The 14th International Chronometry Congress of the Swiss Chronometry Society meets September 28-29 at the Salle Stravinsk in Montreux, Switzerland. This year’s theme is “Time and Sport: Technological and Human Challenges”. During the Congress, about twenty lectures will be presented to over 500 watchmakers, technicians, engineers and professionals.

Selected presentations will summarize the latest technological innovations regarding chronometry. Others will allow participants to enter an athlete’s mind by questioning his relationship with time. The Congress is proud to welcome important athletes including Erica Reymond Hess (Alpine Skiing), Stefan Volery (Swimming), Magali Di Marco Messmer (Triathlon), René Arnoux (Formula 1 racing).

In parallel with the Congress, and in light of the success of the exhibit that took place during the 2009 Journée d’Etude, the Swiss Chronometry Society will organize a new exhibit about sport watches, which will be open only to those attending the Congress.

Click here to download the official program in PDF format with complete information about the Congress in French and English.

Additional information is available in French at the official Swiss Chronometry Society website.

A Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Tourbillon Caliber 978 wristwatch won the first timing competition in more than 35 years, gaining 909 points out of a perfect timing score of 1,000. Second place went to a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gyrotourbillon with 908 points. The Chronometrie 2009 international timing competition for mechanical wristwatches was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the watch museum in Le Locle.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Tourbillon

A total of 16 watches entered the competition and six were eliminated during the 45 days of timing trials held at Switzerland’s chronometer-testing institute, COSC, in Biel and at the Besançon observatory in neighboring France. The competition generated some controversy because participation was open only to select countries, and Japan, among others, was not invited. Seiko won Swiss chronometer competitions held in the late 1960s. The Le Locle competition was the first since the Neuchâtel Observatory held the last trial in 1972.

The results of the Le Locle competition, kept secret since it ended in October, were announced at a ceremony at the museum on December 3, 2009. The prize for the best performing watch submitted by an independent watchmaker was awarded to Mr. René Addor, whose watch gained 795 points, coming seventh overall.

The timing trials, according to the ISO 3159 international chronometer norms, were divided into three 15-day sessions, starting in Besançon, then at COSC and once more at COSC after the shock and magnetism tests. The watches were tested cased-up; the usual COSC chronometer certification tests only the uncased movement.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 movement

The Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 cased up

The revival of competitive timing also brings back the craft of the régleur, or precision timer who prepares watches for the contest. The art consists of juggling conflicting parameters to achieve the truest time and the most constant rate in different positions and temperatures. The two Jaeger-LeCoultre watches were adjusted by a team led by the firm’s technical director, Mr. Jean-Claude Meylan.

The timing results of the competition show that the Master Tourbillon gained on average 0.13 seconds a day, or less than 47.5 seconds a year, and its rate did not vary more than 0.28 seconds a day. The multi-axis Gyrotourbillon movement with a helical mainspring showed remarkable constancy of rate between vertical and horizontal positions, with an average daily variation of 0.29 seconds in the three stages of the trial.

On November 30, Zenith celebrated a famous caliber and the 100th birthday of the watchmaker who created it. Ephrem Jobin was the brains and hands behind Caliber 135. Introduced in 1948 at the height of a battle to achieve increased precision fought among several watch manufacturers, Caliber 135 included several innovative technical features that enabled it to win numerous prestigious awards and prizes, including an unprecedented 5 consecutive Neuchâtel Observatory chronometry prizes from 1950 to 1954. In all, the movement garnered about 200 honors, two-thirds of which were first prizes.

Ephrem Jobin with Zenith CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour and Zenith watchmakers

Born in 1909 and likely the world’s oldest living watchmaker, Ephrem Jobin played a variety of roles in Zenith’s development. During his tenure from 1939 to 1954, he developed three complete calibers, including the 135. In 1946 he was commissioned to invent a 30mm caliber capable of meeting the requirements for the Neuchâtel Observatory competition. His recipe for success included a large barrel to increase the power reserve, and an oversize balance to enhance precision. This required a rethinking the movement design, including offsetting the minute wheel from the central axis to provide space for the enlarged balance. The observatory competition version of this legendary movement (Caliber 135.0) was equipped with a Breguet overcoil balance-spring, as well as a single or double arrow-shaped index or regulator ensuring balanced friction and enabling optimal adjustment. The movement’s high quality limited production. About 11,000 movements were produced, and watches with the movement are sought after by collectors today.

A vintage Zenith with Caliber 135

A Zenith Caliber 135 from a timing competition with one of many award certificates

Zenith is commemorating Mr. Jobin’s jubilee by issuing a special 100-piece limited edition watch in his honor. The company presented him with Number 100 at the birthday ceremony. The watch is powered by an automatic COSC-certified Elite 689 movement having notably benefited from the technical progress made during Mr. Jobin’s time at Zenith. The 18-carat rose gold case with sapphire crystals on either side frames an understated brown sunray dial graced by 18-carat rose gold faceted hands and hand-mounted applied hour markers. This handsome model conveys Zenith’s gratitude to Mr. Jobin for his major contribution to the history and development of the brand.

