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Re: Chronometer Chroshmometer - Quartz Is Superior

In Response To: Chronometer Chroshmometer - Quartz Is Superior ()

: leads me to the LOGICAL conclusion that
: Swiss Chronometer Certification is nothing
: more than good marketing. Is is clearly no
: mark of superiority. And purchasing a

You are mostly right here.

The part you are missing is that the whole 'Chronometer' concept existed long before quartz technology came upon the scene. From the late 1800's through the 1960's, the Chronometer certification really meant superiority of those timepieces over others.

Now mass produced mechanical and quartz movements have made it possible for most watches to easily meet and exceed the mechanical standards considered superior decades ago. So, yes, today the Chronometer certification is mainly a marketing and competition tool. The best known brand, Rolex, uses it on their watches, so competing brands have to do it too to not seem inferior to the general public.

While *we* can understand that this certification is pretty much meaningless, that is too hard to explain to a novice watch buyer in a store. They tend to think it obvious that a 'certified' watch must be better than a non-certified one--so will distrust the motives of anyone telling them otherwise. So any luxury brand that stops doing these certifications risks sounding inferior to the 99% of luxury watch buyers that really don't know enough to understand better.