It is well known that the chain is an important component of the power transmission structure, such as our most common bicycles, motorcycles, and various mechanical equipment with chains. Unlike the mainspring, the chain is a power transmission structure, and cannot store energy through deformation like a mainspring. The operation of the chain requires power. The
watch movement is an extremely small and delicate object. Is it naive to think about it if you install a chain instead of part of the gear as the power transmission link in the movement that is originally equipped with a barrel? Although the technical requirements are extremely high, it is actually feasible, and the technical term is called "sesame chain".
Lange Sesame Chain System
Sesame Chain operates based on the principle of lever fulcrum discovered by Archimedes: When the mainspring is fully wound and operates at full capacity, the Sesame chain will be on a smaller circle, which is the pagoda wheel. When the mainspring power is weakened, the sesame chain will pull on the larger circumference of the pagoda wheel. The Sesame Chain drive system connects the main barrel and its pagoda wheels with a slender chain called the Sesame Chain like a bicycle chain. In a word, Sesame Chain is a device that makes the power output of the mainspring more stable. The purpose of watchmakers using this device is to make mechanical watches more accurate.
From the appearance point of view, the sesame refining device is very similar to the chain on the bicycle; in fact, its principle is also similar to the bicycle gear. "Sesame chain", to realize the basic principle is simply "torque = force * arm". The barrel and the pagoda wheel are connected by a small metal chain. When winding, the pagoda wheel rotates and the chain is rolled from top to bottom. The pagoda wheel drives the spring in the barrel to tighten; when it is running, the barrel rotates, driving the chain to rewind from top to bottom to the barrel. This also means that during the entire power release process, the force at full string corresponds to the upper small wheel of the pagoda wheel with the smallest arm, and the force close to the string drop corresponds to the lower wheel of the pagoda wheel with the largest force arm. In this way, a constant torque output is maintained to a certain extent. The
sesame chain is a system software, structure or equipment that is similar to white sesame seeds strung together in order to deal with the problem of banning the errors of clocks and mechanical watches caused by the difference in the output torque of the mainspring. But the development trend to today, the implied meaning of Sesame Chain is much higher than the practical meaning, a lot of it is as a plastic art rather than a function.
Breguet Sesame Chain System
Due to the limitation of structure and production process, many watch manufacturers rarely try to make a high-end super-complex Sesame chain watch. The technical difficulty of installing such a device in such a sophisticated watch can be imagined. Nowadays, the only brands that can do this are Lange, Breguet, and Zenith.
Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane
Breguet Tradition Tourbillon (La Tradition Tourbillon)
From the standpoint of expression, the sesame chain can be used alone in the watch, or combined with the tourbillon to make more complex The transmission system, which can improve the accuracy of the watch while being of great ornamental value, is not a great invention. However, the technical requirements are extremely demanding, and the finished watches are very rare, so the Sesame Chain watches have absolute collection value, which is the reason why their prices have soared and doubled.
