Position Of WatchĪt first glance, it may look as if the watch is out of tolerance for Rolex timekeeping requirements as +5 seconds and -3 seconds are well out of the +2 -2 range. The following chart explains a typical readout from a watch-timing machine. The watch is then tested in the various positions we discussed. (The machine uses the sounds that the escapement makes to gauge how the watch is performing and converts that to numerical data.) The watch is adjusted to a specific time, say plus-2 seconds per day as calculated by a watch-timing machine. The + 2 – 2 requirements are an average taken over all positions of testing. Examples would be a hand pointed to the floor, a hand resting on a table, and a hand pointed toward the sky. These are the most common positions for a watch to be in. These positions represent the dial facing upwards and then downwards and the vertical positions of 3 o’clock (pointed upwards), 6 o’clock (pointed upwards) and 9 o’clock (pointed upwards). There are two horizontal positions and three vertical, or hanging, positions in which the movements are tested, giving a total of five overall positions. That means it can only gain a maximum of 2 seconds or lose a maximum of 2 seconds in 24 hours. But when reading these figures, we need to know what we are reading.įor this article, we shall look at the stringent new Rolex requirements.įor a Rolex watch to meet its requirements, it needs to keep time within plus 2 seconds to minus 2 seconds per day. As brands claim greater accuracy than ever before, it’s essential to hold them to account and make sure the stated numbers are a reality. With watch timing machines being manufactured relatively inexpensively these days and watch-timing apps available on all smartphones, collectors are keenly interested in testing the performance of their watches, and so they should be. With new certifications and testing requirements being rolled out across the industry, what do the figures we read about in these certifications mean in a real world scenario on your wrist? Run The Numbers The Geneva Seal have updated their timekeeping requirements to ensure that a watch does not exceed 1-minute variation over 7 days. certification, which states that the watch must accurately record time between 0 and + 5 seconds per day. Patek Philippe has created its seal, which requires calibers over 20mm to be accurate to -3 +2 seconds over 24 hours. But watch companies have put forth new and improved testing and timekeeping requirements. Chronometer certification is still a reliable benchmark for accuracy today. In the last few years, however, companies are refusing to rest on their laurels and are pushing the timekeeping boundaries further. There are also thermal variations taken into account, but we won’t get into that here. The chronometer certification requires a watch to keep an average daily rate between the parameters of +6 – 4 seconds per day, as measured over the first ten days of testing. have been the industry standard for timekeeping. In modern times, chronometer certificates issued by C.O.S.C. As a result of that, wristwatches today are the most accurate they have ever been and set to become more accurate in the future as a result of new manufacturing techniques and concepts. Over the next hundred years, watchmakers developed new techniques and improved on existing designs to obtain greater accuracy from mechanical watches and overcome the hurdles of gravity. This tiny horological machine was now portable and required the ability to be thrust into various positions on an almost constant basis. While the wristwatch was undoubtedly revolutionary, it did bring with it a whole new set of problems. They were small, portable, and practical compared to pocket watches, which were bulky and cumbersome. Here was a revolutionary product that meant time was always with you, and a casual glance at the wrist was all that was required. Eventually, these were the only watches the public wanted. In the late 1800s, the wristwatch entered the scene and changed the landscape of mechanical watchmaking forever, becoming more and more commonplace as the years went on.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |