Zenith - Christophe Colomb equation du Temps Wins
The prize for the stellar "Best Complicated Watch" category has been won by the Christophe Colomb equation du Temps watch developed by the Manufacture Zenith. The jury of the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix has thereby rewarded a three-fold technical achievement: liberation from gravity, high frequency, as well as visualisation of the duration of the Earth's rotation which is not an immutable 24 hours, since the Earth is in fact from day to day either ahead or behind the time shown on a watch.
The Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix is asserting itself as the most sought-after international award in the watch industry. 72 of the finest models in the sector were competing in the 2011 edition, and a model from the Manufacture Zenith was honoured by the grand prix jury at the prize-giving ceremony held in Geneva's Grand Theâtre on Saturday November 19th. In accepting the award, brand CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour recalled "the three technical feats that enable this watch to come as close as possible to the true reality of time. We named it after christopher Columbus, the explorer who first chose to face the sea head-on, whereas others preferred to sail along the coastlines. This approach led to the discovery of a continent that was to change the face of the world. An innovative spirit and audacity: these are the ties binding this visionary sailor to the people who have developed this major horological complication."
The three horological feats : equation of time, gyroscopic carriage and high frequency
Who stops to think when consulting their watch that the time it displays is in fact merely a convention ? It was for the sake of convenience that the length of a day was established as an immutable 24 hours; its true duration varies constantly, and the discrepancy can be as much as 16 minutes ahead or 14 minutes behind. To give a practical picture of this reality, if your watch were to set a date with the sun every day at the exact time when the hands indicate noon, it would find the sun arriving either late or early depending on the day of the year, and this could mean as much as a quarter of an hour either way. for the first time on a Zenith watch, a subdial placed at 9 o'clock serves to indicate the equation of time - in other words this difference between the march of the hands and the path of the sun. The technical difficulty in achieving such a result lies in the fact that this difference varies from one day to the next, according to a factor that is itself variable.
Another complex mechanism, the regulating organ visible beneath the dome, remains permanently in the horizontal position so as to neutralise the effects of wrist movements on the regularity of its high-frequency calibre. Thereby maintaining the regular organ flat results in the best possible amplitude of the balance and considerably improves the timing precision. This is naturally easier said than done, especially in light of the numerous challenges involved in keeping the escapement flat in all daily activities. Applying this principle to a movement beating at the high frequency of ten vibrations per second complicated the situation still further - which explains why the development of this horological complication took a full five years. The gyroscopic module involves 166 elements and has given rise to the first wristwatch to break free of its wearer's movements.
Zenith awards
In its 146 years of existence, Zenith has garnered an impressive number of timing or "chronometry" prizes: 2,333 in all, making it the most titled brand of all in terms of onboard watches, wristwatches and pocket watches.
Academy Christophe Colomb EquatiOn of time
• THE CHRISTOPHE COLOMB MODULE WITH EQUATION OF TIME
• INSPIRED BY THE LEGENDARY MARINE CHRONOMETER INSTRUMENT
• OUTPERFORMS TOURBILLONS & GYROTOURBILLONS