#buren — Public Fediverse posts

'Ouderen willen geen lichamelijke of medische zorg geven aan buurtgenoten'

"Ongeveer 900 ouderen hebben een vragenlijst ingevuld. Ouderen zijn heel duidelijk over hun grenzen: zij willen en kunnen geen lichamelijke of medische zorg geven aan hun buurtgenoten."

"Uit het onderzoek blijkt ook wat ouderen wél graag voor elkaar willen doen. Boodschappen doen voor een ander, vervoer regelen, zoals rijden naar de dokter of het ziekenhuis en samen een wandeling maken, lezen of een maaltijd koken. Ouderen willen deze hulp vooral geven of krijgen als ze de ander al goed kennen en vertrouwen."

"Veel ouderen willen graag zelfstandig blijven en stellen het vragen van hulp zo lang mogelijk uit. Ze ploeteren liever door. Als het echt niet anders kan, vragen ouderen het liefst hulp aan hun eigen partner of kinderen. Pas in uiterste nood vragen ze hulp aan de buurt. Veel ouderen doen dat liever helemaal niet."

https://www.skipr.nl/nieuws/ouderen-willen-geen-lichamelijke-of-medische-zorg-geven-aan-buurtgenoten/

#burenhulp #buren #zorg

'Ouderen willen geen lichamelijke of medische zorg geven aan buurtgenoten'

"Ongeveer 900 ouderen hebben een vragenlijst ingevuld. Ouderen zijn heel duidelijk over hun grenzen: zij willen en kunnen geen lichamelijke of medische zorg geven aan hun buurtgenoten."

"Uit het onderzoek blijkt ook wat ouderen wél graag voor elkaar willen doen. Boodschappen doen voor een ander, vervoer regelen, zoals rijden naar de dokter of het ziekenhuis en samen een wandeling maken, lezen of een maaltijd koken. Ouderen willen deze hulp vooral geven of krijgen als ze de ander al goed kennen en vertrouwen."

"Veel ouderen willen graag zelfstandig blijven en stellen het vragen van hulp zo lang mogelijk uit. Ze ploeteren liever door. Als het echt niet anders kan, vragen ouderen het liefst hulp aan hun eigen partner of kinderen. Pas in uiterste nood vragen ze hulp aan de buurt. Veel ouderen doen dat liever helemaal niet."

https://www.skipr.nl/nieuws/ouderen-willen-geen-lichamelijke-of-medische-zorg-geven-aan-buurtgenoten/

#burenhulp #buren #zorg

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘂𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟.𝗔.

Mensen die in de buurt van het nieuwe Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles wonen, mogen vanaf de opening in september gratis naar binnen. Volgens The Hollywood Reporter krijgen buurtbewoners gratis jaarpassen aangeboden en mogen ze ook voor de opening al een kijkje nemen.

https://www.rtl.nl/boulevard/artikel/5626255/buren-mogen-gratis-naar-nieuw-museum-george-lucas-la

#Buren #Gratis #Museum

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘂𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟.𝗔.

Mensen die in de buurt van het nieuwe Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles wonen, mogen vanaf de opening in september gratis naar binnen. Volgens The Hollywood Reporter krijgen buurtbewoners gratis jaarpassen aangeboden en mogen ze ook voor de opening al een kijkje nemen.

https://www.rtl.nl/boulevard/artikel/5626255/buren-mogen-gratis-naar-nieuw-museum-george-lucas-la

#Buren #Gratis #Museum

𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗮 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗷 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻

Voor de derde keer in vier weken tijd is een ogenschijnlijk rustig straatje in het Zuid-Hollandse Poortugaal vannacht opnieuw doelwit geworden van een aanslag met een explosief. Over een mogelijk verband tasten de bewoners nog in het duister. "Hier gebeurt normaal nooit wat."

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/artikel/5611623/explosie-straat-poortugaal

#Poortugaal #explosies #buren

𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗮 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗷 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻

Voor de derde keer in vier weken tijd is een ogenschijnlijk rustig straatje in het Zuid-Hollandse Poortugaal vannacht opnieuw doelwit geworden van een aanslag met een explosief. Over een mogelijk verband tasten de bewoners nog in het duister. "Hier gebeurt normaal nooit wat."

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/artikel/5611623/explosie-straat-poortugaal

#Poortugaal #explosies #buren

𝗠𝗮𝗻 (35) 𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗽 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗷𝗮𝘅

De politie heeft vanmorgen een 35-jarige man uit de gemeente Buren aangehouden in het onderzoek naar de hack bij Ajax.

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5605796/man-35-uit-buren-aangehouden-op-verdenking-van-hacken

#Buren #aangehouden #hacken

𝗠𝗮𝗻 (35) 𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗽 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗷𝗮𝘅

De politie heeft vanmorgen een 35-jarige man uit de gemeente Buren aangehouden in het onderzoek naar de hack bij Ajax.

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5605796/man-35-uit-buren-aangehouden-op-verdenking-van-hacken

#Buren #aangehouden #hacken

#OPERATION #VAN #BUREN aepiot.com/advanced-sea... #ERCAICUNIA #MULTINODOSA www.perplexity.ai/search/new?q... Semantic NODES: The Bridge between Humans and Artificial Intelligence. Do you like AÉPIOT ( #aePiot ) semantics? Donate to the aéPiot semantic platform: www.paypal.com/donate?busin...

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The Day the Micro-Rotor Was Introduced: Buren Super Slender and Universal Microtor

On February 18, 1958, representatives from Buren Watch Company and Universal Genève announced “the greatest technical advance in 30 years,” the micro-rotor automatic watch movement. This joint announcement, and the actions of the inventors and companies before and after it, contradict the oft-repeated story of conflict between them. In fact, the invention and introduction was friendly, thanks to the cordial Hans Kocher, who invented the micro-rotor yet allowed others to share the limelight and the credit.

Debunking the Legend

Like so many areas of watchmaking history, the story of the micro-rotor automatic watch is rich with folklore. And like too many other topics, most of those stories are flat-out wrong. I have been hearing this particular story for years, and was shocked to find that it is entirely contradicted by the plain facts published at the time.

Here’s the gist of what I was told about the launch of the Buren and Universal micro-rotor movements:

• Buren was first to market, introducing their micro-rotor movement in 1957 or maybe even 1954
• Universal infringed on Buren’s patent, didn’t have the technical expertise to design a new movement, and maybe never even had a patent of their own
• Buren sued Universal or tried to block them from marketing the Microtor
• And inexplicably that Universal actually produced the Buren movement because they couldn’t get it to work

None of this is remotely true.

• Technician-watchmaker Hans Kocher of Buren Watch Company invented the micro-rotor movement, filing a patent in 1954
• Jean-Michel Froidevaux and Fred Bandi, skilled technician-watchmakers at Universal, independently invented their own micro-rotor technology, filing a patent just 11 months later
• Kocher and Bandi collaborated on the launch, co-authoring an article on the technology and writing about each other’s work in supportive terms
• Buren and Universal announced their work at a joint press conference on February 18, 1958 and released their micro-rotor watches at the Basel Fair that year
• The companies targeted different markets and there is no sign of a lawsuit or any acrimony
• Both companies, along with Piaget, continued actively to develop micro-rotor movement technology for over a decade
• The technology was abandoned after both were purchased by American companies more interested in quartz electronic watches

So let’s sit back and enjoy the true story of the development of the micro-rotor watch movement!

The Rise of Self-Winding Watches

Le Locle watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet is usually credited for building the first self-winding watch in the 1770s. Many1 have questioned the primacy of Perrelet’s “montre à secousses” (“shaking watch”), but many subsequent watchmakers, including Abraham-Louis Breguet, Louis Recordin, and the Jaquet-Droz family, claimed to have been inspired by his design. Perrelet’s watch used a weight mounted to the side of the movement, causing it to shake when moved. The concept of automatic winding (and even the name “perpetual”) were widely known through the 19th century but such a complex mechanism was deemed unnecessary to bring to market.

