Category: Technical Perspective

In-Depth – Chronographe Suisse – The Story Behind a Mysterious but Productive Chronograph Brand and Supplier

It’s not uncommon for watch brands to buy cases, movements, crystals, straps, etc. to assemble at their base location, and then stamp their name on the dial and call it their own. Not all companies can build from scratch and even major luxury brands use ETA movements and various outsourced components. Back in the 1940’s, a brand known as Chronographe Suisse (Swiss Chronograph) provided inexpensive “generic” chronograph watches and parts for brands to adopt and add their name. Even local jewellers branded these watches as their own. They sold watches with in-house “Chronographe Suisse” branding as well, adding some confusion into the mix. Popular in the European market as (relatively) cheap Swiss watches for tourists, Chronographe Suisse became a significant revenue source for small, often forgettable brands and many of these watches are collectables today. At its peak, over 500 workshops were producing watches from Chronographe Suisse supplies. This successful business model thrived from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, before the quartz revolution wreaked havoc on the industry overall. Let’s take a closer look at this somewhat forgotten chapter of twentieth-century watch history.

7 years ago

A Technical Perspective – The Rolex Cyclops Lens

Some love it, others hate it. Whether you like it or not, the Cyclops is a signature Rolex feature. Born for utilitarian purposes, this polarising innovation was designed to enhance the date aperture and magnify the typical Rolex date display – the Rolex Datejust with its date window was introduced in 1945. Named after the […]

7 years ago

Just Because – Why Do Clocks and Watches Use the Roman Numeral IIII instead of IV?

Roman numerals are one of the most classic designs found on clocks and watches. As far as we can go back in history, there have always been some clocks, pocket watches and wristwatches with such numerals on the dials. However, owners of such pieces might have noticed something weird, something rather unusual. While the numeral 4 is commonly written IV in the Roman numeric system, most watches rely on the typography IIII. And of course, just like us, you might have asked yourself why? As always, there is no single answer to a problem, but here are some possible explanations for this absurdly important question.

7 years ago

In-Depth – The Art of Hand-Guillochage at Breguet, Preserving Traditional Crafts

A classic Breguet is easily recognizable, even at first glance. The fluted caseband, the welded lugs, the Breguet hands, the Breguet numerals, the secret signature are some of the immutable codes that make a Breguet a Breguet. The timelessness of the brand resides in a style that was established by Abraham-Louis Breguet over 2 centuries ago. The great watchmaker has got the most profound influence on the horological art. Some of his inventions changed the world of watchmaking: the perfecting of the self-winding with his ‘perpétuelle’ watches, the ‘pare-chute’ shock-protection system, the tourbillon or the Breguet hairspring to name a few. But today, we’ll focus on the art of guilloché or engine-turned dials.

7 years ago

A Technical Perspective – A Guide to the Depth Gauge Watches

If scuba diving is a popular recreational sports, it is a dangerous activity that needs to be properly prepared and monitored. If a diver ascends too quickly, this can lead to decompression illness that can be painful and life-threatening. As depth increases the physiological effects become greater. A reliable dive watch and a depth gauge are essential pieces of a diving gear to monitor depth and track the duration of an underwater adventure. Both are needed for using decompression tables. Traditionally, divers were using a dive watch and a depth gauge, to calculate decompression time at given depths. Today, many divers today choose to dive with a computer but some still use a mechanical depth gauge, even if used only as a backup.

7 years ago

Behind-The-Scenes – Inside Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier – How Exactly are Watch Parts Manufactured?

Things used to be better in the good old days? Well, not necessarily. Watchmaking has always relied on technology and it has evolved together with the machinery, tools and techniques that make watch production possible, simply to keep in tune with the times. For this reason, we’re bringing you “behind the scenes”, at Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, to see how watch parts are made.

7 years ago

In-Depth – The Zenith El Primero – Revisiting One of The Most Iconic Movements Ever

Icons stand the test of time. Born in 1969, El Primero (“the first” in Spanish) is still regarded as one of the best and most accurate chronograph movements ever created. Part of a trilogy of automatic chronograph calibres presented coincidentally in 1969, it is the only one that is still produced to date. As Zenith will celebrate the 50thanniversary of this legendary calibre next year, MONOCHROME takes a look back at its history and design.

7 years ago

A Technical Perspective – The Mighty Return of Ultra-Thin Watches

Miniaturisation has always been one of the watchmaking industry’s main objectives. With the advent of complicated watches and the development of the wristwatch, this issue became critical. Fitting multiple functions into a single movement, which has to remain wearable, requires re-imagining space. This also led to the development of ultra-thin watches, guided initially by a desire for elegance, but also in the framework of constant improvement. Popular since the 1960s but slightly forgotten during the 2000s (with the trend for large timepieces), ultra-thin watches recently made a strong comeback – a trend that has sparked open warfare between Piaget and Bvlgari – amongst others.

7 years ago

A Technical Perspective – The Flexure Revolution, Compliant Mechanisms applied to Watchmaking

In mechanical engineering, compliant mechanisms (monolithic or joint-less structures) are flexible mechanisms that transfer an input force or displacement to another point through elastic body deformation, using the elastic properties of matter to affect the motion of mechanical components. These monolithic, compact and precise components replace several mechanically assembled parts. The absence of mechanical coupling eliminates contact, play, friction, wear, lubrication or dispersions.

8 years ago