Improvement is also largely thanks to a constantly expanded knowledge base and centuries of input from brilliant and creative minds. In the last 250 years we have invented driverless cars, pilotless planes, widespread electricity, computers, internet, space travel, and the smartphone.Īnd we are continually improving in virtually all areas thanks to better materials and our understanding of those materials as well as better and more precise machines. Harrison was one of the world’s greatest horologists, but 250 years is a long time and we have advanced so far since then. But the British Admiralty never actually awarded the Longitude Prize to Harrison or anybody else for that matter: it’s believed that was to avoid paying out the full prize money. This invention heralded precision timekeeping as offering much superior navigation at sea compared to celestial observations. Two hundred and fifty years ago, the British Admiralty belatedly and begrudgingly paid Harrison for revolutionizing nautical navigation and saving thousands of lives lost at sea with his H4 marine chronometer, which enabled a precise and reliable determination of longitude (east-west position) at sea. Mea culpa: in the title I described John Harrison as both “the inventor of the marine chronometer and winner of the British Admiralty’s Longitude Prize.” While the first of those statements is true, the second − though widely believed to be so − isn’t. Like many chronometers, this watch is quite expensive and starts from $6.395.Burgess Clock B, completed by Charles Frodsham & Co Also, we like that it is easy to read and almost indestructible. The unique thing about this watch is that it features a second time zone on its dial. A famous fighter-jet ejection inspired this watch. The MBIII is one of the first watches under the Bremont brand. While this British brand may not submit its watches to Swiss chronometer regulations, most of the watches in their lineup are fully certified by COSC. While it features an enamel dial and bright luminous markers along with a gas-filled tube, let us tell you right away that this watch doesn’t come cheap as it starts at $7,669. The Trainmaster Standard Time is one of the finest chronometers to ever grace the watch industry. While they were incredibly popular in the 1800s, they have continued to build watches in their original style. In terms of accuracy, Ball has been a household name in the watch industry. Also, accurate pocket watches helped to improve the railroad industry in the US. Marine chronometers were super important to sea exploration. And just so you know, the souped-up automatic movement fitted in the Tissot Le Locle won the national chronometer competition in 2012 when the watch first launched. If you know the price of some high-end chronometers, you’ll agree that the Tissot Le Locle is fairly priced. An example is the Tissot Le Locle that cost $1,295. These days, brands like Tissot have built great chronometers that don’t cost a fortune. You don’t have to dig too deep into your savings to get a decent and reliable chronometer. That said, two factors must be present for any watch submitted to the COSC to qualify as a chronometer, and they include quality control and premium quality materials. Many factors can either contribute to watches passing COSC certification or failing it. Factors that can make watches pass COSC certification Let us also add that some watches, even though they are precise, aren’t submitted for testing. And just so you know how difficult it is to pass the chronometer test, only 3 percent of watches built in Switzerland successfully pass the COSC certification.
To pass this test, a watch has to have a variation of not more than -4 or +6 seconds per day. For your watch to get the chronometer tag, it has to be put through five different orientations as well as three different temperatures to test its precision under different conditions. Thanks to their incredible years of experience, these guys are responsible for subjecting watch movements to multiple tests to gauge their performance. For those who have no idea, the COSC is a watch testing institute. For a watch to carry the chronometer tag on its dial, it must be certified by the contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC). If you know anything about the Swiss watch industry, you’ll know that it is closely guarded, so the word chronometer is only ascribed to deserving watches.
What criteria must a watch pass to be called a chronometer?