After World War I, Englishman John Harwood saw a need for self-winding watch. Soldiers were increasingly wearing wristwatches, and these were often damaged by moisture and dust. Inspired by a playground see-saw, Harwood independently2 invented a rocking weight segment that could wind the watch without a hole in the case. He patented the concept in 1923, built a prototype using a Blancpain movement, and brought the Harwood Perpetual to market with the help of A. Schild and Fortis of Grenchen. The watch only went into production late in the decade, and just a few thousand were produced before the Great Depression soon spelled the end.

You might also enjoy reading about “The Backward Evolution of the Rotating Bezel“

Harwood showed that the advent of the wristwatch had created customer demand for a self-winding movement, and the race was on to deliver a more practical one. I previously wrote about Eugène Meylan’s automatic winding mechanism, which was sold by Glycine starting in 1931. Another early player in automatic watches was Blancpain, which built a patented sliding watch called the Rolls for the French firm, Léon Hatot. Another modestly-successful automatic watch in this period was the Wig-Wag, which used the motion of the movement relative to the strap to wind the watch. But these oddball automatics soon fell by the wayside3.

It was the Rolex Oyster Perpetual that brought together all of the elements of the modern automatic wristwatch. Introduced about 19344, Rolex used a centrally-mounted rotor and winding mechanism stacked on top of their excellent movement. This technique was impractical in a pocket watch (which tended to sit vertically in a pocket) but made much more sense when strapped to a wrist. But the Rolex Oyster Perpetual movement was so thick it had to be mounted in a so-called “bubble-back” expanded case.

Seeing their success, especially though World War II, every Swiss company was racing to compete with Rolex with their own waterproof automatic watch. Felsa’s 1947 Bidynator brought bi-directional winding to the table5, ETA’s 1948 Eternamatic showed the potential of a rotor supported by ball bearings6, and Patek Philippe developed a “circumferential” rotor that extended down and around the movement. But all of these mechanisms added thickness, even as stylish consumers of the 1950s demanded ever-thinner watches. But making a thin automatic watch was inconceivable until the late 1950s, and the slimmest offerings (Zenith’s Cal. 133 and Movado’s Cal. 331) were bumper automatic movements, thin by accident rather than intentional design.

Hans Kocher and the Micro-Rotor

Hans Kocher grew up in the shadow of the H. Williamson watch factory in Büren an der Aare, Switzerland. He ran errands for the company as a young boy, and his work ethic so impressed the company’s chairman that he was sent to London to learn the business. But Kocher’s life took a turn when he met Austrian-born Josefine Rinner, a confectionary entrepreneur living in Zürich. The couple moved to Spain after the war, and their son (also named Hans) was born there in 1919. Kocher only settled down in 1923, marrying Josefine and returning to Bienne to work for the Williamson company. But the factory was bankrupt by 1931, with a group of local businessmen purchasing it. They invited Hans Kocher to return to Büren to take over management of the factory in 1932, and he spent the rest of his career there.

But this is the story of the younger Hans Kocher, who apprenticed in Büren before studying at the Technical school in Bienne. Following World War II, young Hans Kocher moved to Saint-Imier and worked in the technical department of the nearby Cortébert Watch Company. He was a wunderkind, filing patents, developing a central-seconds movement, and reorganizing the company’s manufacturing process. In 1951, after he proved himself, Kocher returned home to become technical director of the Buren Watch Company7.

Kocher believed that technology could elevate Buren in the competitive Swiss watch market and decided to build the best-possible automatic watch movement. Although many aspects of automatic winding were already patented by others, he saw an opportunity to address some of the shortcomings of contemporary automatic watches. For example, Kocher invented a mechanism to allow an automatic watch to be wound by hand, addressing widespread anxiety about power reserve. He also invented a few different bi-directional winding mechanisms and a more effective jewel pivot.

Another Kocher invention seemed to go nowhere: He embedded a tiny rotor inside the main winding rotor, creating a “Tilt-A-Whirl” effect to accelerate startup. Although this didn’t make it into production, this was the first glimpse of a micro-rotor winding system. A month later, Kocher filed a patent that he would later call his greatest work.

On June 21, 1954, Buren Watch Company filed a patent for a fully-realized micro-rotor automatic watch movement. Rather than adding a rotor on top of an existing movement, Hans Kocher redesigned the entire ebauche, reorganizing the wheel train to sink a tiny rotor inside. This was much more than a re-packaging effort, with nearly every component re-designed.

It would take nearly four years of development to bring the micro-rotor movement to market. The Swiss government had largely restricted companies from producing their own ebauches, but this was allowed for in-house and complicated movements. And the micro-rotor was indeed a very complicated movement, requiring entirely new design and tooling to be installed at the factory in Büren!

Kocher’s original micro-rotor movement design was elegant and symmetrical, already quite well-developed even in 1954. He called it a “planetary rotor” because he thought it resembled the planetary gearsets in automatic transmissions. But he spent years working on the construction and mechanics of the rotor and the exact arrangement of the wheels and bridges. And he soon had an unexpected collaborator.

Universal, Froidevaux, and Bandi

On May 27, 1955, Manufacture des Montres Universal of Geneva filed a remarkably similar patent for a micro-rotor movement. This was 11 months after Buren’s filing, yet three years before either patent would be published. Although the Swiss patent is un-signed, the American patent specifies that the inventors were Jean-Michel Froidevaux and Fred Bandi, two technician-watchmakers even younger than Hans Kocher. Both were incredibly talented and had made numerous inventions related to automatic watch winding and other areas of horology.

At a glance, the Universal patent looks very similar to Buren’s, but a closer examination shows that nearly every aspect of the design is different. The American patent authorities examined it closely, rejecting only the most broad claim made by Universal. Given these differences, and the evident skills and imagination of Froidevaux and Bandi, I believe that it was independently invented.

Froidevaux left Universal by 1956, just as the company was developing the micro-rotor watch movement for production. This was the same year that Universal opened its own new factory near Geneva, severing ties with the chronograph factory in Ponts-de-Martel that had been the source of complicated in-house movements for Universal since 1941. The new Carouge-Genève factory was likely outfitted with new machinery to produce the micro-rotor, along with other in-house movements developed by Fred Bandi.

It is very likely that the amiable Hans Kocher knew of the work underway in Geneva by this time, and he may have offered Fred Bandi some technical advice. Indeed, we know that the two collaborated on a paper outlining the benefits of the micro-rotor movement, which was published in the September/October 1957 edition of Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie. They cite the improvements gained by this design in reducing movement height, stress on the rotor bearings, and ease of servicing.

Up this point the thinnest automatic watch movements (Zénith’s Cal. 133 and Movado’s Cal. 331) had “bumper” movements rather than a free rotor. This is no surprise – the “sandwich stack” required to have a free rotor was inherently thicker than a winding mass that sat on the same plane as the wheel train and balance. But no bumper movement could match a micro-rotor embedded completely into the ebauche. Although not much thinner than hand-winding movements, the Büren and Universal movements were 20% thinner than most automatics at 4.1 to 4.2 mm8.

The Joint Release of the Buren Super Slender and Universal Microtor

On February 18, 1958, Raoul Perret of Universal Genève and Hans Kocher of the Buren Watch Company held a joint press conference in Geneva to announce “the greatest technical advance in 30 years.” Journalists from the major Swiss papers and industry journals learned about the revolutionary new micro-rotor technology, that would enable the companies to deliver the thinnest self-winding watches in the world. The companies promised that new watches using these movements would be released at the Basel Fair in April.

