Micro rotors vs peripheral rotors

A mechanical watch is a hand-wound watch that has a rotor on the back and is wound by gravity and the movement of the arm.
The watchmakers who are known for the origins of its development are Abraham-Louis Perrelet, Abraham-Louis Breguet, and Bere Saton. At that time, the culture of wristwatches was dedicated to the military and as gifts to royalty and aristocracy, competing for functionality and beauty. In particular, in the military field, wristwatches became popular in the 1850s as a necessity for knowing the current time.
As time passed and the war ended, dress codes such as suits began to spread among the upper classes. The next thing that craftsmen were asked to do was to make thinner watches.

All manufacturers of watches other than those making sports watches began working on making their movements thinner.
Representative brands include IWC, Seiko, Eterna, Bienne SA, Buren, and Universal Geneve.
Among these, Buren and Universal Geneva were the earliest to successfully develop and design.
Büren advertised its micro-rotor movement as "Super Slender". The patent dispute was with Universal Geneva in Switzerland.

If you're interested, you might also find it interesting to look into peripheral rotors, which were developed around the same time.
Carl F. Bucherer Caliber A1000, Patek Philippe and Cartier 9603 MC are also in the works.
Bvlgari has created the thinnest automatic watch ever made, with the Octo Finissimo measuring just 3.95mm, as well as the thinnest tourbillon.
Famous brands include DeWitt, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Audemars Piguet, and Piaget.
While a normal rotor blocks about half of the movement, a peripheral rotor is thinner and rotates more smoothly around the outer circumference of the movement using gravity and power, allowing a full view of the movement.

The culture of micro-rotors has been passed down to the present day, and starting with Patek Philippe, Roger Dubuis, Laurent Ferrier, Armin Strom, Bvlgari, Seiko, and the world record-holding Bvlgari Octo series are all famous for their micro-rotors. Micro-rotors require advanced technology to maintain the power source and are delicate, so they are generally expensive. It's unfortunate for watch fans, but it's not uncommon for many manufacturers to decorate their micro-rotors with luxurious 18K gold decorations.

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In the 2020s, you can see them from brands such as Capek, Roman Gautier, Speake-Marin, Laine, and A. Lange & Söhne.
The final answer will come down to personal preference, but choosing a watch with a rotor type such as micro rotor or peripheral rotor is also a stylish choice. Enjoy your watch even more as the movement continues to evolve at an accelerating rate.

At Comptoine, we also accept overhauls of watches and repairs of complicated watches. Please feel free to contact us.

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03-3299-8008