ETA HeavyDrive

ETA SA, a Swatch Group company, presents HeavyDrive – a new and exclusive technology for use in quartz movements. As its name suggests, this new system will enable movements to tolerate heavier hands than is usually possible. It can detect, but also most importantly manage, the effects of impacts. The system’s integrated circuit prompts the motor to produce an opposing force to counteract the one caused by the impact so as to lock the hands during a jolt, preventing accidental jumps and loss of accuracy. The seconds hand sees a 200% increase in unbalancing mass, while the minutes hand is increased by 20%. HeavyDrive technology can therefore tolerate a significantly higher imbalance than ordinary hands. This integrated circuit reacts in just a few microseconds. It is this rapid response time that makes it possible to preserve the movement’s autonomy.