COVER STORY
Right : The Rudis Sylva RS 14
Left : The seconds indicator bridge on the RS 16 is made from titanium and is hand-beveled .
Below : Rudis Sylva Watchmaker Mika Rassinen , who developed the Harmonious Oscillator from an idea by Roman Gillet .
outward-facing teeth around the perimeter of each balance .
Rudis Sylva ’ s watchmaker , the Finnish-born Mika Rissanen , created the Harmonious Oscillator from a concept conceived by local watchmaker Romain Gillet . Rissanen has made this seemingly impossible engineering feat a reality by truncating the already unusual tooth design on the perimeter of each balance . Each meshes with the other without binding or interfering with the free swing ( s ) of the dual balance system . The symmetry and energy of the balance springs are in permanent opposition , enabling instantaneous average correction in the vertical position . The link ensures the same amplitude .
In the same position , the typical stable tourbillon will correct differences due to gravity in about a minute or so . The Harmonious Oscillator , according to figures from Rudis Sylva ( see illustration on pg . 46 ), seems to offer better accuracy than conventional tourbillons or carrousels .
ONGOING INNOVATION While now presented within RS 16 , which debuted this past summer , The Harmonious Oscillator was first seen at Baselworld 2009 in the Rudis Sylva RS 05 . The brand at that time was just a few years old . Its founder is former Zenith and Rodolphe executive Jacky Epitaux who started the watch brand to honor the mountainous Franches Montagnes region east of La Chauxde-Fonds known primarily for its watch component businesses . Hence , he named his new brand Rudis Sylva , which is actually of an old name given to the nearby town of Les Bois by a historic figure in the region Jean Ruedin , who named the area after himself ( Rudis ) and the Latin word for forest ( Sylva ), which dominated the region at the time .
Today all the company ’ s components are produced in or near the company ’ s atelier in Saignelégier or from the nearby watchmaking mecca of Le Locle . “ Rudis Sylva has remained true
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WRISTWATCH | 2017