IWC Schaffhausen
50th Year of the Automatic Chronograph: In the Age of Quartz
IWC Schaffhausen
50th Year of the Automatic Chronograph: In the Age of Quartz
In our last article on the most important automatic chronographs since 1969, we looked at the first two generations of automatic chronographs that were produced. These were, with exception, mostly short-lived chronograph movements that were in production for a few years. The key exceptions were the Zenith El Primero, Lemania’s 5100 and the Seiko 701X.
In this article, we’ll look at the survivors of the apocalyptic quartz crisis and the chronographs the lived through or came along after it.
The Daily Beater Chronographs
The ’70s marked a challenging period for mechanical watchmaking with the introduction of Seiko’s Quartz-Astron on Christmas Day, 1968. Following that, a slew of inexpensive quartz watches began to enter the market, and accompanied with a high Swiss franc exchange rate, resulted in the diminishing of the industry rapidly over the next decade.
One of the few movement developers to continue to work on mechanical watch designs was Valjoux. The company had been known for its column wheel chronographs, some with calendars and in bicompax format, and others in a tricompax format, across the 20th century. The 7750, which was released in 1974, was different with its three-plane, cam-and-lever switched system, also known as the coulisse-lever escapement.
Another notable movement that sets an impressive record is Frédéric Piguet’s calibre 1185. It continues to hold the record as the thinnest automatic column wheel chronograph movement around. First introduced in 1987, the automatic function for the movement was essentially an add-on to the ultra-thin calibre 1180 that the manufacturer had introduced. The 1180 measured just 3.95mm thick, and the 1185 took over the ultra-thin reign from Seiko measuring just 5.5mm thick. In comparison, the famed Lemania 2310 stands at 5.57mm in thickness, and it’s a hand-wound movement.
The resurgence of the mechanical watch industry came later to Japan, and due to other challenges with its economy as well as a rapidly modernising society, Seiko only returned to producing mechanical watches and specifically, mechanical chronographs near the turn of the 21st century.
The 6S77 emerged in 1999 as the second chronograph from Seiko with a column wheel but a special rocking pinion that engaged and disengaged the chronograph wheels. It was coined the “Magic Lever”. That made the movement easier to manufacture, though for some time, it was kept exclusive to Seiko’s premium Credor line.
Check out the other articles in our series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the automatic chronograph:
50th Year of the Automatic Chronograph: Who Came First?
50th Year of the Automatic Chronograph: The Second Wind
50th Year of the Automatic Chronograph: The Drive In-house
50th Year of the Automatic Chronograph: Race to be the Best