Certified Chronometer– Does it matter?

Sometimes we get beautiful watches in our showroom (well, we always get beautiful watches in our showroom), but sometimes we see the words “COSC Certified” written on the dial of the chronometers of said beautiful watches.

Being someone who is just as obsessed with words as she is with watches, I get annoyed when I have to read words while staring at the beautiful dial of a fine swiss watch. So I wanted to know “What is COSC Certified and why is it written on my dial?” It must be important if it’s written in the center of my watch!

Well, according to Wikipedia: COSC aka C.O.S.C. is Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, which is the institute responsible for certifying the accuracy and precision of wristwatches in Switzerland.

Considering that this institute has been around since 1973 and they have high standards for their chronometer certifications, what these words basically mean is that the watch company went through a rigorous process to get their watch into certified chronometer status. In order to pass this test (and to not waste their time) the watch was crafted with the best materials, to the most exact specifications, and it automatically lifts the watch into a higher category, as only 3% of Swiss Watch production is COSC certified.

In short, it’s not the prettiest touch to add to the dial of a watch, but chronometer geeks can rest assured that their watch is in the top-tier of chronometer mechanisms.

The watch in question that made me ponder this curious case is our Pearl Harbor Chronofighter by Graham Watches.

See my review of it here: