What’s this thing called ‘Incabloc’ in your watch?

Back in a 1935 Swiss watch industry report a watch expert stated that wristwatches lead a ‘dangerous life. It is proved that damage to a watch, mainly caused by shock, occurs to its most sensitive mechanism, the balance.’ There had been several attempts at solving this most intractable problems in watchmaking but it wasn’t until the Porte-Eschappement Universal company invented the Incabloc system in 1933. It’s a shock protection system designed to prevent damage to the delicate pivots and jewel bearings of a watch movement when subjected to physical shocks. It became widely adopted in the watchmaking industry due to its effectiveness in enhancing the durability and longevity of mechanical watches.

Incabloc advertisement from Paris Match, Dec 1951.

The Incabloc system addressed this by allowing the jewel bearings to move slightly within a spring-loaded setting. When the watch experiences a shock, the jewels are displaced but then return to their original position, thereby reducing the likelihood of breakage.

This invention was significant because it increased the robustness of mechanical watches, making them more reliable for everyday wear. The widespread adoption of Incabloc technology by major watch manufacturers helped establish it as a standard in the industry. Over time, the Incabloc system has been refined and remains a key feature in many high-quality mechanical watches.

What’s ingenious about the system is that it could be fitted into all calibres and was selling a million of them by 1951 and many millions by the end of the 20th century.

The introduction of Incabloc was part of a broader trend in the 20th century towards making watches more resilient and practical for consumers, enabling them to better withstand the rigors of daily use. It is an enduring legacy in the watchmaking world, symbolizing the industry's commitment to precision, durability, and innovation.