Chronograph watch - what is it?
CHRONOGRAPH WATCH
Dizzy from the abundance of counters? No panic! In this article, we will analyze in detail what a chronograph in a watch is, how to use it and who needs it.
What is a chronograph?
The chronograph is the most popular optional feature in the watch, measuring short periods of time. The central second hand turns into a stopwatch, and the usual second hand is hidden in one of the small counters. We’ll tell you more about the counters a little later.
Often they confuse two concepts: a chronograph and a chronometer. Once upon a time, any watch was called a chronometer, but now it is customary to consider a class of highly accurate watches to have passed a series of tests and received a certificate (the most famous is the Swiss COSC).
How to externally determine whether it is a chronograph? Classic chronographs have two buttons on the sides of the crown and 3 additional subdials on the dial.
In some models, the pusher can be one (or the crown itself plays the role of the pusher), and the subdials are two or even four in a row.
Types of chronographs
Why is a chronograph needed - to use it for its intended purpose or just for the beauty effect? We will analyze different types of chronographs so as not to get confused.
By the type of mechanism: mechanical and quartz chronographs.
Quartz chronographs are easier to use and more accurate in indications. But mechanical chronographs are winning in its beauty. In the pre-quartz era, they won the hearts of horse racing enthusiasts (although in the 19th century they were no wrist watches, but desktop games). Just imagine: the second hand did not just follow the time that the horse was running, but literally recorded the testimony (put an ink dot near the number). Hence the greek name for the function: chronos “time” + graph “write”. Of course, modern chronographs do not write anything, but excellently show excellent, and not only seconds.
Accuracy: standard and ultra-precise chronographs.
Standard chronographs measure time with an accuracy of 1 or 1/20 second. But for some brands, record-breaking chronographs can take measurements with an accuracy of 1/1000 of a second. Of course, such accuracy is useless in everyday life, but the professional chronographs are there to benefit professionals - for example, coaches who prepare their champions for competitions.
By style: sportive and classic chronographs.
Initially, a chronograph is a sports function. With the introduction of quartz and electronic watches, the hand has given way to liquid crystal screens. In terms of convenience, a sports wristwatch-chronograph wins an exquisite classic. But classics often bypass sports models in the nomination “style and beauty”.
Chronograph Setting
We will not bore you with long excerpts from the instructions, but we will outline the most important points regarding the operation and setting of chronograph watches.
The more often you use the chronograph, the faster the battery runs out. Therefore, do not forget to turn it off after use.
Most often there is a confusion between the stopwatch (large central hand) and the second hand (hiding in one of the small counters).
ВTop button = start / stop.
Bottom button = reset.
Out of habit, a bunch of small counters may seem complicated and incomprehensible, but in fact, everything is simple. One of the counters shows ordinary seconds - you just need to remember its location among the other counters. And do not pay attention to the rest: cases when they may be needed are very rare
For example, there are counters that show how many minutes or hours you already have a chronograph on. Suppose you need to know the exact travel time from one city to another - then these counters can come in handy, but almost always they are idle without work.
Finally, there are counters that enhance the accuracy of the readings. These are also rare cases in everyday life (and frequent ones in sports). For example, in an EGO 1898.0.9 watch, the price of one division on the right counter = 0.02 seconds = 1/50 seconds.
Detailed instructions on how to use the chronograph in watches can be found in the technical data sheet, for this it is enough to know the name of the mechanism.
At NIKA, women and men chronographs can be found in two collections: Celebrity and Ego. All chronographs have one of these mechanisms: Ronda 5030.D (Switzerland) or Miyota 6S50 (Japan). A complete catalog of chronograph watches is available here.
Sometimes, a choreographer can be paired with another tachometer, which is incomprehensible yet very interesting. A tachymeter measures the speed of a vehicle. Let's say you are on 'Sapsan' and are interested whether it could beat the Japanese high-speed trains. Driving past a kilometer post, you press the top button of the chronograph. Passing the next pillar, you once again press the top button. The stopwatch hand will not only show the elapsed seconds - on the tachymeter scale it will show the speed of the train (km/h).
Chronograph Selection
Previously, the chronograph was a revolutionary invention and a professional tool, but now it has long been supplanted by sports stopwatch (or even smartphones) and only narrow specialists (athletes, teachers, doctors) use it.
In the vast majority of cases, chronograph watches are bought because of their beauty. Both men and women are equally pleased with the benefit of the price of chronograph watches, which allows you not to choose between convenience, status and beauty, but to get everything together in one bottle.
Men love chronographs because they look brutal or sportier than costume watches. By the way, gold chronograph watches can sometimes be called neither classic nor sporty - this is an intermediate option for especially demanding men. And the original straps help turn any classic into a sport.
Women love chronographs because they are larger and more entertaining than the usual classics, and they can also be very stylishly combined with bracelets. A great example: the female chronograph EGO 1807.2.9.14Н.
Now, you already decided that life isn’t as interesting without these cute counters. How to choose a chronograph? The main thing that matters is the beauty in a watch, the rest is secondary.
However, don't forget to pay attention to the presence of important details:
- Contrasting or just clear counters;
- Large numbers (including date, if provided);
- Reliable mechanism.
