The Material Problem and Its SolutionÂ
Bringing ceramic into curved shapes without letting the brittleness of the material become an issue is a real manufacturing challenge. According to Vanguart, a year of development time was invested to find a ceramic formulation that could be integrated into the flowing contours of the Orb case while remaining polishable.
The ceramic is positioned on the case flanks as well as in the crown pusher. Custom tools were developed to maintain surface finishing to Vanguart’s standards. Two components that resisted direct ceramic application were solved differently by the development team: the rehaut and the concave oscillating weight were treated with a motorsport-inspired micro-painting technique in the corresponding ceramic color. The process required months of testing, as it is applied to three-dimensional components in operation.
Movement and Mechanism: Unchanged, but RelevantÂ
The caliber remains identical to the original model. The 3 Hz flying tourbillon (21,600 vph), with a titanium main plate, bridges, and tourbillon cage, is made in Grade 5 titanium, with microblasting, satin finishing, block polishing, and hand-drawn facets on the main plate, bridges, and tourbillon cage. The total number of components is 395, and the power reserve is 60 hours.The function selector, the key feature of the Orb, remains present.Â
Three positions (M / A / H) are selected via the crown pusher; the modes activate or deactivate the oscillating weight. In manual mode, it remains fixed; in automatic mode, it rotates freely, with the diamond brilliance set in the rotor acting as a kinetic, light-reflecting surface. A function that goes beyond the decorative. Those who want to control their energy manually can do so. Whether this matters in everyday use is debatable. (Read also: Vanguart expands the Black Hole collection with two fascinating variants).