Drive system of Kiclobo

Drive system constraints

There are the following issues in determining the drive system of Kiclobo. This isn’t just about Kiclobo, it’s about clocks/watches in general.

• Time accuracy
• Manufacturing difficulty and cost
• Product life
• Difficulty of assembly
• Driven period

The first issue in this is the most important one in order to finalize the design.

Time accuracy

As long as it is a watch, accuracy is important. However, it is technically difficult to pursue accuracy with mechanisms such as springs, governors, and escapements. 
It is also a trade-off with manufacturability and cost. In order to relax the restrictions on design and manufacturing while maintaining the accuracy of time, electronic control such as quartz is required.

The weak point of electronic control is that the torque of the drive system is small. At Kiclobo, we want the final product to be made of metal. It is necessary to reduce the weight of parts and friction resistance, but considering manufacturing accuracy and user assembly, a drive system with as much torque as possible is required.

Hybrid drive system

For this reason, Kiclobo wants to adopt a hybrid method that uses a mainspring as power and ensures accuracy with an electronically controlled speed governor or escapement.

Hybrid control from well-known manufacturers (such as Seiko’s Spring Drive) is not a technology that can be imitated, and Kiclobo’s method will be more muddy and unique.