Co-Axial Escapement
In 1970, the English watchmaker George Daniels developed the Co-Axial escapement, which he patented in 1980. The idea behind this development was to develop a different design that would reduce friction between the escape wheel teeth and the anchor plates and thus require less oil for the movement. It owes its name “Co-Axial Escapement” to two gear wheels arranged one above the other on a shaft.
The English watchmaker's result is a four-plate escapement. Two of these plates are rest plates on an anchor. The others are impulse plates, one of which sits on the anchor and the other on the balance wheel. The impulse is not given via an inclined plane, as with the anchor escapement, but rather with little friction, like the chronometer escapement.
The advantages of the anchor escapement are safer self-starting, less vibration and no risk of double triggering. Paired with the chronometer escapement, which is intended to ensure a smooth drive and largely independence from lubrication.
In short: The Co-Axial escapement is the heart of a mechanical watch, as it maintains the oscillations of the balance wheel and at the same time the regulating mechanism of the watch. A benefit of this development for a mechanical watch is a movement that requires less maintenance and, above all, can have greater rate stability and greater precision.
The watch manufacturer Omega ventured into the Co-Axial escapement in 1999 and built the first wristwatches with this escapement. A complete success, because to this day Omega is the only watch manufacturer to produce watch movements with this escapement. It should be noted that Omega's patents for the Co-Axial escapement have expired years ago, meaning any company can recreate this escapement. Nobody has dared to do it yet.
Note for the Co-Axial escapement:
Less oil means slower aging, slower aging means less maintenance required.
