Co-Axial Escapement

Definition

The escapement designed by the English watchmaker George Daniels and put into production by Omega in 1999. A Swiss lever escapement transmits energy to the balance by a sliding action that needs lubrication and wears as the oil ages; the co-axial uses two wheels on one axis and delivers its impulse by a pushing action with almost no sliding friction, so it holds its rate longer between services. Omega first fitted it to an ETA 2892 base as the 2500, then designed the 8500 around it in 2007, and every Omega mechanical caliber since, including the Master Chronometer family and the Moonwatch's 3861, uses it. It runs at 25,200 vph in most Omega calibers, a beat chosen to suit the escapement rather than inherited from the base.