Electro fusion

Piaget’s hybrid mechanics

Hardcore watch enthusiasts harbour a deep-seated dislike of quartz, solar- or battery-powered or other “non-mechanical” watches, which are driven by electricity. Smartwatches make them break out in a rash. And yet here is Piaget, pre-eminent maestro of the ultra-thin mechanical timepiece, injecting electricity into the dressy, haute horlogerie Emperador Coussin. Is this heresy or progress?

Piaget has “form” with electricity as pioneers in quartz technology when it proved commercially viable in the 1970s. Along with other imaginative companies, it has found that you can maintain one’s purity and credibility by keeping the power completely mechanical.

To achieve this, the maker must use the electrical element to perform some

‘Here is Piaget injecting electricity into the dressy, haute horlogerie Emperador Coussin’

peripheral, if useful and credible, function. In nearly every case of a mechanical/electrical hybrid to date (save for rarities such as chronographs with mechanical timekeeping but quartz-driven stopwatch features), the electrical section has been devised to improve timekeeping accuracy.

Released in a limited series of 118 pieces, the Emperador Coussin XL 700P (pictured above) combines a mechanical calibre with an electrical generator. All the latter does is “regulate the mechanical heart”, ensuring the timekeeping of the XL 700P enjoys the same precision as a purely quartz-driven timepiece. (Amusingly, even the most militant of watch enthusiasts will – albeit grudgingly – admit quartz is more accurate than mechanical timekeeping).

With its 32,768Hz frequency, the quartz element controls the rotation of the generator and wheels train. This ensures an extremely high level of precision, with the added bonus of providing what Piaget describes as “perfect resistance to magnetic fields and gravity”.

With its works on show, this hybrid-of-sorts even looks like a purely mechanical watch. The micro-rotor tells any watch aficionado that he or she is looking at a “normal” automatically-wound timepiece, save for a curious round component that somehow looks familiar but isn’t quite. The 46.5mm Emperador Coussin XL 700P employs the cushion-shaped case that defines the brand’s elegant Black Tie collection. The generator supplies all the energy without battery storage so, if you’re one of the fortunate 118 owners, you can say to watch snobs, with hand on heart, “See? No battery!”