Ten days before the fair, on April 2, 1958, the Swiss paper Neue Zürcher Zeitung published an article with more detail on the technology of these new movements. Noting that “the fundamental concept behind this novel winding mechanism is identical in both designs,” the article praises both companies’ products, noting that “the specific technical solutions employed differ significantly.” This article was written by Fred Bandi, Technical Director for Universal Genève. Hans Kocher also wrote articles about the two companies’ launches, both independently and jointly with Bandi.

Finally, on April 12, 1958, the Basel Fair opened, with both companies showcasing watches housing their new micro-rotor movements. They even placed a joint advertisement in the Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie, featuring the logos of both companies.

The Buren Watch Company showed off their new Super Slender watch line at the fair, featuring Cal. 1000. This was a new ultra-thin watch line with a case meant to make the most of their “thinnest-ever” automatic watch movement. Confusingly, the company’s Basel Fair booth was a generic paean to post-war globalization, dedicated to the theme “l’universalité.” The new Super Slender movement was depicted on a small card at the corner, with the ultra-thin watches arranged among other more mundane products.

Universal Genève presented a strong contrast, dedicating their entire display to the new Microtor movement. They even built a large model in a transparent plexiglass case, demonstrating the internal relationship between the micro-rotor and wheel train. The new Cal. 215 was used in an existing product line, the Polerouter (which had been introduced as “Polarouter” in 1954). Although Universal offered new dial designs for 1958, the Microtor’s slimmer profile was not leveraged for a watch that was notably thin.

Both watches were brought to market in the following months with no hint of production delays. They are widely seen and advertised over the next few years in press coverage, company advertising, and retail promotion. For example, an April 1958 ad for international retailer Turler lists the Universal Polerouter Microtor for 270 francs in steel or 820 francs in gold. Meanwhile, the Buren Super Slender was advertised in 1959 for 170 francs in steel or 185 francs for the model with a calendar complication, called Cal. 1001.

What Happened Next

Buren and Universal leaned heavily into their micro-rotor watch movements for the next few years, developing and updating them continually. And two more ultra-thin automatic movements appeared at Basel in 1959 and 1960: The Sandoz 333, which used a peripheral rotor movement designed by FHF, and Piaget’s knock-out 2.3 mm thin micro-rotor Cal. 12 P. But the introduction of the Bulova Accutron on October 25, 1960 upended the entire industry.

Buren actually introduced two micro-rotor movements at Basel in 1958: The base Cal. 1000 was truly “super slender” at 4.2 mm, but they also showed Cal. 1001, which added a date complication and 0.6 mm thickness. Although not as revolutionary as the micro-rotor, Paul Marmier’s patented date mechanism was quite innovative. It used an eccentric cam to keep the advance finger safely back from the date wheel teeth to avoid the risk of damage. The date advanced in just 12 minutes at midnight, and the mechanism also allowed quicker setting of the date by moving the time back to 11:30.

By 1959 Buren added Cal. 1002 and 1003, which featured a thinner balance cock to make way for an elongated wheel train bridge screwed to the base plate for greater stability. The original Cal. 1000 and 1001 remained in production, however, into the 1960s.

Universal added a date complication as well, though theirs added over 1 mm to the thickness of the base Cal. 215. This did not pose an issue because the Microtor was used in watches of more ordinary thickness like the Polerouter Date. But the Geneva company did finally lean into the thin profile of the basic Microtor movement with the new 1959 Polerouter Jet, boasting that it was as thin as a hand-winding watch and the thinnest waterproof automatic watch in the world. Universal put the Microtor-Calendrier movement on a diet over the next few years, beveling the edges and slimming it to 4.7 mm (once again 0.1 mm thinner than the competing Buren movement). And Universal proved the robustness of their movement by equipping members of the Swiss Greenland Expedition with Microtor-powered Polerouters during the International Geophysical Year.

Other watches had previously been advertised for their ultra-thin profile, including Omega’s Centenaire and Cyma’s Navystar, but Movado, Sandoz, and Piaget were the strongest contenders. Movado had claimed the crown for the thinnest watch in 1935 with the Novoplan and delivered the automatic Cal. 331 in 1952, which was just 4.3 mm thick thanks to a beveled bumper rotor.

Sandoz announced the “thinnest waterproof watch” in 1954 with their hand-winding Cal. 55, allowing them to produce a 6.9 mm watch. And they saw an opportunity in a peripheral rotor concept under development at the Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon. Unaware of the micro-rotor8, Sandoz and FHF targeted the 1959 Basel Fair to launch this new ultra-thin automatic watch. Despite being upstaged, the Sandoz 333 remains the first peripheral-winding automatic watch to market.

Piaget claimed outright victory for the thinnest watch in 1957 with the 4 mm Ref. 904, housing the 2.0 mm Cal. 9 P. Valentin Piaget of their specialist movement maker Complications SA saw unrealized potential in the micro-rotor concept. His Cal. 12 P, patented in 1958 and announced at the Basel Fair in 1960, dispensed with the center wheel and radically sliced away the ebauche. Measuring just 2.3 mm thick, this movement allowed Piaget’s Ref. 12 watches to stay at just 4 mm thick overall. Piaget has remained committed to this design, producing Cal. 1200 to this day!

Buren embraced Piaget’s ideas, and their Cal. 1280 was similarly stripped-down, coming in at just 2.85 mm thick. This was used in their modern Intra Matic9 line, launched at the Basel Fair in 1965. Variations with date and central seconds ranged up to 3.60 mm, still over half a millimeter thinner than their original Super Slender.

The Intramatic movement made history on March 3, 1969 when Hans Kocher10 and Gerald Dubois announced the Chronomatic movement, built on Buren’s micro-rotor ebauche. This would be the first Swiss automatic chronograph in customer hands, used by Breitling, Heuer, and Hamilton, which had purchased Buren in February of 1966. Hamilton-Buren was taken over by the SIHH group in 1971 and the once-great Büren factory was closed the following year, with all assets sold. This came just as the Chronomatic was gaining market traction and sadly just before the launch of Buren’s great Calbre 8211.

Universal also collaborated with Piaget, filing a joint patent in March of 1959 for a slim ratcheting winding system for micro-rotor movements. They continually updated their Microtor movement line, culminating in the 1966 introduction of the re-designed Cal. 66. Unlike the hand-made Piaget Cal. 12 P, the new Universal and Buren movements were designed for mass production and daily wear. And Universal once again beat Buren’s mark, with their ebauche measuring just 2.50 mm thick. This time Universal leaned into the thinness of the movement, matching Piaget with a new Golden Shadow watch line just 4 mm thick.

Everything changed for Universal in August of 1966, as the Bulova Watch Company of New York purchased the company. Flush with cash from the Accutron, a global phenomenon never before seen in watchmaking, Bulova sought to solidify its control over the luxury watch industry by bringing the Geneva firm under its control. Universal continued production of the Microtor family into the 1970s and even developed the world’s thinnest quartz movement in 197512. But Bulova was slow to embrace quartz as the market for the Accutron evaporated. The Universal factory in Geneva was bankrupt by the late 1970s and was sold in 1983 to new investors.

The Micro-Rotor Lives On

The micro-rotor is not dead. Far from it: There are more micro-rotor movements on the market today than ever before!

Patek Philippe filed for a patent their own micro-rotor movement in 1975, bringing their Cal. 240 to market a few years later. It has been continually updated and is one of the most-loved movements by enthusiasts like me. Chopard Manufacture leaned into the micro-rotor concept with the launch of the L.U.C movements in 1997, and it remains a highlight of the company’s offerings. A new Universal Genève launched in 2005, bringing a new Microtor (Cal. UG-100) to market in 2006. Schwarz Etienne and Parmigiani Fleurier both introduced new micro-rotor movements in 2010, and both supply these to other fine watch makers to this day. Armin Strom, Hermès, Girard-Perregaux, Bulgari, and many others have also released high-end micro-rotor movements. And Piaget never stopped developing their micro-rotor movements.

