In my previous posting about an exhibit in the Gallery at One Market, I described our largest exhibit. In the words of Steve Martin, "Let's get small." Since 1846, Swiss watch manufacturer Ulysse Nardin has been building innovative timepieces that combine fine craftsmanship with scientific rigor. Ulysse Nardin’s Sonata Silicium is the world’s first mechanical 24-hour alarm watch with a count-down display, enabling its wearer to set the alarm a day in advance and clearly visualize the time remaining. The Sonata Silicium is a creation of Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, a watchmaker famous for his expertise in astronomical timepieces. Each Ulysse Nardin Sonata watch consists of more than 400 tiny parts that must be precisely designed and assembled. Their design team uses 3D modeling to visualize the intricate assembly of gears and springs. This enables them to detect and eliminate interferences early in the process. The result is a mechanism that works as finely as, well, a Swiss watch. The computer aided design applications in the Ulysse Nardin process include: AutoCAD - used to document the process // more Autodesk Inventor - used for 3D modeling // more Autodesk Showcase - used to create realistic images and interactive presentations // more Autodesk Vault Manufacturing - used to manage revisions and locate data for reuse // more Using our software, Ulysse Nardin was able to cut their development time in half, allowing the team to design and produce a new, mechanically complex watch in just two years. Wow - they saved time in making a watch. I find that both humorous and appropriate. The watch parts are so small that the exhibit features a handheld microscope. The gallery is open to the public on Wednesdays from 12 pm to 5 pm, and admission is free. Visit us. Taking time to appreciate the elegance of one of man's smallest designs is alive in the lab.

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