Accredited shock tests for watches

Indirect shock tests for wristwatches (shocks whilst being worn) proposed by the Laboratoire Dubois in La Chaux-de-Fonds have been audited by the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS).

For information, this service evaluates and accredits conformity evaluation bodies - in other words test and calibration laboratories, inspection and certification services, producers of reference materials and providers of aptitude tests - in accordance with international standards. The accreditation formally recognises the competency of an organisation to carry out evaluations of conformity according to specified requirements.

As such, the SAS has recognised and validated the expertise held by the Laboratoire Dubois in a complex technical activity applicable to accreditation tests on movements in containers or on the heads of finished watches. The assurance that tested parts are subjected to rigorously controlled dynamic stresses is a major additional advantage for those wishing to validate a new concept, compare technical alternatives or simply evaluate the reliability of a movement.

The shocks covered by this accreditation are classified in two categories. Firstly, shocks are carried out as part of the Chronofiable ageing cycle. This familiar protocol lasting 21 days is the result of an initiative taken by all sectors of the Swiss watch industry and is still considered today as the benchmark for assessments of reliability. Also covered are «one-off» shocks between 10 and 1,000G, which may be specified according to particular requirements. The latter are carried out using equipment developed in-house which has been optimised in recent years. Accumulated experience also allows a «multiple shock» protocol to be proposed which, while combining shock intensities from the Chronofiable cycle but without thermal constraints, can in some cases be completed in a period of just two days.

December 17, 2014