Evolution of the Split Second Chrono

[Josh]

Time that Elusive Vixen

Splitting Hairs: Revolutionary Breakthroughs In The Split Seconds Chronograph And The Rearing Of Uncannily Fast Sausage Dogs

By Declan Quinn



Time as they say, is relative. And our minds play tricks on us, causing terrific experiences, like that of devouring that perfect cold slice of Strasbourgian pate de foie gras with the thumbnail thick slice of black truffle in its center and washing it down with an icy sip of Krug?s always dependable Clos du Mesnil, to be over all too soon. Conversely, negative experiences such as proctologic examinations and Hatha Yoga stretch for an unendurable eternity. It was precisely this inverse relationship between pleasure and its duration that caused me to experiment with banging myself in the toe with a rubber dead blow hammer while ingesting beluga sturgeon eggs, to see if self-inflicted pain could prolong my oral pleasure. I cannot recommend strongly enough that you never try this, as it caused me to projectile spit several hundred dollars? worth of caviar onto the perplexed mug of my sausage dog, Thor. So with our perception of time hardwired to how much relative pleasure or pain it brings us, how can we measure time objectively? Fortunately for the precision junkies amongst us there is the chronograph, a watch that allows the indisputable measure of any elapsed time with the mere push of a button. Without the chronograph, aviators could not have conquered the wild blue yonder and it would be impossible to stage any form of competitive sports. Personally, I find my chronographs useful when timing the reverentially blissful yet all too stingy ministrations of my masseuse Ping Ping, whose natural inclination is to rush me prematurely to my joyous denouement. My attempts to slow her humming bird-like pace by incanting selected passages from Ana?s Nin?s Little Birds only caused her to bark Vietnamese expletives at me like an NVA drill sergeant. Apparently, her promise to ?love me long time? was more idealistic than literal. Then again, maybe her stupid Jacob watch was just running perennially fast.

CAPTURING TIME - THE SPLIT SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH
The chronograph was created in 1821 by Frenchman Rieussec and was essentially a technical machine for men to impress girls with at horse races because at the time, Aston Martins didn?t exist. In 1933, Breitling created the first wristwatch chronograph with separate stop/start and reset buttons which did little to impress girls because by this time, Aston Martins were already firmly ensconced in the collective female consciousness, causing women?s undergarments to be jettisoned with the velocity of SPECTRE agents shot out 007?s ejector seat. Regarding its application to sports, the chronograph had one inherent flaw: it didn?t allow you to measure interval timings.

The Measure of Interval Times
What?s an interval time? Say for example like me, you own a preternaturally handsome miniature sausage dog of uncanny speed and like me, you?re training him to be the world 500 meter sausage dog sprint champion. To train him, you fix a slab of raw Kobe beef to a deep sea fishing pole and lead him a certain number of laps around your circular driveway which doubles as your training track. If you start your chronograph when Thor (yes, he?s named for the mighty Norse god of thunder and yes, I put a tiny winged helmet on his head during the pagan holidays) starts his daily run and stop it when he finishes his 500 meter course, you?ll have measured his AGGREGATE race time. But you don?t have the ability to calculate his INDIVIDUAL lap times. Now, in miniature sausage dog racing, as with Tour de France time trials and infiltrating communist camps north of the Hue River, success often boils down to strategy, with many cagey hounds pacing themselves for the first few laps before an explosive finale of tiny blurred paws. So how do you calculate lap times? You do so with a split seconds chronograph.

What Is A Rattrapante?
The split seconds chronograph was invented in 1838 by Joseph-Thaddeus Winnerl, and looks? pretty much like a normal chronograph. And herein lies the problem, because it is damn difficult to explain why a split seconds chrono costs so much more than a normal chronograph. Says Jean-Claude Monachon, Omega?s product director, ?I think that a magazine like REVOLUTION helps the watch industry a lot to explain the differences. A customer asked me once why a steel De Ville split-seconds is twice as expensive as a steel De Ville chronograph. He doesn?t want to pay double only to have an additional hand.?

With Mr. Monachon?s faith in this magazine, I will now attempt to explain why that additional hand costs so much.Look closely at the chronograph seconds hand on any split seconds chronograph and you?ll see a second hand fixed directly underneath the chrono seconds hand. This hand is often rendered in a different color to help you distinguish it and gives you the ability to calculate interval times. You begin to time a race as with a traditional chronograph. But when your sausage dog completes his first lap, you press the mighty split seconds button on the chronograph ? located either on the opposite side of the case from the chrono pushers or integrated co-axially into the crown ? and in an act of horological magic, suddenly the split seconds hand breaks off from the running seconds hand and freezes in place. With it so deployed, you can record the interval time before pressing the button again to have the split hand instantly catch up with the still running chronograph seconds hand. If you?ve never seen a split seconds chronograph go through this lighting fast sequence of actions, it is literally one of the coolest things in the world! Split seconds chronographs are also called rattrapantes, from ?rattrape? which in French literally means to ?catch up.?