Universal was re-launched as an upscale sister brand to Breitling on April 8, 2026 and two new Microtor movements form the core of the new offerings. The new Polerouter Microtor is the first double-barrel micro-rotor movement I know of, and is a lovely tribute to Hans Kocher, who was deeply involved in both innovations. And the new Compax Microtor movement recalls the pioneering Chronomatic movement.

Research Notes

1. The question of whether Perrelet was the first to create a self-winding watch was a matter of great interest through the 20th century. Historian Alfred Chapuis uncovered many prior and subsequent designs, yet he concluded in his seminal book “La Montre Automatique Ancienne” that Perrelet absolutely deserved the credit. That being said, the self-winding watch “discovered” by Léon Leroy of Paris in 1949 may not have been created by Perrelet, according to a 1996 Europa Star article by Jean-Claude Nicolet with rebuttal by Jean-Claude Sabrier.
2. Not being a watch industry insider, Harwood may have been completely unaware that dozens of watchmakers had developed self-winding watches for over a century prior to his invention. And L. Leroy of Paris had already produced a self-winding wristwatch a year before Harwood’s patent. But he was the first to recognize the market for a wristwatch with a sealed case and self-winding movement.
3. The sliding weight concept was actually successfully revived by Pierce just after World War II. This “dissident” Moutier firm was unwilling to abide by the Swiss cartel’s production quotas, so they were blocked from working with nearly every other company. So they developed their own slim sliding-weight automatic, an amazing in-house chronograph movement, and more! In modern times we have seen another sliding-weight automatic, the Corum Golden Bridge Automatic.
4. I’m not a Rolex expert, but I am confounded by the lack of definitive history for this most-important watchmaker. The earliest mention I could find of the Oyster Perpetual comes from Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie in September of 1934, and it was fully illustrated in January of 1936. Given that Rolex trademarked the name in 1932, I guess that places the introduction of the Rolex Perpetual movement in 1933 or 1934. It definitely wasn’t 1931, despite countless blog posts and Rolex’s own advertising.
5. Incredibly, some of the earliest known self-winding pocket watch movements also have clever bi-directional winding solutions: The four controversial maybe-Perrelet movements have a pawl winding system similar to the much-later Pellaton and Magic Lever, and many of the “shaker” movements had bi-directional winding too. But Felsa’s elegant Bidynator inspired the whole industry to adopt this concept. Surprisingly, modern movements are dropping bi-directional winding, finding that it’s not actually all that useful.
6. Ball bearing support for a winding rotor was patented in 1929. But these typically placed the bearings at the periphery, supporting the rotor itself. ETA’s original Eternamatic was a tiny movement for ladies watches so the engineers brought the ball bearings to the center. Seeing how well it worked, the “five balls” became the logo of Eterna!
7. I should clarify that the name of the town is “Büren an der Aare” and it is commonly called “Büren”. But the brand name of the watch company, officially adopted by H. Williamson in 1916, was “Buren Watch Company” without the umlaut. This was generally used by the company through the 1960s, though they sometimes did include the umlaut in advertising and public communication. Confusingly, most patents list it using the Anglicized form of the name of the town, “Bueren Watch Company.” I try to be consistent (or perhaps confusing) and use “Büren” to refer to the town and “Buren” to refer to the company.
8. Oops! The Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was working on another thin automatic winding system at the same time, filing patents on their peripheral rotor on September 11, 1956. This was before the announcement or publication of the micro-rotor, and they no-doubt thought that their “Fontomatic” Cal. 65 would be the thinnest automatic movement at just 4.5 mm. This came to market in 1959 as the Sandoz 333, and advertisements for this latecomer specifically neglect to mention that number, which was surpassed a year earlier by both Buren and Universal.
9. Buren trademarked “Intra Matic” in 1964 and used this name in the 1965 launch. But they also used “Intramatic” in this period, variously using both names. They had a sub-model called the “Intramatic Polestar” or “Intra Matic Pole-Star” in the 1960s as well, and I can’t imagine Universal loved this name.
10. This would be Hans Kocher-Aeschbacher, the son, rather than his father Hans Kocher-Rinner, who retired that same year. The younger Hans Kocher was a truly remarkable man, deserving of a Prix Gaïa award in all three categories: Watchmaker, businessman, and historian. He was also incredibly magnanimous, not giving undue attention in his industry history writing and speaking to the Buren “planetary rotor” despite considering it his life’s greatest work.
11. I’m wearing my Buren Calibre 82 watch as I write this!
12. The 1975 Golden Shadow and White Shadow Quartz movement measured 3.45 mm thick. It was rapidly surpassed by Citizen, just under 1 mm in 1978, Seiko, 0.90 mm that same year, and the incredible Swiss Delirium movements.

The Day the Micro-Rotor Was Introduced: Buren Super Slender and Universal Microtor

On February 18, 1958, representatives from Buren Watch Company and Universal Genève announced “the greatest technical advance in 30 years,” the micro-rotor automatic watch movement. This joint announcement, and the actions of the inventors and companies before and after it, contradict the oft-repeated story of conflict between them. In fact, the invention and introduction was friendly, thanks to the cordial Hans Kocher, who invented the micro-rotor yet allowed others to share the limelight and the credit.

Debunking the Legend

Like so many areas of watchmaking history, the story of the micro-rotor automatic watch is rich with folklore. And like too many other topics, most of those stories are flat-out wrong. I have been hearing this particular story for years, and was shocked to find that it is entirely contradicted by the plain facts published at the time.

Here’s the gist of what I was told about the launch of the Buren and Universal micro-rotor movements:

• Buren was first to market, introducing their micro-rotor movement in 1957 or maybe even 1954
• Universal infringed on Buren’s patent, didn’t have the technical expertise to design a new movement, and maybe never even had a patent of their own
• Buren sued Universal or tried to block them from marketing the Microtor
• And inexplicably that Universal actually produced the Buren movement because they couldn’t get it to work

None of this is remotely true.

• Technician-watchmaker Hans Kocher of Buren Watch Company invented the micro-rotor movement, filing a patent in 1954
• Jean-Michel Froidevaux and Fred Bandi, skilled technician-watchmakers at Universal, independently invented their own micro-rotor technology, filing a patent just 11 months later
• Kocher and Bandi collaborated on the launch, co-authoring an article on the technology and writing about each other’s work in supportive terms
• Buren and Universal announced their work at a joint press conference on February 18, 1958 and released their micro-rotor watches at the Basel Fair that year
• The companies targeted different markets and there is no sign of a lawsuit or any acrimony
• Both companies, along with Piaget, continued actively to develop micro-rotor movement technology for over a decade
• The technology was abandoned after both were purchased by American companies more interested in quartz electronic watches

So let’s sit back and enjoy the true story of the development of the micro-rotor watch movement!

The Rise of Self-Winding Watches

Le Locle watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet is usually credited for building the first self-winding watch in the 1770s. Many1 have questioned the primacy of Perrelet’s “montre à secousses” (“shaking watch”), but many subsequent watchmakers, including Abraham-Louis Breguet, Louis Recordin, and the Jaquet-Droz family, claimed to have been inspired by his design. Perrelet’s watch used a weight mounted to the side of the movement, causing it to shake when moved. The concept of automatic winding (and even the name “perpetual”) were widely known through the 19th century but such a complex mechanism was deemed unnecessary to bring to market.

After World War I, Englishman John Harwood saw a need for self-winding watch. Soldiers were increasingly wearing wristwatches, and these were often damaged by moisture and dust. Inspired by a playground see-saw, Harwood independently2 invented a rocking weight segment that could wind the watch without a hole in the case. He patented the concept in 1923, built a prototype using a Blancpain movement, and brought the Harwood Perpetual to market with the help of A. Schild and Fortis of Grenchen. The watch only went into production late in the decade, and just a few thousand were produced before the Great Depression soon spelled the end.

