SWATCH GROUP: MATERIAL BENEFITS

The Swatch Group has announced a new balance spring material, Nivachrom, that it developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet.

The official word on this titanium-based alloy is that it isn’t just nonmagnetic, but also extremely resistant to physical and temperature shocks, which collectively contribute to better chronometric performance. The war against magnetism isn’t new for the Swatch Group, which was among the pioneers that developed silicon hairsprings that are non-magnetic like Nivachrom. In fact, brands under the Swatch Group aegis ‒ from Tissot to Breguet ‒ have been transitioning to silicon hairsprings in the last couple of years. Details on Nivachrom remain scarce for now; we will report back once we have more details.