23.06.25
Time Well Kept
Grace in Symmetry
The Double Wheel Natural Escapement
A watch, at its heart, is an orchestra of energy, numerous quanta of time being parceled through a stream of ticks and tocks of the oscillating mass, countlessly, to the tune of tens of thousands of beats per hour. An escapement is the conductor of this micro-mechanical symphony, delivering exacting nudges to the balance wheel to ensure steady tracking of what we perceive as the passage of time.
In undertaking the challenge of governing such tireless mechanisms, the world has settled for a pragmatic solution - the lever escapement - which, being compact, robust, and easy to manufacture, remained largely uncontested for centuries. Yet, the human soul is compelled by an innate desire to go beyond what is merely sufficient; it was with this spirit that Abraham-Louis Breguet forged a vision in the 18th century of an ideal escapement, the échappement naturel, realized today in the highest tier of horological craft and demonstrated in the UJ Caliber’s Double Wheel Natural Escapement, designed by Kari Voutilainen.
This advanced system delivers impulse directly and in a symmetrical layout, bypassing frictional impediments and elegantly mirroring nature’s effortless rhythms. Whereas the ubiquitous lever escapement utilizes a single escape wheel connected to the balance wheel via an intermediary lever, a natural escapement employs two escape wheels, each engaging directly with the balance wheel, alternating impulses with each oscillation. The Double Wheel Natural Escapement transmits energy via a tangential push, rather than being accompanied by sliding friction along the pallet surfaces, as in a lever escapement. The combined result is improved energy efficiency and long-term reliability of the mechanism.
To execute this design with stable operation and superlative chronometric performance requires exacting manufacturing tolerances, and the technologies available to Breguet during his time could not consistently deliver the requisite precision. This is ultimately what prevented him from incorporating his invention into more than 20 or so known timepieces during his lifetime.
Today, Kari has realized Breguet’s dream, first at Voutilainen, and now at Urban Jurgensen with the UJ Caliber. The innovation that makes this possible lies in refining and optimizing the geometry, leveraging modern manufacturing techniques while continuing to rely on traditional materials, and ensuring robustness in a wristwatch format - a triumph that combines the theoretical purity of the natural escapement with practical durability for everyday use. Kari's design, now implemented across several different movement variations, boasts a 14-year track record of successful operation in the real world.
While the value of these mechanical benefits and achievements is undeniable, the true purpose of the Double Wheel Natural Escapement extends far beyond mere function. The precision laid out in its blueprint, as mandated by the smooth interlocking of gears, gracefully evolves into aesthetic purity, where symmetry and balance are rendered in tangible form. This surprising transition reveals a profound underlying truth: that across disciplines, our most demanding feats of engineering inevitably materialize as powerful visual elegance.
And the resulting beauty is one of fundamental depth, both instinctive and intuitive, as perfection strives to mimic the laws and patterns woven into the fabric of nature itself. In architecture, this principle finds expression in ornamentation, which are reflections of the world we aspire to inhabit, our collective dreams codified into concrete manifestation. Similarly, technical refinements within a wristwatch that transcend mere necessity - exemplified by the échappement naturel - are encapsulations of the tradition of excellence and the vision of the ideal carried into the future with the ticking of time, and ultimately, poetic exhibitions of the relentless drive for mastery embodied by the bearer of the timepiece.
"The human soul is compelled
by an innate desire to go
beyond what is merely sufficient."
June 23, 2025
By Doo Sik Lew