Up until the late 20th century, when the complication was industrialized by IWC and later by Jaquet S.A., the rattrapante was the ultimate high performance timepiece with a price that was similarly lofty. Because of their complexity, rattrapantes were considered more difficult than tourbillons to render and on a par with minute repeaters in the alchemic finesse needed to properly adjust them. Says Patek Philippe?s technical director, Jean-Pierre Musy in an interview with REVOLUTION, ?The rattrapante is definitely one of the most complex watches in the world to fabricate. Bear in mind that for the distance between the split seconds wheel to the split seconds hand, the latter has to travel a large distance through a central axis. Any imperfection along this axis, such as the axis not being perfectly cylindrical, will cause problems. You have an axis that is 11 to 12mm in length but only the width of a hair in diameter. If you look at our 5004, this watch adds to the length of this axis because there is a quanti?me perp?tuel mechanism on top of it.?

Like minute repeaters, rattrapantes are also fairly fragile and could be destroyed by pressing their buttons in the wrong sequence. The sheer technical bravado of these high complications plus their tendency to self destruct made putting one through its paces the equivalent of piloting a pre-Audi era Lamborghini on the racetrack while hopped up on mescaline and wearing a massive vision obscuring sombrero.



What a Drag ? The Problem with Rattrapantes
What exactly made split seconds chronographs so problematic? It has to do with the way the split seconds hand is coupled to the chronograph hand using a spring loaded return lever pressing against a heart cam to join their respective wheels. Every time the split seconds hand is deployed, the watch would experience a dramatic loss in accuracy. Also because of this same configuration, pressing buttons out of sequence could be catastrophic.

If you?ll forgive the pun, this loss of accuracy is a major drag because the whole point of a chronograph is to place a framework of accuracy on the fleeting and nebulous nature of time. It wasn?t until the late 20th century that, recognizing the drawbacks of the split seconds chronograph, several brave manufactures have attempted to overcome the drag inherent to the movement architecture of split seconds calibers. Collectively, these manufactures which include Blancpain, Omega, Breguet, Patek Philippe and A. Lange & S?hne have brought about the evolution and rebirth of the split seconds chronograph, adding a new level of functional superiority to this arcane, mystifying and altogether wonderful high complication.






Breakthrough One: Fr?d?ric Piguet Caliber 1186 ? Overcoming the Dreaded Rattrapante Drag
The first major breakthrough in the modern rattrapante era belongs to Fr?d?ric Piguet and Blancpain. Blancpain is a brand I?ve always found fascinating. It consistently produces some of the world?s most beautiful timepieces, perfectly marrying an understated ? at times even austere ? elegance with a keen sense of modernity. It was a small marque that was purchased by Jean-Claude Biver who, previous to this, was working as the assistant to Audemars Piguet?s CEO Georges Golay. He did such a fine job, there was even speculation that Biver and not Steve Urquhart would succeed Golay at Audemars Piguet. When the Swiss watch industry was reduced to abject despair following the Quartz Revolution, it was primarily Biver (and a handful of others) who still believed in a future for the mechanical watch. He left Audemars Piguet, purchased Blancpain in 1981 and from all accounts, embroidered a mythology for the brand as the ?world?s oldest manufacture.? While he understandably did this to assert Blancpain?s legitimacy as a home for mechanical complication, the accuracy this message was has been the source of heated discussion. Nevertheless, Biver correctly positioned Blancpain as ?the reference? in high watchmaking and focused on mastering horology?s most challenging complications, amongst these the tourbillon, the minute repeater, the perpetual calendar, the ultra flat watch and the rattrapante. Biver?s partner in Blancpain was Jacques Piguet, the son of famous watchmaker and owner of one of the Vall?e de Joux?s most dynamic movement factories, Fr?d?ric Piguet. Naturally, Fr?d?ric Piguet fabricated all of Blancpain?s movements, and worked on all complication development for Biver.

While much of Blancpain?s early success is attributed to Biver?s marketing bravado, it is also undeniable that Fr?d?ric Piguet created some of the most brilliant achievements for Blancpain during the late ?80s. Two particularly innovative movements were the Caliber 1185 vertical clutch activated chronograph which to this day remains such a high performance reference that it was largely mimicked by Jaeger-LeCoultre for their chronograph calibers 751/742. The other brilliant achievement during this period was the creation of the Caliber 1186 (or 1181 in the manual wind version), a split seconds chronograph unlike any before it. While several split seconds movements including those made by Venus were considered to be both architecturally beautiful and reasonably functional, all of these were plagued by ?rattrapante drag?.



