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Have you ever wondered what’s protecting your watch from all the daily shocks and bumps that it’s exposed to every day? Maybe not, but you should. Trust me I know. A few years ago I dropped one of my old pocket watches, which was unfortunately lacking a modern shock protection system. When it slipped out of my hands, it didn’t fall very far (just onto the table), but it was done. A broken balance staff ruined the rest of my day. Incabloc could have saved me.
A Mark of Quality
At one point, many brands actually put “incabloc” on the dial of their watches to mark their quality. Nowadays, I highly doubt you’ll see this on a dial, but the watch you’re wearing (if it’s Swiss) likely has an Incabloc shock protection system in place. If you have an open case back, you should be able to tell right away by the trademark lyre-shaped spring.
Incabloc isn’t the only game in town of course. Rolex has its Paraflex system and ETA has Etachoc (a three-leafed clover-like spring). There’s Kif, and Seiko has its Diashock system. The vast majority of brands, however, including those owned by Swatch that use ETA movements, still rely on Incabloc’s spring-loaded mounting system for the jewel bearings that support the balance wheel, while also protecting the wheel’s delicate pivots from damage in the event of physical shock.
If you drop a watch and it still works, that shock absorber may have saved your bacon. Before systems like Incabloc’s, broken balance staffs were a common issue from owners who carelessly dropped their watches or hit them too hard against a door.
Birthed in La Chaux-de-Fonds
In 1934, the Incabloc shock system was invented by Georges Braunschweig and Fritz Marti, a pair of Swiss engineers in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The two engineers conceived the idea to offer pre-assembled shock absorbers to watchmakers direct, which was revolutionary at the time. Incabloc has been the industry standard ever since, and even sponsored the Tour de France in 1978!
The Incabloc system was introduced to the world by Porte-Echappement Universel SA, which eventually became Portescap SA in 1963 after the latter part of the original name was dropped. Portescap was actually the largest employer in La Chaux-de-Fonds in the 1970s, largely due to Incabloc demand. This was before the quartz crisis, however.
A New Start
Portescap SA eventually divested of its Incabloc division in the 1980s to focus on micro-rotors as electronic movements began to take over. The quartz crisis lessened the need for protecting balance staffs of (now outdated) mechanical movements. Fortunately for modern mechanical watch lovers today, however, Incabloc survived.
Eric Zutter decided to start a new company in 1988 by the name of Incabloc SA. He preserved the necessary tools, machinery, and employees with the skills needed to continue the production of the shock absorption system that still enjoys popularity today. Wilfred Sutter, the son of Eric, took over in 1992 as mechanical watchmaking started to enjoy a resurgence, and purchased the entire firm in 2003.
An Integral Part of Watchmaking (and Watchmaking History)
The majority of modern Swiss watches use the Incabloc system, which has been around since the 1930s. There’s a reason why it’s still used by most brands today – it just works. If you’re interested in watches and watchmaking in general, you should know about the powerhouse producer of shock absorbers that is Incabloc.
Sometimes I think we take for granted how great it is to have modern shock protection in something as common as an ETA 2892 or Selitta SW-200 movement. If you’ve ever owned older watches like my Waltham pocket watch, you know that this shock protection is very important indeed.
Swatch group continues to innovate, developing its proprietary Nivachoc shock absorber (found in modern Omega movements, for instance). As previously mentioned, Rolex also developed its Paraflex shock absorber, which was released in 2005. Despite these brands utilizing their own technology, and some higher-end brands utilizing Kif shock absorbers, Incabloc still dominates the market for luxury Swiss watches.
Know more about Incabloc and want to add to the discussion? Please post a comment below!