Ulysse Nardin

Ancienne Le Brassus
1583

• Show profile
• Show other posts

Important and significant post for the UN forum

 Thank you for sharing such a great post on your thoughts on chronometers and your experiences with your UN MD.
I think that I particularly enjoyed it because I submit these very similar test to all my watches. And I do this to chronometers and 'non' chronometers.

My first impression for your UN post service has to be that as you I'm sure know, is that a fine watch needs more than a certificate. It starts with the quality of manufacture and components used in the watch's manufacture. This we are guaranteed by the UN brand and quality we can expect from them, even if they are using ETA ebauches. Then the finishing of pivots, wheel teeth, the finishing of the balance bridge, etc. etc. etc.. every part has to be almost perfect and the tolerances of 'error' in wristwatches that are 11L big are very small.
 After we take into account these things, and for the ETA ebauche and UN's use and putting these together for their watches, we see that a certain margin of error is built into the movements. They are manufactured to perform at a certain 'top notch' quality that without post manufacture adjustment, the watches will run in the +10/-25 seconds per day (etc.).
 But in my experience, and as many readers here know, what comes after the watch is assembled is what matters. I.e. to have a precise watch, a dead on precise watch are two factors: 1) proper regulation of the watch, 2) consistent almost robot like consistent use of the timepiece after regulation.
 So the first: involves a strong relationship with a qualified watchmaker, to take the watch and have it adjusted after eveyr so many days
 the second, its what's impossible: we can regulate the watch to death, and have it pass 100 COSC certificates, but you can't duplicate real life

So that's why we have regulator clocks (grandfather clocks), or the atmosphere clocks, nuclear, etc. etc!

But I think the fun aspect of what you write, is keeping the watch in mind and it's fluctuations as one wears it. In your climate (if' I'm correct you have snow there no?) walking inside and outside of your house already creates huge differences in how your watch reacts and keeps time, do this 10 times a day (if you forget something from the supermarket :P ) and there you have it!

 Also, my experience from actually doing some regulating myself, is that even how far a seconds hand is on it's post, if the dial is too tight, if the hour hands are pressed just a bit too tight, will change how a watch performs.

So with your UN MD not performing as you expected, I'm sure in the servicing it received new mainspring, new oil, a few new gears with pinions and maybe a new power reserve module, maybe new hands with fresh superluminova, etc! . i.e. almost a new movement... all this should mean that the watch would need to be sent back to COSC to be recertified!

I think the issues you bring up are important, and important because they allow some reflection and appreciation of the timepieces we wear every day.

Thanks for sharing this great post, and hopefully I've made some type of sense here as I write this after a very very long Monday...

S