WatchTime - August 2012

SÉMON SOLVED THE
V4’S FRICTION
PROBLEM WITH A
FEMTOLASER: NOT A
SOLUTION MOST
WATCHMAKERS
WOULD ENVISION.
mainsprings, gear trains and escapements
in the same watch. The escapements
can operate at different frequencies,
opening the door to watches with
ultra-fast chronographs that do not affect
timekeeping accuracy when they are
activated.
To prove that the idea works, Sémon
is pursuing the creation of a new timekeeping
standard for chronographs, to
be applied by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse
des Chronomètres (COSC). To achieve
the new standard, Sémon is working
with scientists from the International
Standards Organization, or ISO, with
the observatory at Besançon (France’s official
timekeeper), and with COSC. (It is
a common misperception that COSC establishes
the guidelines that must be met
to achieve chronometer certification. In
fact, the standards are set by the ISO,
and specifically, ISO 3159, which establishes
the standard for chronometer certification.
COSC tests movements to determine
whether they meet ISO standards.)
Sémon hopes to submit the first
chronograph for the new certification in
2013. Once the standard is in place, any
brand will be able to submit watches for
testing.
THE “DUAL ARCHITECTURE” approach
also allows Sémon to pursue his
research in the area of ultra-fast chronographs.
In traditional chronograph
movements, a single escapement regulates
both the timekeeping and stopwatch
functions. This limits the chronograph
to the more leisurely frequencies
appropriate for timekeeping in a move-
ment designed to operate continuously
for years on end. A 4 Hz, or 28,800
vph, escapement may be fine for telling
the time of day, but it limits the chronograph
to 1/8-second increments. Sémon
and his team are designing mechanical
chronographs that can split
seconds into 1/100-second and even
1/1,000-second and beyond.
Sémon’s first fast chronograph – the
Carrera Mikrograph – can time events
to the nearest 1/100-second. Introduced
in January 2011, it features twin
barrels powering separate gear trains
and twin escapements with different
frequencies – 4 Hz or 28,800 vph for
timekeeping, and 50 Hz or 360,000
vph for the chronograph. The central
chronograph hand makes one full trip
around the dial each second. The
TAG Heuer’s
Mikrograph times
events to the nearest
1/100-second.
Mikrograph is being produced in a limited
series of 150 pieces, priced at
$50,000. (See the Mikrograph review
in this issue.)
In March 2011 at Baselworld, TAG
Heuer launched Sémon’s second baby,
the Mikrotimer Flying 1000, the
world’s first 500 Hz mechanical
chronograph, capable of timing events
to the nearest 1/1,000-second. Like the
Mikrograph, it features separate mainsprings,
gear trains and escapements
for the timekeeping and chronograph
functions. At 500 Hz, or 3.6 million
vph, it is 125 times faster than a standard
28,800 vph chronograph. The
central chronograph hand completes a
full rotation around the dial 10 times
per second.
Most people would call it a day af-
August 2012 WatchTime 69