Invention: Swatch, ultrasonic welding and more
Swiss inventor and entrepreneur Elmar Mock developed an ultrasonic welding technique that helped create the Swatch wristwatch and pave the way for design-driven consumer electronics. It also became the basis for Mock's consulting company, Creaholic, which churns out creative ideas by the hundreds - ranging from medical bone-welding techniques to water-saving handwashers and tiny piezomotors.
What began as a hasty sketch of a simple,
plastic wristwatch eventually became the world's best-selling timepiece. The
Swatch, which first hit the market in 1983, helped rejuvenate Switzerland's beleaguered
watchmaking industry.
Swatch's creation owes much to its co-inventor, Elmar Mock, who developed ultrasonic welding processes that were used inside the watch's case and to attach its acrylic crystal. These techniques, along with a novel design, reduced the number of pieces necessary to build a wristwatch by almost half - from the 91 pieces found in standard timepieces down to only 51 - and slashed production costs.
The Swatch was an overnight sensation. It also jump-started the career of serial innovator Mock, who is the inventor or co-inventor of 178 patent families across a variety of industries ranging from watchmaking to mechanical and medical engineering. Mock and his Creaholic team reworked the Swatch's ultrasonic welding techniques for several offshoot applications, including "welding" wood, concrete and even human bone. These, in turn, became the seedbed for his company Creaholic, which now develops innovative technological solutions for over 200 clients and has produced nine successful spin-offs.
Societal benefit
The Swatch was a revolutionary device; it marked one of the first intersections of functionality and fashion, and was a precursor to more modern, must-have gadgets that enjoy similar ubiquity. The Swatch's impact, however, extends beyond the realm of consumerism. It acted as a springboard for Mock to dedicate the rest of his life to encouraging and celebrating inventiveness. His consulting company, Creaholic, not only specialises in helping clients across numerous sectors with creative solutions, it also doubles as a start-up incubator.
Creaholic has launched nine spin-offs. One of these, SpineWelding, capitalises on the ultrasound welding technology that Mock used in the Swatch. Rather than watch parts, however, SpineWelding manufactures orthopaedic implants that are effectively "glued" to vertebrae using a thermoplastic-resin adhesive that is melted by ultrasound. Another spin-off, WoodWelding, implements a similar technique to connect wood and other porous material used in furniture, flooring and panels. Licensees include Ikea and German fastener company Würth.
Creaholic's endeavours now extend far beyond ultrasonic welding applications. Three of its spin-offs offer ways to minimise water consumption. Smixin's patented handwashing station saves up to 90% of the water of a typical washbasin. The Gojsa showerhead and Joulia drain dramatically reduce the amount of water and energy needed for bathing. Meanwhile, electronics spin-off Miniswyss has developed a tiny, highly efficient piezomotor that is used in smartphone cameras for autofocus, zoom and macro-zoom functions.
Economic benefit
The launch of the Swatch ended a painful decade for Swiss watchmaking. In its heyday from the 1950s through to the 1970s, the Swiss commanded up to 90% of the global market, but by 1983 their market share had dropped to 15%. Within a few years of the Swatch's international unveiling, however, annual sales were already running at millions of units. By 2014, more than 600 million Swatch wristwatches had been sold, generating revenues in excess of EUR 6.15 billion. Today, the Swatch Group, which controls 18 brands among 37 subsidiaries across 50 countries, is the world's largest watch manufacturer.
Founded in 1986, Creaholic has a workforce of around 50 people and has completed more than 800 consulting contracts. The company has yearly revenues of just under EUR 5 million and estimates that the ideas provided by its consultants generate some EUR 3.75 billion annually for clients. One of Creaholic's main clients is the Swedish food-packaging firm Tetra Pak; its agreements with this firm generate about 5-10% of its annual income. Creaholic has also worked for Würth, Ikea, Nestlé, Du Pont, Bosch, Nespresso, BMW and Roche.
The nine spinoffs from Creaholic's start-up incubator belong to the employees themselves. Several of these spinoffs are offshoots of technologies first developed for consultancy clients and then used in different fields or sectors under intellectual property agreements.
