Incabloc is a brand of shock protection for mechanical watches. It is a sprung mounting that holds the jewel bearings carrying the balance wheel, so they can move when the watch takes a knock. Before systems like this were used, broken balance staffs were a common reason for watch repairs.
How does Incabloc work?
The balance wheel is carried by jewel bearings. In an Incabloc mounting, these bearings are not held rigidly. A spring shaped like a lyre holds them, so they can move within their settings when the watch takes a knock. During a shock, the bearing moves until a sturdier shoulder on the balance staff comes up against the metal endpiece. Once the shock has passed, the springs push the parts back into their normal positions. The lyre-shaped spring became the defining symbol of the system.
Where it comes from
The Swiss engineers Georges Braunschweig and Fritz Marti are credited with inventing the system in 1934. Marti began his research into shock protection while working at a company called Election. Braunschweig raised the money to found Porte-Echappement Universel SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The company was renamed Portescap in 1963. The ‘inca’ in the name comes from the French word ‘incassable’, meaning unbreakable. The word was widely used on durable watches of that era.
What other shock protection systems are there?
Incabloc is one brand among several shock protection systems. ETA’s system is called Etachoc. Kif is another. Seiko’s system is called Diashock, and Citizen’s is called Parashock. The names differ, but each does the same job as Incabloc. That job is to guard the balance of a mechanical watch, the part whose broken staff was once a common reason for repairs.
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