irst things first: all current research work, without exception, builds on inventions from watchmaking’s “classical” era, which had the luxury of being deployed in the more capacious, stationary volumes of a pocket watch. While makers have long since and convincingly demonstrated their capacity to miniaturise a mechanical movement, what of its mechanical, physical and chemical stability when contained in a watch that lives on its owner’s wrist? Is this an impossible equation?

For example, even in a multi-axis tourbillon, whose centre of mass is perfectly controlled, the theoretical combination of average rates will never be perfectly homogenous. Research into chronometric precision is without end.

The influence of collectors

Collectors, in their search for ultimate precision, are increasingly well-informed. Over the past fifteen years, specialist websites, videos and blogs have provided a wealth of detail, guiding collectors along the road to a quality, accurate watch. No doubt many of these same collectors imagined, somewhat naively perhaps, that the price of their watch was proportionate to its precision.

While precision is not every collector’s grail, many expect their timepiece to be adjusted to the tightest tolerances. These same demanding collectors aren’t always aware of how much a watch endures on the wrist, running 24/7 at between 18,000 and 36,000 vibrations/hour. Even the most careful adjustments cannot remain stable in the long term. Shocks, temperature changes, magnetic fields, friction, the chemical instability of oils and lubricants, even simple wear and tear all have an impact. Faced with these everyday enemies, this wonderfully precise mechanism—precise at a time t—will never provide unwavering accuracy over the long term. Even quartz movements are influenced by external factors.

Today’s more knowledgeable collectors legitimately have higher expectations. They are also more indulgent. Increasingly they understand that an accurate, reliable watch is the product of many years of research, testing and multiple iterations. Most of all, it is the reflection of inventive, ingenious, creative solutions to the inherent constraints of a watch worn on the wrist.

Collectors realise that robustness, reliability and precision are not always synonymous with superlative finishing and, conversely, that a superbly finished watch doesn’t necessarily come with chronometer rating. A few brands offer both. (We should also remember that collectors can have the same budget but different expectations).

Chronometry is a difficult balance to achieve. It is nothing less than a miracle.