From January 17-22, concurrent with SIHH, 29 independent watch brands and craftsmen will display their latest collections at the first Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE). The GTE is an effort by smaller, independent watch brands to pool their resources to battle the global economic crisis and to present their products together in an atmosphere designed for firms that are not members of the major groups.

The first edition of GTE runs from Sunday, January 17 (opening 2 p.m.) through Friday, January 22. GTE will be held in the heart of Geneva at the International Geneva Conference Center (CICG), close to Place des Nations. The 29 exhibitors’ stands will cover approximately 8000 square feet.

The 29 independent brands taking part in GTE are listed below.* Some watchmakers have selected GTE to officially launch their brand on the market and present their first timepieces to a specialist audience.

You may click the graphic below to visit the GTE website, which is presented in French.

* Scheduled to participate as of November 3, 2009

Derek Pratt, one of the world’s leading watchmakers, has passed away following a long illness. Derek was a watchmaker’s watchmaker and a true scientist of horology. He was often cited as among the greatest living watchmakers, his name mentioned in the same breath as George Daniels, Philippe Dufour, and other modern legends. Derek is also acknowledged as an important influence by many of today’s younger horological stars.

Derek was born in Orpington, Kent, in England in 1938. Between 1955 and 1959, he attended the National College of Horology in London. Following his formal education, Derek served as an apprentice at Smith & Sons. In 1965 he moved to Switzerland. During the 1970s, Derek met Peter Baumberger, the owner of Urban Jürgensen & Sønner, and he began to receive commissions. Over time, the relationship grew into a full collaboration.

As a watchmaker, Derek not only designed and made movements, but he also occasionally dials, cases and crowns. In 1981 Derek built a Tourbillon à Remontoir for Urban Jürgensen. This was the first timepiece in which the remontoir assembly was integrated into the rotating tourbillon. In 2008 this unique pocket watch, which also featured twin barrels, jumping dead beat seconds and power reserve, sold at a Christie’s auction in Geneva for SFr.315,000. You can read more about this timepiece at the Christie’s web site.

Derek was fascinated by the idea of developing an escapement that required no lubrication. In 1997, the year of Breguet’s 250th birthday, Pratt was inspired to pursue the concept that Breguet called échappement naturel, or escapement without lubrication. Breguet was not able to realize his dream, but Pratt pursued the idea, and in 1997 he debuted a pocket watch tourbillon with an innovative double-remontoir escapement that delivers impulses in two directions and requires no lubrication.

During his career, Derek earned several prestigious awards, including:

• 1992:  Silver medal of the British Horological Institute
• 1999:  Gaia Prize of the MIH in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland for distinguished merits in the developments achieved in the field of watchmaking
• 2005:  Tompion Goldmedal of the Worshipful Clockmakers Company’s society.

Derek’s latest masterpiece – an oval pocket watch for Urban Jürgensen with flying tourbillon, detent escapement, power reserve and Réaumur – represents an homage to some of the most important watchmakers of all time, including Breguet, Arnold and Professor Helwig. The assembly of this unique watch took more than ten years (pictured below).

WatchTime is indebted to Derek’s friend Dr. Helmut Crott for providing background information and the images below. In the words of Dr. Crott “Everyone, who knew Derek Pratt will not only miss him for his expertise in watches, but also and especially for his kind and helpful way. Chronometers are made by people for people!”

Derek Pratt at the bench

Derek’s oval pocket watch for Urban Jürgensen

The mood was refreshingly festive inside a packed pavilion in front of Hall 1 at Basel as luminaries from the world of watches gathered to celebrate Elizabeth Doerr’s new book, 12 FACES OF TIME: HOROLOGICAL VIRTUOSOS. Slated for release this fall, 12 FACES is a non-commercial, close-up look at 12 leading independent watchmakers and their mechanical masterpieces. Leonid Khankin, owner and creative director at the Swiss-American watch company Ernst Benz, threw the party to simultaneously celebrate the launch of his company’s Instrument Series and to honor the horological heroes profiled in Doerr’s book.

(L to R): Leonid Khankin, Elizabeth Doerr and Philippe Dufour enjoy the festivities.

Seven of the featured watchmakers attended and guests enjoyed a rare opportunity to meet and speak with this august group that included Philippe Dufour, Vianney Halter, Roger Smith, Kari Voutilainen, Felix Baumgartner, Beat Haldimann and Thomas Prescher. The watchmakers featured in the book not able to make the evening were François-Paul Journe, Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, Paul Gerber, Volker Vyskocil, and Kenji Shiohara, founder of Seiko’s Micro Arts high watchmaking studio. Those in attendance enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to meet admirers old and new.

Doerr will be keeping us informed as the project progresses, so stay tuned to WatchTime.com for 12 FACES updates.

(L to R) Leonid Khankin, Elizabeth Doerr, Kari Voutilainen, Ralf Baumgarten and Roger Smith