Pin-pallet escapement

Roskopfuhren, named after its inventor, Georges Roskopf, were inexpensive, affordable for everyone mechanical watches. They had their heyday from 1860 to the Quartz crisis of the mid 1970s.

History

Roskopfuhren ( pin lever escapement ) were compared with the so-called " Anker Clock " ( escapement ) simplified industrial Uhrenwerke reduced quality, but affordable for the general population. This was also the intention of the inventor, he named his 1867 appearing Model " La Prolétaire " ( workers, proletarians ). Previously watches were produced in factories and not industrial. At the Paris Exposition of 1867 G. Roskopf won a bronze medal. Louis Breguet praised forgetting the importance of this invention and pointed out the advantages of industrial production. This new development was necessary because cheap watches in the U.S., the traditional Swiss watch manufacturing afflict.

Decades of the Swiss watch industry and foreign (some with Swiss machinery and know -how built up capacities ) were inexpensive Watches " pin lever system " produced in large quantities and also further developed. There were still the higher-priced, quality lever watches ( has nothing to do with the Viennese music box! ) From the classic watch manufacturers. The increasing trend towards Zweituhr or fashionable clock gave the concept of cheap clockwork mid-20th century extra boost in addition to the low-cost or high-volume markets in the Far East and the USA. The mid-1970s, Switzerland exported 99% of Roskopfuhrenproduktion, 41 million watches or plants with a value of 534 million CHF.

The high for export Swiss franc and the development of inexpensive, trendy electronic clock ( first of the tuning fork works and then the quartz watches ) continued the favorable mechanical clock quickly to an end. It began the so-called quartz watch crisis. Production of Roskopfuhren disappeared almost half and thus the corresponding Swiss Association Roskopfuhrenindustrieller. Only in some developing countries, the concept Roskopf could hold a little longer. It was towards the end of Roskopfuhren heyday higher-value movements with even some jewels ( rubies ), for the mid-price segment of Oris and a few other watch manufacturer.