COSC certification and Bond's mechanical Omega watches

How often has 007 had to count on every second in the field?

The Omega 2531.80 © Photo copyright Dell Deaton, 2006, used with permission

Immediately, I think of the frustration Our Man faces racing to Karl-Marx-Stadt to disarm the nuclear bomb at the Octopussy Circus.

"He'll be late," muses Kamal Kahn as James Bond speeds past.

Precision accuracy for the Omega Seamaster 2531.80 automatic chronometer that Pierce Brosnan wore to usher this character into the 21st Century, of course, is not among most common 90% of all watches folks wear. If you want or need a timepiece that takes its settings by signal from an atomic clock, or even meets the quartz standard of -0.5 to +0.7 seconds per day — this isn't it. As a matter of fact, every quartz you can buy, even at the cheapest price, will keep better time.

Highest Precision Accuracy

But if you want the exclusivity of a mechanical movement and then the highest precision accuracy within that category, now we're talking Bond's watch here.

Omega asserts that almost any mechanical watch can deliver -1 to +11 seconds per day timekeeping. "Omega tolerances," however, "are from -1 to +6 seconds per day." Now when you figure the most you'll be able to go before you have to reset the date window is 92 days, at worst you'll be anywhere from a minute-and-a-half slow to just over nine minutes fast before you're prompted by the calendar to correct things.

Even on the not-infrequent occasion when my 2531.80 runs to a stop off my wrist (wouldn't use a watch-winder if you gave it to me), it takes all of 90 seconds to wind, correct the date, and sync-up its time to the atomic clock.

That's in the morning, sans coffee.

Within a minute then, you may notice an interesting anomaly I've observed from both my Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster escapements. As the sweep second-hand on these watches arcs about the twelve markers on the dial, its accuracy can vary - revolution after revolution - by as much as three-quarters of a second. Back and forth, minute after minute. Faster, slower; then, faster; then slower.

Keep watching and you'll notice an apparently smoother motion here than on the quartz analog counterpart. Quartz second-hands move in full-second jumps; this mechanical actually breaks each second into eight steps (formally known as "28,800 beats per hour").

Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres

An excert of Dell Deaton's COSC Certificate © Photo copyright Dell Deaton, 2006, used with permission

Independent of my observations and Omega advertising claims, each caliber 1120 movement in every Omega Seamaster 2531.80.00 professional diver's watch is individually tested and "COSC" certified. The "Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres" is a neutral body that individually monitors movement functions over 360 consecutive hours, as it is subjected to three different temperature situations and oriented to five common wrist positions.

COSC certification means that the mechanism has passed this testing with an average daily variation in rate of between -4 and +6 seconds per day (a precision of 99.99%).

In 2001, COSC tested 1,254,248 movements, of which all but 4.5% passed. Some 207,879 were Omega-sourced. By far and away, Rolex is the largest consumer of COSC testing, at in excess of 761,000 mechanical movements submitted that year.

The Omega 2531.80 © Photo copyright Dell Deaton, 2006, used with permission

Records are maintained of all data collected during these tests, and Omega will access that for you back at least a few years based on the serial number on the watch case into which it was fitted (not more than four, I'm hearing). So, in addition to the so-called Chronometer Certificate card that comes with each new 2531.80, the new Seamaster owner can obtain an original certificate specific to his or her watch — by providing appropriate original purchase documentation.

See Omega website for details on obtaining the one particular to your watch.

These certificates are outstanding. And it's also been Omega policy in the past to additionally include beautifully produced post cards featuring the watch and actor Pierce Brosnan and James Bond, Agent 007.

That's what I call exceeding my expectations for value after the sale!

About the Author

Thanks to Dell Deaton for his insight into the world of James Bond Omega watches, parts 2, 3 and 4 will be coming shortly. Don't forget to visit Dell's website.

Also:
Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres
Omega Official FAQ on Omega
Inside COSC on TimeZone
Precision Accuracy

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