Print Email Facebook Twitter Designing a Visual Effect to Replace the Needle Indicator of an Advanced Mechanical Stopwatch Function Title Designing a Visual Effect to Replace the Needle Indicator of an Advanced Mechanical Stopwatch Function Author Wielaard, Bram (TU Delft Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering) Contributor Goosen, J.F.L. (mentor) Yellowhorse, Alden (graduation committee) Degree granting institution Delft University of Technology Programme Mechanical Engineering | High-Tech Engineering Date 2023-06-27 Abstract This thesis describes the process of designing a visual effect to replace the needle indicator of a rattrapante complication. The mechanisms of the chronograph and rattrapante are explained as well as the importance of aesthetics in the luxury watchmaking industry. After establishing a method to determine a feasible design, the criteria that need to be fulfilled for the final design are quantified. Extra attention is given to: the minimum part size with respect to human visibility; assessing the aesthetic value of different visual effects based on a survey; and quantifying the maximum rotational inertia by means of a friction study. From the aesthetically pleasing ideas from the survey feasible concepts are generated as well as weighted with respect to each other. The best concept is turned into a working mechanism by establishing a production method and calculating stresses in compliant flexures. A torsion hinge that can be produced from a double-BOX-layered silicon wafer is also designed. The actuation by a discrete vertical clutch gripper is designed as well as the extra parts needed for a fully functioning mechanism that fits the design space. As a result, a demonstrator at scale 15:1 is build to show the working mechanisms of the design as well as the visual effect itself. It concludes with a successful mechanism which probably also has relevance in other watches. Subject HorologyRattrapanteAestheticsVisual EffectNeedle IndicatorCompliant Flexure StressDouble-BOX-layered Silicon WaferDiscrete Vertical Clutch Gripper To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:108d17ea-9cf2-4e24-b7ca-c0e2fc592ee4 Embargo date 2025-06-27 Coordinates 51.99276566329678, 4.385138410219543 Part of collection Student theses Document type master thesis Rights © 2023 Bram Wielaard Files file embargo until 2025-06-27