Try our newest merchandise
When you personal mechanical Swiss watches, certainly one of them probably got here to you with a COSC chronometer certificates. However not everybody is aware of precisely what this certificates means. The COSC is the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres or the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. COSC certifies Swiss-made actions or watches as chronometers (to not be confused with a chronograph) in the event that they meet particular precision requirements. To realize this, they should move a collection of exams over 15 days, in 5 totally different positions and at three totally different temperatures. Within the overwhelming majority of instances, the exams are carried out on motion earlier than casing. Amongst totally different standards, the precision should not fluctuate by greater than -4/+6 seconds per day. If the variety of certificates delivered by the COSC has been rising repeatedly, the affiliation faces a number of challenges. Moreover the must be higher recognized, it must evolve in view of the emergence of quite a few new high quality labels (Grasp Chronometer, Superlative Chronometer, Geneva Observatory, Laboratoire de Précision). Andreas Wyss, CEO of the COSC, explains to MONOCHROME how they plan to adapt.
Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – Andreas, thanks for having us. How and why was COSC created?
Andreas Wyss, CEO of COSC – The COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) was based in 1973 by a shared initiative by Swiss watch manufacturers, the Fédération Horlogère, and public authorities, with the aim of standardising precision measurement throughout the business.
Previous to the COSC’s creation, manufacturers obtained certificates from numerous unbiased “Bureaux d’Remark” (commentary places of work) situated in numerous Swiss cantons – Bern, Neuchâtel, Solothurn, Geneva, and Vaud. Every of those places of work operated below its personal procedures and requirements, which posed challenges, notably for watchmakers with manufacturing amenities in a number of areas. This fragmented system additionally created confusion for purchasers attempting to know the which means of chronometric certification.
The answer was the formation of a unified, centralised organisation, the COSC, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. Political authorities and the affiliation positioned a number of situations on its creation:
- The prevailing commentary places of work and their workers had been to stay of their respective cantons
- The affiliation was to stay majority publicly owned
- The workers had been required to work completely for COSC
In consequence, the COSC Normal Meeting at this time consists of 19 delegates, 10 of whom characterize the general public sector, making certain continued public oversight. At the moment, COSC operates three laboratories in Le Locle, Saint-Imier, and Biel.
So, what does a COSC Certificates embody?
What few folks know is that we’ve 4 certifications. One of the best recognized is for wristwatches, based mostly on the ISO 3159 norm. One other one is for pocket watches, for which there isn’t a worldwide norm, so we created one. There’s one for clocks. And final however not least, there’s one for quartz watches.
One of the best recognized of all 4, counting on the ISO 3159 norm, relies on 7 standards. Specifically, the typical fee should stay inside -4/+6 seconds per day over the course of the 15-day testing process. Moreover this, the exams additionally embody thermal variance, place testing or energy reserve variance.
Are we speaking about watches or actions?
We certify each full watches and actions, though the vast majority of the certificates we challenge are for actions. That is primarily because of the logistical and manufacturing challenges manufacturers face when submitting absolutely assembled watches.
In the present day, we face two essential criticisms: the present customary dates again to 1976 and has seen little or no evolution since. We primarily certify actions, elevating the query: What occurs after the motion is licensed?
How, then, can COSC evolve to handle these criticisms?
Initially, though the usual has not advanced considerably since 1976, acquiring a COSC certificates continues to be removed from simple. The amount of actions submitted has grown considerably over time, and sustaining constant high quality at scale is an actual problem. But, the failure fee has remained comparatively secure, between 3% and 5%, regardless of these rising volumes. This demonstrates that watchmakers are mastering high quality management extra successfully than ever.
Our ambition is to ship certification not solely to manufacturers and watchmakers, but additionally to purchasers. When somebody purchases an distinctive timepiece, they need to have the reassurance that it has been examined and validated by a very unbiased and impartial authority. That is basically totally different from any type of inner certification.
We additionally imagine it’s time to transcend precision alone. Whereas ISO 3159 could also be considered as outdated in some respects, it stays the one internationally recognised customary for chronometer certification. For that cause, we are going to proceed to make use of it. And once more, reaching COSC certification is not any trivial matter.
However in fact, we’ve noticed the evolution of different certification fashions – akin to Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer and Omega’ and Tudor’s Grasp Chronometer. In the identical spirit, we intend to take issues additional ourselves. For manufacturers which can be , we are going to supply choices past the present COSC certification, whereas persevering with to uphold the ISO 3159 customary. Some kind of “Tremendous COSC” certification, if you want. We’ll talk about this within the coming months.
The aim is to certify not simply actions, however full watches. The standards for precision will likely be up to date to replicate the realities of contemporary watchmaking, however the scope will go far past precision alone. Our ambition is to advertise Swiss excellence as an entire. This might embody elements akin to water resistance, magnetic subject resistance, energy reserve, and extra. In brief, we goal to go effectively past what we presently supply.
For extra info, please go to www.cosc.swiss.
https://monochrome-watches.com/interview-andreas-wyss-ceo-cosc-controle-officiel-suisse-chronometres-on-challenges-and-upcoming-super-cosc-certification/