You might also enjoy reading about “The Backward Evolution of the Rotating Bezel“

Harwood showed that the advent of the wristwatch had created customer demand for a self-winding movement, and the race was on to deliver a more practical one. I previously wrote about Eugène Meylan’s automatic winding mechanism, which was sold by Glycine starting in 1931. Another early player in automatic watches was Blancpain, which built a patented sliding watch called the Rolls for the French firm, Léon Hatot. Another modestly-successful automatic watch in this period was the Wig-Wag, which used the motion of the movement relative to the strap to wind the watch. But these oddball automatics soon fell by the wayside3.

It was the Rolex Oyster Perpetual that brought together all of the elements of the modern automatic wristwatch. Introduced about 19344, Rolex used a centrally-mounted rotor and winding mechanism stacked on top of their excellent movement. This technique was impractical in a pocket watch (which tended to sit vertically in a pocket) but made much more sense when strapped to a wrist. But the Rolex Oyster Perpetual movement was so thick it had to be mounted in a so-called “bubble-back” expanded case.

Seeing their success, especially though World War II, every Swiss company was racing to compete with Rolex with their own waterproof automatic watch. Felsa’s 1947 Bidynator brought bi-directional winding to the table5, ETA’s 1948 Eternamatic showed the potential of a rotor supported by ball bearings6, and Patek Philippe developed a “circumferential” rotor that extended down and around the movement. But all of these mechanisms added thickness, even as stylish consumers of the 1950s demanded ever-thinner watches. But making a thin automatic watch was inconceivable until the late 1950s, and the slimmest offerings (Zenith’s Cal. 133 and Movado’s Cal. 331) were bumper automatic movements, thin by accident rather than intentional design.

Hans Kocher and the Micro-Rotor

Hans Kocher grew up in the shadow of the H. Williamson watch factory in Büren an der Aare, Switzerland. He ran errands for the company as a young boy, and his work ethic so impressed the company’s chairman that he was sent to London to learn the business. But Kocher’s life took a turn when he met Austrian-born Josefine Rinner, a confectionary entrepreneur living in Zürich. The couple moved to Spain after the war, and their son (also named Hans) was born there in 1919. Kocher only settled down in 1923, marrying Josefine and returning to Bienne to work for the Williamson company. But the factory was bankrupt by 1931, with a group of local businessmen purchasing it. They invited Hans Kocher to return to Büren to take over management of the factory in 1932, and he spent the rest of his career there.

But this is the story of the younger Hans Kocher, who apprenticed in Büren before studying at the Technical school in Bienne. Following World War II, young Hans Kocher moved to Saint-Imier and worked in the technical department of the nearby Cortébert Watch Company. He was a wunderkind, filing patents, developing a central-seconds movement, and reorganizing the company’s manufacturing process. In 1951, after he proved himself, Kocher returned home to become technical director of the Buren Watch Company7.

Kocher believed that technology could elevate Buren in the competitive Swiss watch market and decided to build the best-possible automatic watch movement. Although many aspects of automatic winding were already patented by others, he saw an opportunity to address some of the shortcomings of contemporary automatic watches. For example, Kocher invented a mechanism to allow an automatic watch to be wound by hand, addressing widespread anxiety about power reserve. He also invented a few different bi-directional winding mechanisms and a more effective jewel pivot.

Another Kocher invention seemed to go nowhere: He embedded a tiny rotor inside the main winding rotor, creating a “Tilt-A-Whirl” effect to accelerate startup. Although this didn’t make it into production, this was the first glimpse of a micro-rotor winding system. A month later, Kocher filed a patent that he would later call his greatest work.

On June 21, 1954, Buren Watch Company filed a patent for a fully-realized micro-rotor automatic watch movement. Rather than adding a rotor on top of an existing movement, Hans Kocher redesigned the entire ebauche, reorganizing the wheel train to sink a tiny rotor inside. This was much more than a re-packaging effort, with nearly every component re-designed.

It would take nearly four years of development to bring the micro-rotor movement to market. The Swiss government had largely restricted companies from producing their own ebauches, but this was allowed for in-house and complicated movements. And the micro-rotor was indeed a very complicated movement, requiring entirely new design and tooling to be installed at the factory in Büren!

Kocher’s original micro-rotor movement design was elegant and symmetrical, already quite well-developed even in 1954. He called it a “planetary rotor” because he thought it resembled the planetary gearsets in automatic transmissions. But he spent years working on the construction and mechanics of the rotor and the exact arrangement of the wheels and bridges. And he soon had an unexpected collaborator.

Universal, Froidevaux, and Bandi

On May 27, 1955, Manufacture des Montres Universal of Geneva filed a remarkably similar patent for a micro-rotor movement. This was 11 months after Buren’s filing, yet three years before either patent would be published. Although the Swiss patent is un-signed, the American patent specifies that the inventors were Jean-Michel Froidevaux and Fred Bandi, two technician-watchmakers even younger than Hans Kocher. Both were incredibly talented and had made numerous inventions related to automatic watch winding and other areas of horology.

At a glance, the Universal patent looks very similar to Buren’s, but a closer examination shows that nearly every aspect of the design is different. The American patent authorities examined it closely, rejecting only the most broad claim made by Universal. Given these differences, and the evident skills and imagination of Froidevaux and Bandi, I believe that it was independently invented.

Froidevaux left Universal by 1956, just as the company was developing the micro-rotor watch movement for production. This was the same year that Universal opened its own new factory near Geneva, severing ties with the chronograph factory in Ponts-de-Martel that had been the source of complicated in-house movements for Universal since 1941. The new Carouge-Genève factory was likely outfitted with new machinery to produce the micro-rotor, along with other in-house movements developed by Fred Bandi.

It is very likely that the amiable Hans Kocher knew of the work underway in Geneva by this time, and he may have offered Fred Bandi some technical advice. Indeed, we know that the two collaborated on a paper outlining the benefits of the micro-rotor movement, which was published in the September/October 1957 edition of Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie. They cite the improvements gained by this design in reducing movement height, stress on the rotor bearings, and ease of servicing.

Up this point the thinnest automatic watch movements (Zénith’s Cal. 133 and Movado’s Cal. 331) had “bumper” movements rather than a free rotor. This is no surprise – the “sandwich stack” required to have a free rotor was inherently thicker than a winding mass that sat on the same plane as the wheel train and balance. But no bumper movement could match a micro-rotor embedded completely into the ebauche. Although not much thinner than hand-winding movements, the Büren and Universal movements were 20% thinner than most automatics at 4.1 to 4.2 mm8.

The Joint Release of the Buren Super Slender and Universal Microtor

On February 18, 1958, Raoul Perret of Universal Genève and Hans Kocher of the Buren Watch Company held a joint press conference in Geneva to announce “the greatest technical advance in 30 years.” Journalists from the major Swiss papers and industry journals learned about the revolutionary new micro-rotor technology, that would enable the companies to deliver the thinnest self-winding watches in the world. The companies promised that new watches using these movements would be released at the Basel Fair in April.

Ten days before the fair, on April 2, 1958, the Swiss paper Neue Zürcher Zeitung published an article with more detail on the technology of these new movements. Noting that “the fundamental concept behind this novel winding mechanism is identical in both designs,” the article praises both companies’ products, noting that “the specific technical solutions employed differ significantly.” This article was written by Fred Bandi, Technical Director for Universal Genève. Hans Kocher also wrote articles about the two companies’ launches, both independently and jointly with Bandi.

Finally, on April 12, 1958, the Basel Fair opened, with both companies showcasing watches housing their new micro-rotor movements. They even placed a joint advertisement in the Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie, featuring the logos of both companies.

