Ever wondered why certain expensive brands of watches have "Chronometer" inscribed on them? And why they are so damn expensive?
A chronometer watch is a specific kind of instrument tested and certified to meet certain precision standards. In Switzerland, only timepieces certified by the COSC may use the word 'Chronometer' on them and due to prestige associated with the integrity and standards of these specific labs, its become a global practice. Each and every instrument produced is physically tested and certified by four and only four laboratories. COSC aka C.O.S.C. is Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, which is the institute responsible for certifying the accuracy and precision of wristwatches in Switzerland.
To earn chronometer certification, a movement must not only be made from the highest quality components, but also be the object of special care on part of the finest watchmakers and timers during assembly. Only about ~<0.03% of watches are eventually certified with this highest standard as far as mechanical hand crafted instrumentation is concerned. That's a ratio of 1 Chronometer for 10,000,000 watches produced worldwide, out of the 1.2 billion watches produced worldwide in 2005(worldtempus.com report). Fine regulation and chronometer characteristics of a watch can be destroyed in seconds by a rough and inexperienced hand.
Although a quartz based time-keeper(which is what watches were originally called), is almost certainly more accurate in spite of being mass produced, certain individuals and collectors prefer the traditional hand crafted ones. I am guessing its the difference between a Bentley's Flying Spur/Rolls Royce's Phantom and a Toyota Corolla/Honda Accord.
Rolex submit by far the largest number of movements to COSC followed by Omega SA, Breitling, TAG Heuer and Panerai. A total of 27 Swiss brands produced ~1,000 certified chronometer watches last year, according to COSC(watchtime.com report). If you want to buy a watch purely on its mechanical merits, nothing beats a Piaget or a Jaeger.
On the other hand, the Rolex company maintains a tight leash on the number of watches which are being sold in the global market at any given point in time and on the retail price they are sold for by levying heavy penalties - almost always cancelling the dealership if a discount is given. Its similar to the De Beer's company lawfully but, unethically limiting the supply of diamonds, even if they have plenty of stock, in order to maintain the exorbitant price of a diamond.
So, the next time you come across a Swiss Chronometer and think why is it so expensive to buy one, know that not only is it a hand crafted marvel giving you an accuracy of 99.9998%, but it defines the character, obsession and refinement of a passion, far surpassing any object commonly known to produce an equivalent or at times, even better results.
A chronometer watch is a specific kind of instrument tested and certified to meet certain precision standards. In Switzerland, only timepieces certified by the COSC may use the word 'Chronometer' on them and due to prestige associated with the integrity and standards of these specific labs, its become a global practice. Each and every instrument produced is physically tested and certified by four and only four laboratories. COSC aka C.O.S.C. is Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, which is the institute responsible for certifying the accuracy and precision of wristwatches in Switzerland.
To earn chronometer certification, a movement must not only be made from the highest quality components, but also be the object of special care on part of the finest watchmakers and timers during assembly. Only about ~<0.03% of watches are eventually certified with this highest standard as far as mechanical hand crafted instrumentation is concerned. That's a ratio of 1 Chronometer for 10,000,000 watches produced worldwide, out of the 1.2 billion watches produced worldwide in 2005(worldtempus.com report). Fine regulation and chronometer characteristics of a watch can be destroyed in seconds by a rough and inexperienced hand.
Although a quartz based time-keeper(which is what watches were originally called), is almost certainly more accurate in spite of being mass produced, certain individuals and collectors prefer the traditional hand crafted ones. I am guessing its the difference between a Bentley's Flying Spur/Rolls Royce's Phantom and a Toyota Corolla/Honda Accord.
Rolex submit by far the largest number of movements to COSC followed by Omega SA, Breitling, TAG Heuer and Panerai. A total of 27 Swiss brands produced ~1,000 certified chronometer watches last year, according to COSC(watchtime.com report). If you want to buy a watch purely on its mechanical merits, nothing beats a Piaget or a Jaeger.
On the other hand, the Rolex company maintains a tight leash on the number of watches which are being sold in the global market at any given point in time and on the retail price they are sold for by levying heavy penalties - almost always cancelling the dealership if a discount is given. Its similar to the De Beer's company lawfully but, unethically limiting the supply of diamonds, even if they have plenty of stock, in order to maintain the exorbitant price of a diamond.
So, the next time you come across a Swiss Chronometer and think why is it so expensive to buy one, know that not only is it a hand crafted marvel giving you an accuracy of 99.9998%, but it defines the character, obsession and refinement of a passion, far surpassing any object commonly known to produce an equivalent or at times, even better results.
Excellence is achievable, perfection is much more elusive.
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