# New meca-quartz chronograph from Techné



## Ernie Romers (Apr 27, 2005)

Having collected watches for 15 years, Switzerland-based Franck J. decided to take a leap of faith in 2009 and have his own ideas manufactured. Trained in industrial design, watchmaking and goldsmithing, he is familiar with well-built objects that cleverly mix materials and textures. The brand "Techné" sprang from the ancient Greek word "texni", which describes the Arts and Crafts.









Like his earlier collections, the new SparrowHawk II is a tool watch inspired by Aviation instruments. Easy to use and water-resistant to 100 meter, the 41 millimetre-wide timepiece comes with night-visible markings and a matte black dial without glare. Two styles are currently available: brushed steel on steel bracelet, or cockpit black on canvas strap. Versions on rubber and leather straps are planned for March 2012.

The Sparrowhawk II uses a novelty energy-efficient quartz mechanism developed by Seiko Instruments. Running with half of the energy requirement, it can reset at the touch of a finger. As a consequence, this "stopwatch on a diet" can sweep 1/5th of a second and maintain a normal battery life.







Although being a micro-brand, Techné pays close attention to sustainability: all carbon emissions are compensated for and recycled paper is used for stationery and packaging. Furthermore, frequent donations to NGO's help moving labour rights forward in Asia, where the timepieces are assembled.

*KEY FACTS*
1. The chronograph part of the VK mechanism requires more than 20 single parts, exactly like traditional mechanical chronographs such as the ETA 7750.
2. Instead of using an extra step motor for each hand axle, all the chronograph hands on the VK are connected through a traditional gear train that only requires 1 step motor.
3. The chronograph keeps showing 1/5th of a second as long as it is kept running (up to 20 or 60 minutes based on the version). Past the first 3 minutes, most quartz chronographs only display fractions upon request.
4. The VK allows time setting while keeping the chronograph running. On most quartz chronographs, the measurement is simply cancelled when the crown is pulled out to set the time.
5. The VK does not require any additional battery power to reset the hands. A multi-headed lever based on Seiko's high-end traditional chronographs uses the motion of the pusher to reset the system.







*SPECIFICATIONS*
 Measurements: 41.5 x 49.5 x 11.7 mm 
 Water-resistance: 10 bar (100 m / 333 ft. static) 
 Industry-grade 316L stainless steel, sand-blasted and aviation-grade black Physical Vapour Deposit, or brushed 
 Matte black dial with non-radioactive strontium aluminate-based photo-luminescent compound 
 Hardened Mineral crystal with anti-reflective coating 
 Limited Warranty 12 months 
 Calibre Seiko Instruments VK63, diameter 131⁄2 French Lines by 5.1 mm 
 Time base: Quartz Oscillator 32'768 Hz 
 Smallest unit displayed: 5 Hz 
 Accuracy (minutes per year): ±0h02 
 Autonomy: 26'000 hours (3 years)

*Related link:* Home | Techné Instruments


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