Drumming up a hit
THIS year, Ball watch introduced its patented SpringLOCK® System, the world’s first revolutionary anti-shock system that enhances watch accuracy by reducing the balance-spring shock impact by 66%.
Philippe Antille, Chief Technology Officer at Ball Watch, often used, as an example, the environmental effects a watch might endure while around the wrist of a drummer to illustrate the purpose of such a system.
He found the perfect tester for his anti-shock system: Eric Singer, the drummer of the band Kiss.
Singer already has two Ball watches and is a member of the “Friends of Ball”.
He wore the first prototype on stage in Milan in June 18 and the results found that the watch only had a difference of a few seconds after being “mistreated” during the whole first set of the concert.
On being asked how hard he was hitting the sticks, Singer explained, “It’s wood on steel. It may sound like a contradiction, but I try and be relaxed, but also as forceful as possible. If I tried to drum the way I do onstage now, without the adrenaline, it would hurt too much and I couldn’t do it. Aside from the fact that (a watch) doesn’t really go with my costume, I was always afraid that I’d destroy a movement if I wore it on stage.”
The SpringLOCK® works as a “cage” around the balance-spring and absorbs the energy created when the watch is subjected to external impacts.
These impacts can cause standard mechanical movements to vary by up to 60 seconds a day.
Singer went on to test the finalised product a few months later in Tokyo. He wore the brand new Engineer Hydrocarbon Airborne featured with the SpringLOCK®.
As a start, Ball Watch will endow a few models with the SpringLOCK® System; The Engineer Hydrocarbon Black, The Engineer Hydrocarbon Airborne and the Trainmaster Cannonball.