Does the IC send power to the coils to slow down the permanent magnet, or does the IC (phase comparator?) open a mosfet to draw more current to brake the motor? Maybe dump it through an internal / external resistor? Would love to know the nitty gritty details
Really a beautiful video. Only one thing I would say is that quartz does not always oscillate at 32768Hz. Its frequency depends on its physical dimensions, the higher the dimensions the lower the frequency, and this frequency is chosen so that the quartz is not that big, and being 2^15, you can halve the frequency 15 times so that you easily get 1Hz
Very well explained sir . I think vintage omegas f300s are the best alternatives to the spring drive watches. They cost little and run at 300hz hence smooth sweeping seconds hand at a cheap price
The IC draws an extremely low amount of power. This in turns results in low voltage, assuming a normal amount of resistance. So basically there's minimal "wear and tear" on the IC. To draw a comparison, a Seiko 9F Quartz watch can last for 50 years without repair, and in there it has significantly higher electrical current since it needs to drive a watch hand. That's not the case here. If anything, the gears will wear out before the IC.
The very first Spring Drive movement was released in a regular Seiko watch and there have been very many regular Seiko watches with Spring Drive movements. SPS001, SPS005, SNR001, SNR003, SNR005, SNR007, SNR009, SNR013, SNR015, SNR017, SNS001, SNS003, SNS005, SNR037, SNR039, SBDB007, SBDB009, SBDB011, SBDB013, SBDB005, SBDB015, SBDB017, SBDB018, SNR045, SNR025, SNR027, SNR029, SNR031, SNR033, SNR035, SNR047, etc. This list is not even exhaustive. They've also appeared in Credor branded watches.
I wonder what will happen if in a couple of decades time, the internal circutry fails in this watch, would anyone be able to fix it. Or will it need to be completely replaced and then be dependant on part availability, chip shortage etc.
Spring Drive is already a couple of decades old. You have to send it back to Seiko or GS for a service, where all worn out or damaged parts are replaced and are reported to you in a list.
The gears will wear out before the IC does. We're talking extremely low power, low voltage components, which if done right will pretty much last forever. The conditions which cause chip degradation (thermal cycling/oxide breakdown/electromigration) are simply not present in this application. There are also no components in this movement which go bad over time such as capacitors/batteries.
I love Seiko but this just seems like a Quartz with extra steps, I don’t know why I don’t like the idea of a computer in my watch unless the display is digital like in my Casioak
@@vktravellog1242 Spring drive is definately a quartz watch. It's a quartz watch where the energy is stored mechanically, whilst the ecodrive has it stored chemically. It's not the same thing, but both are definately quartz regulated and saying it isn't a quartz watch is dishonest. Spring Drive is very cool, though.
It is literally an automatic quartz. Although the quartz functionality is a *_radical_* departure from other quartz watches. Traditional quartz watches electronically *_advance_* the movement with quartz timekeeping. Whereas Spring Drive watches electronically *_slow_* the movement with quartz timekeeping. The power for traditional quartz watches is stored electrically within a battery or capacitor. Whereas the power for a Spring Drive watch is stored mechanically within a mainspring, just like a traditional mechanical watch. *_Note_* however that not all Spring Drive movements are automatics. Some with very long power reserves are hand wind only. The longest power reserve for an automatic Spring Drive movement that I am aware of, is 5 days, whereas for a manual wind Spring Drive movement they get up to 8 days. The typical power reserve for most automatic Spring Drive movements so far has been 72 hours.
Awesome video, thanks!!! 👌And to think GS - the most modern hi-tech XXI century japanese company (that stands for the highest quality finishing and time keeping in the world) - just have a Gothic logo/brand that uses an european middle ages (dark ages...!) typeface, a reminder of the worst retrograde periods in world history, a time when people we burned for simply proposing that the earth was not the center of the universe... What is that logo/brand's relation with the japanese tradition, heritage, culture, life values and craftsmanship DNA?