The Buren Watch Company showed off their new Super Slender watch line at the fair, featuring Cal. 1000. This was a new ultra-thin watch line with a case meant to make the most of their “thinnest-ever” automatic watch movement. Confusingly, the company’s Basel Fair booth was a generic paean to post-war globalization, dedicated to the theme “l’universalité.” The new Super Slender movement was depicted on a small card at the corner, with the ultra-thin watches arranged among other more mundane products.

Universal Genève presented a strong contrast, dedicating their entire display to the new Microtor movement. They even built a large model in a transparent plexiglass case, demonstrating the internal relationship between the micro-rotor and wheel train. The new Cal. 215 was used in an existing product line, the Polerouter (which had been introduced as “Polarouter” in 1954). Although Universal offered new dial designs for 1958, the Microtor’s slimmer profile was not leveraged for a watch that was notably thin.

Both watches were brought to market in the following months with no hint of production delays. They are widely seen and advertised over the next few years in press coverage, company advertising, and retail promotion. For example, an April 1958 ad for international retailer Turler lists the Universal Polerouter Microtor for 270 francs in steel or 820 francs in gold. Meanwhile, the Buren Super Slender was advertised in 1959 for 170 francs in steel or 185 francs for the model with a calendar complication, called Cal. 1001.

What Happened Next

Buren and Universal leaned heavily into their micro-rotor watch movements for the next few years, developing and updating them continually. And two more ultra-thin automatic movements appeared at Basel in 1959 and 1960: The Sandoz 333, which used a peripheral rotor movement designed by FHF, and Piaget’s knock-out 2.3 mm thin micro-rotor Cal. 12 P. But the introduction of the Bulova Accutron on October 25, 1960 upended the entire industry.

Buren actually introduced two micro-rotor movements at Basel in 1958: The base Cal. 1000 was truly “super slender” at 4.2 mm, but they also showed Cal. 1001, which added a date complication and 0.6 mm thickness. Although not as revolutionary as the micro-rotor, Paul Marmier’s patented date mechanism was quite innovative. It used an eccentric cam to keep the advance finger safely back from the date wheel teeth to avoid the risk of damage. The date advanced in just 12 minutes at midnight, and the mechanism also allowed quicker setting of the date by moving the time back to 11:30.

By 1959 Buren added Cal. 1002 and 1003, which featured a thinner balance cock to make way for an elongated wheel train bridge screwed to the base plate for greater stability. The original Cal. 1000 and 1001 remained in production, however, into the 1960s.

Universal added a date complication as well, though theirs added over 1 mm to the thickness of the base Cal. 215. This did not pose an issue because the Microtor was used in watches of more ordinary thickness like the Polerouter Date. But the Geneva company did finally lean into the thin profile of the basic Microtor movement with the new 1959 Polerouter Jet, boasting that it was as thin as a hand-winding watch and the thinnest waterproof automatic watch in the world. Universal put the Microtor-Calendrier movement on a diet over the next few years, beveling the edges and slimming it to 4.7 mm (once again 0.1 mm thinner than the competing Buren movement). And Universal proved the robustness of their movement by equipping members of the Swiss Greenland Expedition with Microtor-powered Polerouters during the International Geophysical Year.

Other watches had previously been advertised for their ultra-thin profile, including Omega’s Centenaire and Cyma’s Navystar, but Movado, Sandoz, and Piaget were the strongest contenders. Movado had claimed the crown for the thinnest watch in 1935 with the Novoplan and delivered the automatic Cal. 331 in 1952, which was just 4.3 mm thick thanks to a beveled bumper rotor.

Sandoz announced the “thinnest waterproof watch” in 1954 with their hand-winding Cal. 55, allowing them to produce a 6.9 mm watch. And they saw an opportunity in a peripheral rotor concept under development at the Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon. Unaware of the micro-rotor8, Sandoz and FHF targeted the 1959 Basel Fair to launch this new ultra-thin automatic watch. Despite being upstaged, the Sandoz 333 remains the first peripheral-winding automatic watch to market.

Piaget claimed outright victory for the thinnest watch in 1957 with the 4 mm Ref. 904, housing the 2.0 mm Cal. 9 P. Valentin Piaget of their specialist movement maker Complications SA saw unrealized potential in the micro-rotor concept. His Cal. 12 P, patented in 1958 and announced at the Basel Fair in 1960, dispensed with the center wheel and radically sliced away the ebauche. Measuring just 2.3 mm thick, this movement allowed Piaget’s Ref. 12 watches to stay at just 4 mm thick overall. Piaget has remained committed to this design, producing Cal. 1200 to this day!

Buren embraced Piaget’s ideas, and their Cal. 1280 was similarly stripped-down, coming in at just 2.85 mm thick. This was used in their modern Intra Matic9 line, launched at the Basel Fair in 1965. Variations with date and central seconds ranged up to 3.60 mm, still over half a millimeter thinner than their original Super Slender.

The Intramatic movement made history on March 3, 1969 when Hans Kocher10 and Gerald Dubois announced the Chronomatic movement, built on Buren’s micro-rotor ebauche. This would be the first Swiss automatic chronograph in customer hands, used by Breitling, Heuer, and Hamilton, which had purchased Buren in February of 1966. Hamilton-Buren was taken over by the SIHH group in 1971 and the once-great Büren factory was closed the following year, with all assets sold. This came just as the Chronomatic was gaining market traction and sadly just before the launch of Buren’s great Calbre 8211.

Universal also collaborated with Piaget, filing a joint patent in March of 1959 for a slim ratcheting winding system for micro-rotor movements. They continually updated their Microtor movement line, culminating in the 1966 introduction of the re-designed Cal. 66. Unlike the hand-made Piaget Cal. 12 P, the new Universal and Buren movements were designed for mass production and daily wear. And Universal once again beat Buren’s mark, with their ebauche measuring just 2.50 mm thick. This time Universal leaned into the thinness of the movement, matching Piaget with a new Golden Shadow watch line just 4 mm thick.

Everything changed for Universal in August of 1966, as the Bulova Watch Company of New York purchased the company. Flush with cash from the Accutron, a global phenomenon never before seen in watchmaking, Bulova sought to solidify its control over the luxury watch industry by bringing the Geneva firm under its control. Universal continued production of the Microtor family into the 1970s and even developed the world’s thinnest quartz movement in 197512. But Bulova was slow to embrace quartz as the market for the Accutron evaporated. The Universal factory in Geneva was bankrupt by the late 1970s and was sold in 1983 to new investors.

The Micro-Rotor Lives On

The micro-rotor is not dead. Far from it: There are more micro-rotor movements on the market today than ever before!

Patek Philippe filed for a patent their own micro-rotor movement in 1975, bringing their Cal. 240 to market a few years later. It has been continually updated and is one of the most-loved movements by enthusiasts like me. Chopard Manufacture leaned into the micro-rotor concept with the launch of the L.U.C movements in 1997, and it remains a highlight of the company’s offerings. A new Universal Genève launched in 2005, bringing a new Microtor (Cal. UG-100) to market in 2006. Schwarz Etienne and Parmigiani Fleurier both introduced new micro-rotor movements in 2010, and both supply these to other fine watch makers to this day. Armin Strom, Hermès, Girard-Perregaux, Bulgari, and many others have also released high-end micro-rotor movements. And Piaget never stopped developing their micro-rotor movements.

Universal was re-launched as an upscale sister brand to Breitling on April 8, 2026 and two new Microtor movements form the core of the new offerings. The new Polerouter Microtor is the first double-barrel micro-rotor movement I know of, and is a lovely tribute to Hans Kocher, who was deeply involved in both innovations. And the new Compax Microtor movement recalls the pioneering Chronomatic movement.

