![]() Iconic chronograph watches like the Rolex Daytona, Omega Speedmaster, and Breitling Navitimer are all chronometers - albeit each earning their chronometer certification from a different set of tested criteria. Below are descriptions of all the major chronometer testing regimens, along with some examples of watches that adhere to their standards. The terms are not interchangeable but they are also not mutually exclusive: a watch equipped with chronograph functions can also be a chronometer if it has met a set of criteria for precision and accuracy predetermined by its manufacturer, and a watch with “Chronometer” as part of its name can also be a chronograph if it can perform those time-measuring functions. Quite simply, a chronometer (from the Greek chronos, meaning time, and meter, meaning measure) is any watch or clock that keeps reliably accurate time, usually as determined by an outside independent testing agency, whereas a chronograph (from chronos and graph, i.e., to “write time”) is any watch or clock with the ability to track and record intervals of time, aka a stopwatch. When addressing the topic of chronometers to someone very new to watch appreciation, one of the first hurdles to clear is the clarification of two very common terms used in the world of timepieces: Chronometer and Chronograph. Zenith, with 2,330 chronometry prizes for accuracy, holds the record for the most historical accolades at these Observatory Trials, which were gradually phased out as the quartz watch became ascendant in the 1970s they were essentially replaced by the formation of the non-profit agency COSC, more on which below. Watchmakers focused on the task of optimizing their timepieces’ precision and submitted their proudest accomplishments in the field to “chronometer competitions” - tests conducted at facilities like Switzerland’s Neuchâtel Observatory and London’s Kew Observatory - throughout the late 19th to mid-20th Century. The term “chronometer” took on a slightly broader meaning as personal, portable timekeeping, as represented by pocket watches and later by wristwatches, became mainstream. Today it is one of several watch manufacturers that make wristwatches that adopt the historical look of a marine chronometer. Ulysse Nardin, founded by its eponym in 1846 in Le Locle, Switzerland, was one of the most prolific and prestigious makers of marine chronometers (as above), supplying them to navies throughout the world, including those of the United States and Great Britain. ![]() Marine chronometers, which were essentially highly accurate clocks mounted on gimbals inside wooden boxes, were among the first portable timepieces and were instrumental in the global seagoing trade that helped build our modern, interconnected world. The man credited with developing the first of these “marine chronometers” was legendary British watchmaker John Harrison his invention facilitated the celestial navigation used at the time by navigators at sea to determine their ship’s position in coordination with a sextant. ![]() Our original, classical definition of a chronometer can be traced back to the golden age of seafaring exploration in the 18th Century, when ships required the use of a highly accurate onboard clock that enabled their navigators to determine longitude in order to avoid the perils of running aground or veering hopelessly off course. ![]() When a watch touts on its dial that it is a "Chronometer" or an "Officially Certified Chronometer" or even a "Superlative Chronometer," what exactly does that mean? How does a chronometer watch differ from a watch that does not make that claim? For that matter, a newbie to the timepiece game might ask, what is the difference between a watch with "chronometer" on the dial and a watch with "chronograph" on the dial? In this comprehensive guide, we attempt to answer all of your burning questions about chronometer watches and what sets them apart. 0% interest for up to 24 months available on select brands. ![]()
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