News The winners of the 2013 edition will be revealed on 24 October this year at the Musée du Temps in Besançon. Meanwhile the timepieces in competition are currently undergoing a meticulous battery of tests. Explanations!
Relaunched in 2009 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Le Locle Watch Museum, the International Chronometry Contest is now in its third year. A successor to observatory contests, which became established in the 19th century and continued through to the second half of the 20th century, it adopts a scientific, technical and cultural approach intended to highlight the expertise of watchmakers, artisans and manufacturers who share a passion for perfection. Its aim is to support chronometry in the field of contemporary mechanical watchmaking by giving practitioners an opportunity to assess and compare the levels of performance obtained. It differs from the old contests in that it compares the performance and reliability of cased-up watches that may be available commercially.
On 30 May this year, 38 timepieces submitted by 30 participants were taken to the Le Locle Museum. Classified in three categories - tourbillons, traditional watches and watches prepared by schools – they will undergo no fewer than three chronometer certification tests, interspersed with shock tests and an assessment of their resistance to everyday magnetic fields. Twelve timepieces come from schools (CIFOM in Le Locle, CEJEF in Porrentruy, Carrousel des Montres in La Chaux-de-Fonds) and a further 25 were submitted by watch manufacturers, while one piece will remain anonymous throughout the process, a status that will prevent it from winning the contest. Moreover, only the names of the winners of each category will be revealed, with other results remaining confidential.
Step one in the series of tests took place at Besançon Observatory, where the 38 watches underwent their first chronometric test lasting sixteen days. An identical test then followed at the Bureau Officiel des Chronomètres in Biel (COSC). This second test allows a comparison of results, often a useful source of validation. La Haute Ecole Arc in Le Locle then received the timepieces and subjected them to shock and anti-magnetism tests.
During the shock test phase, watches are «stressed» as in daily life when worn on the wrist. By means of a robot designed specifically for this purpose, dropping of the watch is simulated and it is subjected to forces of between 2,000 and 10,000 G. Knocks on the wrist are also simulated (between 500 and 2,000 G), as well as shocks registered by the body but filtered through the wrist, such as applause or a hill descent by mountain bike for example (from 0 to 200 G). After this catalogue of mistreatment, the timepieces are subjected to different magnetic fields, also in the context of everyday life. Without realising it, people are regularly exposed to magnetism (mobile phones, handbag clasps, display panels with small magnets, mini loud speakers, shop sliding doors, airport security gates, etc). Watches are subjected to magnetic fields of 6 thousandths of 1 tesla, i.e. an exposure one hundred times greater than the earth’s magnetic field. This part of the tests is based on the standard ISO 764 (NIHS 90-10).
Finally, after being «tortured» in this way, the timepieces will again undergo the chronometric test at the COSC in Biel. At this stage of the contest the ranking varies, since the shock effect can sometimes greatly impair the running of a watch. Experts agree however that the accuracy of a timepiece can even improve at this stage of the tests. The enigma remains insoluble! Pending the classification established by the jury, the watches remain in Le Locle Watch Museum. A maximum of 1,000 points can be awarded to a timepiece in perfect all-round working order. From this ceiling, points are deducted for each criterion.
The Jury that officiates during the contest consists of independent personalities who guarantee the scientific and legal validity of the results. It is chaired by Jean-Marc Triscone, Dean of the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva. Another member of the jury, Laurent-Guy Bernier (METAS), officiates as technical adjudicator. The Honorary Committee of the 2013 International Chronometry Contest is chaired by Claude Nicollier (astronaut, NASA, Prof. EPFL).
The results will be announced on 24 October at the Musée du Temps in Besançon. The timepieces will then be exhibited until the end of the year at Le Locle Watch Museum - Château des Monts, the Contest’s supervisory authority.
September 09, 2013