Research Notes

1. The question of whether Perrelet was the first to create a self-winding watch was a matter of great interest through the 20th century. Historian Alfred Chapuis uncovered many prior and subsequent designs, yet he concluded in his seminal book “La Montre Automatique Ancienne” that Perrelet absolutely deserved the credit. That being said, the self-winding watch “discovered” by Léon Leroy of Paris in 1949 may not have been created by Perrelet, according to a 1996 Europa Star article by Jean-Claude Nicolet with rebuttal by Jean-Claude Sabrier.
2. Not being a watch industry insider, Harwood may have been completely unaware that dozens of watchmakers had developed self-winding watches for over a century prior to his invention. And L. Leroy of Paris had already produced a self-winding wristwatch a year before Harwood’s patent. But he was the first to recognize the market for a wristwatch with a sealed case and self-winding movement.
3. The sliding weight concept was actually successfully revived by Pierce just after World War II. This “dissident” Moutier firm was unwilling to abide by the Swiss cartel’s production quotas, so they were blocked from working with nearly every other company. So they developed their own slim sliding-weight automatic, an amazing in-house chronograph movement, and more! In modern times we have seen another sliding-weight automatic, the Corum Golden Bridge Automatic.
4. I’m not a Rolex expert, but I am confounded by the lack of definitive history for this most-important watchmaker. The earliest mention I could find of the Oyster Perpetual comes from Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie in September of 1934, and it was fully illustrated in January of 1936. Given that Rolex trademarked the name in 1932, I guess that places the introduction of the Rolex Perpetual movement in 1933 or 1934. It definitely wasn’t 1931, despite countless blog posts and Rolex’s own advertising.
5. Incredibly, some of the earliest known self-winding pocket watch movements also have clever bi-directional winding solutions: The four controversial maybe-Perrelet movements have a pawl winding system similar to the much-later Pellaton and Magic Lever, and many of the “shaker” movements had bi-directional winding too. But Felsa’s elegant Bidynator inspired the whole industry to adopt this concept. Surprisingly, modern movements are dropping bi-directional winding, finding that it’s not actually all that useful.
6. Ball bearing support for a winding rotor was patented in 1929. But these typically placed the bearings at the periphery, supporting the rotor itself. ETA’s original Eternamatic was a tiny movement for ladies watches so the engineers brought the ball bearings to the center. Seeing how well it worked, the “five balls” became the logo of Eterna!
7. I should clarify that the name of the town is “Büren an der Aare” and it is commonly called “Büren”. But the brand name of the watch company, officially adopted by H. Williamson in 1916, was “Buren Watch Company” without the umlaut. This was generally used by the company through the 1960s, though they sometimes did include the umlaut in advertising and public communication. Confusingly, most patents list it using the Anglicized form of the name of the town, “Bueren Watch Company.” I try to be consistent (or perhaps confusing) and use “Büren” to refer to the town and “Buren” to refer to the company.
8. Oops! The Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was working on another thin automatic winding system at the same time, filing patents on their peripheral rotor on September 11, 1956. This was before the announcement or publication of the micro-rotor, and they no-doubt thought that their “Fontomatic” Cal. 65 would be the thinnest automatic movement at just 4.5 mm. This came to market in 1959 as the Sandoz 333, and advertisements for this latecomer specifically neglect to mention that number, which was surpassed a year earlier by both Buren and Universal.
9. Buren trademarked “Intra Matic” in 1964 and used this name in the 1965 launch. But they also used “Intramatic” in this period, variously using both names. They had a sub-model called the “Intramatic Polestar” or “Intra Matic Pole-Star” in the 1960s as well, and I can’t imagine Universal loved this name.
10. This would be Hans Kocher-Aeschbacher, the son, rather than his father Hans Kocher-Rinner, who retired that same year. The younger Hans Kocher was a truly remarkable man, deserving of a Prix Gaïa award in all three categories: Watchmaker, businessman, and historian. He was also incredibly magnanimous, not giving undue attention in his industry history writing and speaking to the Buren “planetary rotor” despite considering it his life’s greatest work.
11. I’m wearing my Buren Calibre 82 watch as I write this!
12. The 1975 Golden Shadow and White Shadow Quartz movement measured 3.45 mm thick. It was rapidly surpassed by Citizen, just under 1 mm in 1978, Seiko, 0.90 mm that same year, and the incredible Swiss Delirium movements.

Nieuwe Buren: Samen op Avontuur!

Hallo, lieve vrienden! 🎉 Ik ben Waffel de Hond en vandaag gaan we het hebben over iets heel bijzonders: nieuwe buren! 🏡 Of het nu gaat om mensen of dieren, het is altijd spannend om nieuwe vriend...

🌞 Leer verder: https://leeralles.nl/nieuwe-buren-samen-op-avontuur/?feed_id=23207

#AVONTUUR #BUREN #NIEUWE #SAMEN
https://leeralles.nl/nieuwe-buren-samen-op-avontuur/?feed_id=23207

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗸𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗿. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘁 𝗨𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗸: '𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴'

In een nieuwe aflevering van 'Mr. Frank Visser Doet Uitspraak' buigt Viktor Brand zich over een conflict tussen buren Ruben en Daan en groenteboer Krijn Bas met zijn vrouw Mirella. De spanningen lopen op...

https://www.rtl.nl/boulevard/artikel/5596115/mr-frank-visser-doet-uitspraak-ruzie-buren-groenteboer-spelende-kinderen

#Buren #SpelendeKinderen #MrFrankVisser

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗸𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗿. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘁 𝗨𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗸: '𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴'

In een nieuwe aflevering van 'Mr. Frank Visser Doet Uitspraak' buigt Viktor Brand zich over een conflict tussen buren Ruben en Daan en groenteboer Krijn Bas met zijn vrouw Mirella. De spanningen lopen op...

https://www.rtl.nl/boulevard/artikel/5596115/mr-frank-visser-doet-uitspraak-ruzie-buren-groenteboer-spelende-kinderen

#Buren #SpelendeKinderen #MrFrankVisser

#MeerMittwoch mit #Sonnenuntergang auf #Ameland. Großes #Meerweh aktuell.

#Nordsee #noordzee #sunset #zonsondergang #sunsetphotography #Buren #beach #beachphotography #Strand #Strandfotografie #seaside #Niederlande #Friesland #Fryslan #TheNetherlands #Nederland #Meeresliebe

#MeerMittwoch mit #Sonnenuntergang auf #Ameland. Großes #Meerweh aktuell.

#Nordsee #noordzee #sunset #zonsondergang #sunsetphotography #Buren #beach #beachphotography #Strand #Strandfotografie #seaside #Niederlande #Friesland #Fryslan #TheNetherlands #Nederland #Meeresliebe

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗛ø𝗶𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 '𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻' 𝘁𝗶𝗷𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝘇𝗶𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘅

Voormalige buren van Marius Borg Høiby en zijn ex-vriendin Nora Haukland zeggen dat het stel in eerste instantie gelukkig leek, maar dat dit veranderde na een incident in de zomer van 2022. Ze hoorden toen een "intens" kabaal uit het appartement komen en maakten zich ernstig zorgen over wat zich...

https://www.rtl.nl/boulevard/entertainment/artikel/5573507/buren-hoiby-hoorden-pleuris-uitbreken-tijdens-ruzie-met-ex

#Buren #Høiby #ruzietijdens

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗛ø𝗶𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 '𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻' 𝘁𝗶𝗷𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝘇𝗶𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘅

Voormalige buren van Marius Borg Høiby en zijn ex-vriendin Nora Haukland zeggen dat het stel in eerste instantie gelukkig leek, maar dat dit veranderde na een incident in de zomer van 2022. Ze hoorden toen een "intens" kabaal uit het appartement komen en maakten zich ernstig zorgen over wat zich...

https://www.rtl.nl/boulevard/entertainment/artikel/5573507/buren-hoiby-hoorden-pleuris-uitbreken-tijdens-ruzie-met-ex

#Buren #Høiby #ruzietijdens

#silentsunday
#photography
Musée d'art moderne de Lille métropole à Villeneuve d'Ascq.
#buren

#silentsunday
#photography
Musée d'art moderne de Lille métropole à Villeneuve d'Ascq.
#buren

𝗭𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗷𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻, 𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗸 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝘁 𝗸𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘁

Sinds dit jaar is het mogelijk je overtollige zonnestroom te verkopen aan je buren of vrienden. Je bepaalt samen binnen een eigen energiegemeenschap de stroomprijs, alleen moet je nu nog allebei dezelfde energieleverancier hebben. In de toekomst moeten alle energieleveranciers energiedelen aanbieden,...

