Precision Engineering AG
Precision Engineering AG (PEAG) is a producer of escapement components including hairsprings in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland. It is owned by Moser Watch Holding, owner of the H. Moser & Cie. brand, which in turn is controlled by MELB Holding and the Meylan family.
PEAG was founded in 2001 by Thomas Straumann to develop and manufacturing high-quality escapement components, including balance wheels and hairsprings. Straumann's grandfather invented the Nivarox alloy in 1931, and PEAG worked to develop its own production of the material. The company became an independent subsidiary of Moser Watch Holding in 2012 and remains a major supplier for haute horology brands, including sister brands H. Moser & Cie. and Hautlence as well as other well-known companies.
Moser and PEAG collaborated with Institut Straumann AG to develop their own hairspring alloy starting in 2001. Institut Straumann of Waldenburg was the originator of the Nivarox hairspring material, invented by founder Reinhard Straumann in 1931. As Institut Straumann was now focused on manufacturing dental implants, oversight of the Nivarox legacy fell to PEAG.
PEAG and Moser delivered their first "Straumann Hairspring" in 2007 in the H. Moser & Cie. Henry Double Hairspring watch. Use of the Straumann-branded material spread to most other Moser models in the following years, and became one of the major intellectual and industrial properties of MELB Holding after their formation in 2012.
PEAG's alloy, known as PE 4000, is slightly different from the Nivarox formula. Like Rolex, which also developed its own hairspring alloy, PE 4000 was the result of much development in the 2000s.
PEAG supplies hairsprings to H. Moser & Cie., Hautlence, MB&F, Kari Voutilainen, and others. Production capacity is estimated to be about 50,000 springs annually.