wear and longer life. The spring barrel has also been adapted to improve efficiency and energy transfer with increased power reserved because of a thinner mainspring. All these changes result in a watch which runs with absolute precision and smoothness.