Chronometers

A chronometer is an extremely accurate timepiece. The word is taken from the Greek words, chronos and metron. They mean "to measure time".

A Swiss chronometer is usually a mechanical watch, whose precision has been tested and verified by COSC, the official Swiss watch testing bureau.

The chronometer designation is a badge of honor and proofs that the watch is in a superior quality.


Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date Watch, 50th Anniversary Edition (2003)

In 2006, the Contrôle officiel suisse des chronomètres (COSC) issued 1,300,140 certificates, or 10.7% more than in 2005. The number of registered pieces rose by 10.5% to 1,351,317 (1,243,915 in the mechanical category, +10.8%, and 56,225 in the quartz category, +5.3%).

Here are the detail breakdown.

1/ Rolex (710,752 certificates)
2/ Omega (257,187)
3/ Breitling (182,223)
4/ Panerai (46,454)
5/ Chopard (23,462)
6/ Ulysse Nardin (10,111)
7/ Corum (8,189)
8/ TAG Heuer (7,450)
9/ Chanel (6,980)
10/ Mido (5,722)
11/ Porsche Design (3,892)
12/ Bulgari (3,698)
13/ Ebel (3,516)
14/ Montblanc (3,471)
15/ Invicta (2,717)
16/ Titoni (2,018)
17/ Zenith (1,917)
18/ Rado (1,805)
19/ Eterna (1,706)
20/ Enicar (1,672)
21/ Paul Picot (1,638)
22/ Sinn (1,596)
23/ Christian Dior (1,100)

All other applicants obtained fewer than 1,000 certificates.

It is interesting to note that of the 56,225 certificates for quartz chronometers, 54,744 were awarded to Breitling products.

http://www.fhs.ch

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Though Rolex had the lion's share of the market in the Chronometers (with over 50% of the 1.3 million certificates issued), a truly "hand-made" timepiece by Rolex is rarely found.

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