A French company (SilMach) backed by Timex Group is claiming to have opened a new chapter in watchmaking with the creation of a silicon motor that matches the accuracy of quartz-based movements with the elegance of a mechanical watch’s sweeping hands.
The second hand on my Citizen does advance in second jumps, but it can also sweep smoothly forward or backward when making adjustments. The jump is an intentional feature and not a limitation of the mechanism. I’m guessing the advance here is in making capabilities like that more affordable, but I’m not entirely sure.
I think it’s proof of concept right now.