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Chronograph Watches

chro·no·graph
noun

a multifunction sport watch or timepiece with two independent time systems: one indicates the time of day, and the other measures brief intervals of time.  Counters (registering seconds, minutes and even hours) can be started and stopped as desired.  Therefore, it is possible to measure the exact duration of an event.  Not to be confused with a timer, stopwatch or chronometer, there are many variations on the chronograph.  Some chronographs operate with a normal; center second hand which keeps time on the watch's main dial.  Other chronographs use sub-dials or mini-dials to time elapsed hours, minutes and seconds.  While other chronographs show elapsed time on a digital display on the watch face.  Some chronographs can be used as a lap timer (see "flyback hand" and "split seconds hand").  The accuracy of the stopwatch function will commonly vary from 1/5th of a second to 1/100th of a second, depending on the chronograph.  Some chronographs will measure an elapsed time up to 24 hours.
 

Generally speaking, if an analog wrist watch contains a stopwatch function, it is called a Chronograph.  Sometimes, this stopwatch function is digital.  This timepiece could also be referred to as an Analog / Digital Watch.  Although they do not fit the traditional "look" of a chronograph, the analog / digital watch is becoming increasingly popular.

Traditionally, the stopwatch function, in a chronograph, is represented by a Subdial.  A subdial (also referred to as a Sub Dial, Subsidiary Dial or Auxiliary Dial) is a small dial placed inside the main dial on a timepiece face.  Watches can have as many as four of them.  These auxiliary dials give information not provided by the main timepiece dial.  Subdials are a common feature of multifunction watches, such as; Chronographs, Alarm Watches, Dual Time Zone Watches, Moon Phase Watches and Calendar Watches.

As mentioned above, subdials can display various amounts of information.  A chronograph uses subdials to keep track of elapsed minutes, hours and seconds.  Calendar Watches often have subdials with indicators pointing to the month, date and possibly, the day of the week.  A Moon phase subdial shows what phase the Moon is in, by means of a disk that rotates beneath a small Aperture.  On the disk are illustrated two, full-Moon likenesses.  As the days of the month pass, the illustrated Moons rotate, one at a time, with the cycle of Earth’s actual Moon.

Here is where we will attempt to explain, identify and instruct you on the use of the various subdials on a chronograph.  As you can see, subdials serve a specific purpose and are not installed purely for cosmetic or aesthetic reasons.  Hopefully, upon completion of this page, you will not only be able to identify and properly utilize a chronograph, but you will also be able to inform others of these often misunderstood and attractive timepieces.

Identification is fairly simple and we will show you a few, common guide lines.  If a subdial has a 60 at the top, it's probably a continuously running seconds hand (this seconds hand will be constantly moving).  A few subdials, with the 60 at the top, are actually 60-minute counters (when the seconds hand moves 60 seconds, the counter will advance one click).  These counters are also referred to as Registers or Recorders (i.e., 12-Hour Recorder or 30-Minute Register).  Now, if the subdial has a 30 at the top, it is most likely a 30-minute counter.  If it has a 12 at the top, it is likely to be a 12-hour counter (although if it is a Dual Time Zone Watch, the chances are it’s a second time-zone indicator).  If it has a 10 at the top, it probably measures 1/10th of a second.  Date subdials have a 31 at the top (for the maximum number of days in a month).  Moon phase subdials are easily recognized; they have an illustration of the Moon, visible through an aperture in the watch face.  Also visible through apertures in timepiece faces are month and day-of-the-week subdials.  The dials under these apertures are usually labeled; Jan. through Dec. or Sun. through Sat.

Some chronographs use a subdial to show the actual time, (current hours and minutes), while the large main dial is used, entirely, for the chronograph function.  Other subdials are used for the seconds hand.  In most models, the seconds subdial shows continuously running seconds.  The start and stop seconds hand (controlled by the chronograph button) is fixed to the center of the main dial.  This is done for legibility.  In some watches, (those with Tachymeter and Telemeter scales) placing the chronograph seconds hand in the center serves another purpose, as well.  These scales are printed along the outer edge (or bezel) of the main watch dial, and can only be used if the elapsed seconds hand is in the middle of the watch.  This practicality placing of the center dial, in reference to the bezel (preferably unidirectional), is extremely important in Diver’s Watches.  Other chronographs have subdials that show the fraction of a second (most commonly; 1/10’s of a second).  Chronographs often have other types of subdials (often referred to as; Counters, Registers, or Totalizers) which keep track of the minutes and hours that have elapsed, since the wearer depressed the chronograph button.  Most minute registers are graduated in 30 segments, while most hour registers are graduated in 12 segments.

As with most chronographs, to start and stop the counter recording time; the wearer depresses the chronograph button.  The same button starts and stops the chronograph seconds hand.  When the wearer wants to reset all the dials back to zero; another button is depressed.  Once daily, a system of levers underneath the timepiece simultaneously returns all the subdial hands back to their original position.

Other types of scales that appear on chronograph dials

1/5th Division - divides the chronograph seconds into 1/5ths of a second.

Tachometric scale - measures the speed of a moving body over a known distance (with a base of 1'000, 200, 100, or one mile).

Telemetric scale - measures the distance that separates the observer from a phenomenon which is both visible and audible (the speed of sound as it travels through air).

Pulsometric scale - measures the number of pulses per minute (scale: 30 – 20 - 15 pulses).

Respiration scale - measures the number of breaths per minute (scale: 15 – 20 – 25 breaths).

Productometric scale - measures the rate of serial production per hour, as long as the unit is no smaller than 60 seconds.

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