The team behind Urwerk has a long history within high accuracy timekeeping. The latest experiment ‘Urwerk AMC project’ is inspired by the Sympathique built by Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1793. Despite of the long history, the AMC looks like an advanced movie prop from a sci-fi themed picture.
The Atomic Master Clock project
AMC stands for “Atomic Master Clock”. The concept consists of a wristwatch and a master clock which serves as a base for rewinding, correcting the time and adjusting the rate of the watch. The atomic master clock component weighs 35 kilograms with a case of solid aluminum and a special cradle for the watch. The clock is a dual oscillator type; an electronic circuit that produces a periodic, oscillating electronic signal and converts direct current (DC) from a power supply to an alternating current (AC). It generates the signal for regulating the watch and uses rubidium and Yttrium Iron Garnet.
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The chemical components
Rubidium is a chemical element (atomic number 37) and a soft, silvery-white metallic element belonging to the alkali metal group. The resonant element in atomic clocks utilizes the hyperfine structure of rubidium’s energy levels and therefore, rubidium is useful for high-precision timing. Yttrium Iron Garnet – or YIG – is a kind of synthetic garnet and ferrimagnetic material.
The Urwerk team has done it again
The complicated design brings together all of the functions of Breguet’s advanced sympathique clocks in a single mechanism. Urwerk began the project in 2009 and designed the construction specifically for the AMC project. It includes typical Urwerk features such as a power reserve indicator, two stacked barrels for power reserve and an oil change indicator.