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/economie/artikel/5558142/zonnestroom-met-je-buren-delen-leuk-idee-maar-het-kan-niet

#Zonnestroom #Buren #Delen

𝗭𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗷𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻, 𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗸 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝘁 𝗸𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘁

Sinds dit jaar is het mogelijk je overtollige zonnestroom te verkopen aan je buren of vrienden. Je bepaalt samen binnen een eigen energiegemeenschap de stroomprijs, alleen moet je nu nog allebei dezelfde energieleverancier hebben. In de toekomst moeten alle energieleveranciers energiedelen aanbieden,...

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/economie/artikel/5558142/zonnestroom-met-je-buren-delen-leuk-idee-maar-het-kan-niet

#Zonnestroom #Buren #Delen

🆕 New artists added to Russian Vibe Open Air Festival 2026

🔥 DJ Fashion

🎶 All my playlists & socials: https://fyrefestivals.co

#FyreFestivals #Russian_Vibe_Open_Air_Festival_2026 #EDM #ElectronicMusic #Büren

🆕 New artists added to Russian Vibe Open Air Festival 2026

🔥 DJ Fashion

🎶 All my playlists & socials: https://fyrefestivals.co

#FyreFestivals #Russian_Vibe_Open_Air_Festival_2026 #EDM #ElectronicMusic #Büren

𝗢𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗸𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗹𝗽: 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝘇𝗶𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗵𝘂𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗷𝗱

Een groep buren die elkaar helpt met kleine klussen: op steeds meer plekken in Nederland worden zogenoemde voorzorgcirkels opgericht. Het idee is dat met name ouderen elkaar kunnen ondersteunen en daardoor minder afhankelijk zijn...

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5545483/voorzorgcirkels-buren-hulp-toename-netwerkcirkel

#Buren #Hulp #Ziekenhuis

𝗢𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗸𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗹𝗽: 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝘇𝗶𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗵𝘂𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗷𝗱

Een groep buren die elkaar helpt met kleine klussen: op steeds meer plekken in Nederland worden zogenoemde voorzorgcirkels opgericht. Het idee is dat met name ouderen elkaar kunnen ondersteunen en daardoor minder afhankelijk zijn...

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5545483/voorzorgcirkels-buren-hulp-toename-netwerkcirkel

#Buren #Hulp #Ziekenhuis

Van dit pand (zoals te zien op Google Streetview) heeft de rechterhelft als adres Jaffastraat 5 in Herveld. De linkerhelft heeft De Zandakkers 61 als adres, ook in Herveld. Dat dan weer wel. #buren

#VermisstenMeldung #Vermisstenfall
Hund Henry ist in Büren entlaufen!

https://dogorama.app/de-de/suchmeldungen/33142_B%C3%BCren/Henry-lDyP0iMlSjVHeAit3EQc/
#bitteBoosten #gernboosten
#dogs #dogsofmastodon #Mastodonrudel #MastodonDogs #dog #hund #hunde #Fellnasen #fedidog #fedidogs #büren

#VermisstenMeldung #Vermisstenfall
Hund Henry ist in Büren entlaufen!

https://dogorama.app/de-de/suchmeldungen/33142_B%C3%BCren/Henry-lDyP0iMlSjVHeAit3EQc/
#bitteBoosten #gernboosten
#dogs #dogsofmastodon #Mastodonrudel #MastodonDogs #dog #hund #hunde #Fellnasen #fedidog #fedidogs #büren

#Europa #Deutschland #NRW #Ostwestfalen

#BadWünnenberg #Büren #Lichtenau #Ort

#Warburg #Personalmangel #Buslinien

Busse in Bad Wünnenberg, Büren, Lichtenau und Warburg fallen aus wegen Personalmangel:

https://www.radiohochstift.de/nachrichten/paderborn-hoexter/busse-in-bad-wuennenberg-bueren-lichtenau-und-warburg-fallen-aus-wegen-personalmangel.html

#MeerMittwoch

#Strand in #Buren auf #Ameland bei #Sonnenuntergang.

#sunset #sunsetphotography #beach #beachphotography #Nederland #Niederlande #Netherlands #Frisia #Fryslân #NorthSea #island #Meerweh #Nordsee

Vielleicht bietet das grüne Abschiebelager ja veganen Knastfraß und feministischen Rundgang. #VollkornCDU
https://www.ggua.de/aktuelles/einzelansicht/nrw-baut-neues-abschiebegefaengnis-in-moenchengladbach/
#Grüne #Gruene #GrüneNRW #GrueneNRW #Asyl #NRW #JosefinePaul #Büren #Bueren #Mönchengladbach #Moenchengladbach #Rechtsruck

DFB-Frauen starten in die Fußball-EM • NRW feiert 75 Jahre Verfassung • Düsseldorf will Badeverbot im Rhein.

DFB -Frauen starten in die Fußball-EM • NRW feiert 75 Jahre Verfassung • Düsseldorf will Badeverbot im Rhein.#GutenMorgen #GuMo #04072025 #NRW #DFB #EM #Trump #Verfassung #Badeverbot #Büren #Oasis
Guten Morgen, NRW!

Pour finir le fil de la journée, quelques photos de #paris :
- flâner le matin dans la galerie Vivienne,
- manger le midi près de la fontaine des #jardins du Palais Royal,
- jouer à chat perché sur les colonnes de #buren dans la cour du même palais,
- et enfin aller voir la vasque des #JO2024 : oh wait 🤔 En fait, elle est réinstallée pour la fête de la musique et restera l'été.

#photography

Paula Modersohn-Becker zählt heute zu den wichtigsten Wegbereiterinnen des #Expressionismus. Weniger bekannt ist die Rolle, die der westfälische Bildhauer Bernhard Hoetger in ihrer künstlerischen Entwicklung spielte.

In Paris trafen sich beide auf dem Höhepunkt der modernen Avantgarde – und entwickelten eine produktive Freundschaft, die Modersohn-Becker in ihrem Selbstbewusstsein bestärkte, berichtet Carolin Schreckenberg ⬇

https://hiko.hypotheses.org/5065

#Kunstgeschichte #Büren #Westfalen #HiKo

Ein paar Tage auf der Insel verbracht, um die Akkus wieder aufzuladen. Sonne, Strand, Meer, Dünen, Birding, Radfahren… perfekt. 🥰

Spent a few days on the island to recharge my batteries. Sun, beach, sea, dunes, birding, cycling... perfect. 🥰

#Ameland #Buren #beach #Strand #sunset #zonzondergang #Sonnenuntergang
#beachphotography #Spijkerpad #HetOerd #strandpaal #waddeneiland #Nordsee #NorthSea #noordzee #skyporn #Meerweh #Inselliebe

𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝘂𝘂𝗿𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗸, 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗷𝗮𝗮𝗿

Een man uit het Gelderse Buren is vandaag overleden nadat hij gisteren gewond raakte door vuurwerk. Het is onduidelijk wat er precies is gebeurd.

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5487534/man-uit-tiel-47-overleden-door-vuurwerk-tweede-dode-dit-jaar

#Buren #overleden #vuurwerk

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝘃𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗴 𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗶𝘀

De bewoners van de twee huizen naast de ontplofte woning in Meppel kunnen voorlopig nog niet terug naar huis. Dat heeft directeur Marcel van Halteren van woningcorporatie Woonconcept laten weten. De bewoners hebben tijdelijk onderdak gekregen.

https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5476530/meppel-ontploffing-woning

#Buren #ontplofte #woning