Latest Review
Devices made for testing the accuracy of a mechanical watch have always been relatively expensive and cumbersome for at-home use. If you’re anything like me, you’ve likely used a point of reference—say, an atomic clock or your phone’s stopwatch app—to check the general accuracy of a mechanical watch on more than one occasion. But as a quick test, this method is obviously not ideal since it takes at least 24 hours to get a reliable enough reading. Now, just in time for the holidays, Frederique Constant has released a smaller, portable and significantly more affordable timer that will let you measure accuracy in a pinch—introducing the Frederique Constant Analytics Clip.
The Analytics Clip relies on the same principles found in most timing machines. As the name implies, it is a small clip that attaches to a timepiece. An internal microphone then records and measures the oscillations of the balance wheel and feeds that information into the SwissConnect Analytics App, available on both Android and iOS. An oscilloscope shows the data in real time, and the results are then plotted into a chart that can be saved for reference at a later point. The application can also record a longer measurement to analyze long-term accuracy and operation.
Though we cannot say for certainty how accurate such a device is, especially when compared to professional-grade timing machines, Frederique Constant reports accuracy within ±0.2s/day, which is actually quite impressive. For the enthusiast, this should be more than enough.
The Frederique Constant Analytics Clip is now available for $99 via authorized retailers and through the Frederique Constant web store. To purchase yours, click here.
