The old drivers who play watches generally have individual experiences: the mechanical watch is not going to be too accurate, so you don’t have to worry too much about the time. As long as it is not outrageous, such as a few minutes a day error, it is really too lazy to care. The power source of the mechanical watch is the mainspring, which relies on the gears interlocking with each other, and the balance spring system as the oscillator. In terms of precision, compared with quartz watches using quartz crystal oscillators, I think that the gap between football and China is larger than that of China and Brazil. Although the mechanical watch is now quite accurate compared with decades ago, it is really difficult to make the mechanical watch very accurate due to the inherent conditions. Dynamic Defy Lab watch It’s like a person with a chain attached to his feet can’t run fast even with Bolt’s talent, let alone set a world record. However, there is a watch brand with a technical know-how that stubbornly broke the ‘chain’ that bound the mechanical watch’s travel time, and made it walk fast and go with precision. This brand is Zenith. So, how exactly does Zenith do it? This starts with the Defy Lab watch. Defy Lab does not have a hairspring and balance, and uses a brand new oscillator. The best part of this watch is that it has ‘abandoned’ the hairspring and balance. The hairspring is equivalent to the heart of a mechanical movement and is essential for travel time. Zenith performed a ‘major operation’ on Defy Lab this time and immediately took the heart. The hairspring was invented by Dutch scientist Huygens in the mid to late 17th century. For centuries, it has been one of the core components of mechanical movements, and it exists in various mechanical watches. With the continuous development of technology, the hairspring has also evolved, but no matter what it evolves into and what material it uses, it is an indispensable component in mechanical watches and has a high status. If the hairspring does not pass the level, it will certainly affect the time. Due to its small size, the balance of hairspring has strict requirements on alloy materials, so it is not easy to do. Brands that can produce gossamers can’t wait to capitalize on the feature in the press release, and then tell the world to show that they have the ability to produce the core components of mechanical movements. Revolutionary new oscillator—Zhenlishi oscillator But Defy Lab just chose not to buy a hairspring account, and directly let the core components of this mechanical movement ‘out’. The balance of ‘springs and tribulations’ of the hairspring ‘classes’ at the same time, replaced the balance wheel and hairspring with a monolithic oscillator made of monocrystalline silicon. Since this brand new oscillator comes from Zenith, it is also called ZenithOscillator. In my impression, there seems to be more and more brands using silicon for hairsprings in recent years. This material is not only hard, but also not affected by magnetic fields. But using silicon to make a brand-new oscillator without balance wheel and hairspring, it seems that Zenith is the first. The Zenith oscillator is only 0.5 mm thick. From the appearance, it looks like a complicated electric fan. The ‘electric fan’ is heavily hollowed out, so it is very light. The Zenith oscillator is a monolithic structure, while the traditional oscillator with a balance spring system has more than 30 parts, which is very inconvenient in terms of assembly and adjustment. So, according to my understanding, this is an oscillator that uses new ideas and advanced technology to simplify complexity. Thanks to the revolutionary Zenith oscillator, the Defy Lab’s vibration frequency is extremely high, reaching 15 Hz, which is three times that of the brand’s famous El Primero star speed movement. Defy Lab’s dial detail craftsmanship El Primero star speed movement is a legendary movement with a landmark, its history can be traced back to the late 1960s. In 1969, Zenith was the first to introduce a high-frequency automatic winding chronograph with a vibration frequency of 36,000 times per hour (5 Hz), which is far ahead of its competitors in terms of performance and configuration. The watch uses the El Primero star speed movement. It not only achieves a frequency of 5 Hz, but also is equipped with an advanced column wheel. It is also developed for timekeeping. It is an integrated chronograph movement. Essential difference. El Primero Star Speed Movement The higher the vibration frequency, the finer the division of time, and the more theoretically it helps the movement accuracy. Since the introduction of the El Primero star-speed movement, it has become Zenith’s signature movement. Since then, the high-frequency El Primero star-speed movement has been constantly evolving and adding different functions to form what we see now Various versions. El Primero’s star-speed movement has been recognized by many big names for its excellent performance. Even Rolex’s early Daytona used the Zenith El Primero 400 movement. Of course, Zenith’s expertise is far more than high frequency. However, because of its vertical and horizontal high frequency field, it has long been the best spokesperson for high frequency watches. So when it comes to high-vibration watches, we often think of Zenith first. Defy Lab is a junior watch Defy Lab Side of the case This time Defy Lab uses a 15Hz ZO342 movement. It can be said that a qualitative leap has been achieved on the basis of the previous high vibration frequency, from high vibration frequency to ultra-high frequency. The direct benefit of UHF is travel time. Defy Lab’s daily difference is about 0.3 seconds, and the time can be compared with ordinary quartz watches. What’s more, this is a simple three-handed watch, not even a calendar. There have been brands that have produced ultra-high frequency mechanical watches before, but they are basically chronographs, and ultra-high frequencies are mostly concentrated in the timing part of the chronograph. With regard to the travel time, friends who know a little about clocks should have heard of the observatory certification. Unless otherwise specified, the observatory certification usually refers to the Swiss official observatory certification, which is COSC. The object of the COSC test is the movement. The mechanical movement sent to the Swiss official observatory for testing is only qualified if it reaches the standard of -4 to +6 seconds, and is awarded a certificate from the observatory. But to be honest, the brand now basically only needs to pay for it, and then adjust it slightly in terms of movement. It is not difficult to pass the observatory certification. In my opinion, it is mainly a question of whether the brand is willing or not. However, the daily difference is about 0.3 seconds, and it is really impossible to kill the mechanical watches of the Swiss official observatory standard. 99.9% of the brands are completely impossible. It is useless to beat chicken blood. The first thing you see in the ZO342 movement is a pentagram-shaped pendulum. The vibration frequency is very high. The Defy Lab has passed three certifications. The Besançon Observatory represents the snake head issued by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures Mark precision astronomical watch certification, thermal performance certification and ISO-764 magnetic field standard certification. By the way, Defy Lab’s antimagnetic performance reaches 1100 Gauss, which is stronger than most watches with antimagnetic characteristics. Moreover, Defy Lab does not add a sleeve to the outside of the movement like most anti-magnetic watches. The anti-magnetic soft iron inner cover has a backside treatment. The whole movement allows you to see clearly. No matter how long you wear the watch, you don’t need to worry about the watch being magnetized. Defy Lab watch hands-on effect Opening the back of Defy Lab, the first thing you see is the pendulum in the shape of a pentagram. The pentagram is the brand logo of Zenith, as if it means that it is the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, the name Zenith is the inspiration that the founder of the brand, Georges Favor-Jacotte, looked up at the stars. Zenith translated into Chinese has the meaning of apex and peak. Defy Lab, which uses the Zenith oscillator and a vibration frequency of 15 Hz, has indeed reached a peak in the high vibration frequency field of mechanical watches. Despite its extremely high vibration frequency, it is rare that the power reserve has not shrunk, but is better than most Zenith watches, reaching 60 hours. 60 hours power reserve for ZO342 movement Aeronith aluminum-based composite case Defy Lab is 44mm in diameter, but the weight is very light . This is an aluminum-based composite material. Although Aeronith is based on aluminum, it is not the same as aluminum in our usual perception. It is a new material carefully developed by Zenith’s brother brand Hublot. If Zenith is a technical expert, then Hublot is a material expert, and what he is best at is research and development of materials. Aeronith combines aluminum foam with a special polymer. In terms of production, first, aluminum is heated to the melting point, then poured into a mold, and then converted into an open-cell metal foam by an internal process, and finally the void is filled with a very light special polymer. Speaking of mystery, in fact, Aeronith or magic gold is similar to the lost wax method of ancient bronze making. You understand how lost wax method can cast complex bronzes. The dial is hollowed out After cooling, this material is not only ‘light as swallow’, but also extremely durable, fully equipped with the mechanical properties of a watch case. The Aeronith case is eye-catching in appearance, and the dial is equally charming. The entire dial is hollowed out, and you can admire the precise mechanical structure only from the front. The five-pointed star at the end of the second hand and the five-pointed star at 12 o’clock moved and moved together to complement each other. Defy Lab family portraits Defy Lab currently has 10, and mass production will be realized in the future. This watch not only represents a major technological breakthrough in Zenith, but also sets a new example for the accuracy of mechanical watches. I believe that when Defy Lab is in mass production, more people can appreciate its extraordinary charm.