The Isolator ? A Solution is Born
What the ingenious Fr?d?ric Piguet did was to use an isolator mechanism ? to push the reset lever out of the heart cam?s way while the split seconds brake was deployed. While isolator mechanisms existed in pocket watches, this was the first implementation of this complex device in a wristwatch. This isolator mechanism was also a direct inspiration for similar systems created later by both Patek Philippe and Breguet. Before proceeding any further, I should say that should you wish to learn even more about this system, you should simply check out ?Those Wonderful Piguet Chronographs,? an article by the unfailingly brilliant Walt Odets found on my favorite horological website www.timezone.com. Let?s take a closer look at this impressive innovation:

For the Caliber 1186, Fr?d?ric Piguet created a system to lift the return lever out of the way of the heart-shaped cam. This wheel (1) sits on top of the split seconds wheel (2). There is a slender switch arm (3) that turns it, which is in contact with the split seconds column wheel (4).
This is what happens when you activate the split seconds button on the Caliber 1186/1181:
1) The column wheel rotates to activate the rattrapante brake
2) It also activates the return lifting arm via the switching arm
3) The return lever lifting wheel is made to turn counter-clockwise, causing a pin attached to the return lever lifting wheel to strike the return lever and as its name implies, lifts it off the heart cam




Because there is no more pressure on the heart cam, you eliminate the strain placed on the movement and the corresponding loss of accuracy. When you press the split seconds button again, several things happen:
1) The split seconds brake releases the split seconds wheel
2) The switching arm turns the return lever lifting wheel clockwise causing the return lever to move back against the heart cam because of the pressure of the return lever spring
3) The contact of the spring loaded return lever against the split seconds heart cam causes the split seconds hand to catch up with the chronograph seconds hand
The system was a revelation: for the first time, a watch could eliminate loss of amplitude when the split seconds mechanism was deployed! So much so that when it came time to redesign their split seconds chronograph movement based on the Lemania CH 27 and used in watches such as the 5004, Patek Philippe looked at the return lever lifting system used by Fr?d?ric Piguet. Now what?s interesting is that while the Caliber 1186 exists primarily in watches of significant cost, which are obviously of good value, considering the engineering achievement they represent, there?s a way to get what is an even more high performance oriented version of this movement in a watch that is remarkably affordable: Omega?s De Ville and Speedmaster Rattrapantes.



Profound Value ? Omega?s Rattapantes
OK, while this has been the source of some debate, it?s important to explain the Omega doesn?t use the FP 1186 as its split seconds chronograph movement. Says Jean-Claude Monachon, the super-sharp product director of Omega, ?Omega uses only the Caliber 1286! It?s really a new construction, developed with Fr?d?ric Piguet and produced especially for Omega. The casing and counters positions are different and of course, we have the Co-Axial escapement and a free-sprung balance (more stability, accuracy).? So what this means is that Omega has a different Fr?d?ric Piguet split seconds movement made for it. This movement uses the ingenious Co-Axial escapement that theoretically, can run without lubrication, (it?s rumored that Omega will transition to totally non-lubricated Co-Axials soon) and a free-sprung balance. But looking closer at the Omega 1286, the similarities to the Fr?d?ric Piguet 1186 become more apparent. In particular, notice the existence of the crucial isolator. In the image provided, the switch arm and return lever lifting wheel are very much visible and look a lot like those found on the 1186.

So why then does Omega emphasize it uses a different movement from the Piguet 1186? Well, to a large extent, the movement is different. It has a different escapement and it has different counter positions. Also I must say the finish on the Blancpain is superb. But to some extent, I can?t help but feel that Omega does this so as to distinguish its watch from the much costlier Blancpain split seconds chronographs. Does this mean the Blancpains are overpriced? Not at all, I actually consider them good value. However, I consider the Omega watches to be remarkable value. Basically, for the cost of one of the more ubiquitous split seconds using a Valjoux movement retrofitted with this function, you get an integrated split seconds chrono with the all-important isolator device. In fact, if I were to name one of the most undervalued complicated watches on the market, the Omega rattrapante would be it!



Breguet ? Discreet Beauty
The Classique Rattrapante uses as its base caliber the Lemania ( a company also owned by Swatch Group) CH 27 chronograph caliber, a movement that was first developed for pre-1969 Omega Speedmasters and is still used today by Patek Philippe in its sublime oversized 5070 and Vacheron Constantin?s Malte chrono. Amusingly when Patek Philippe first attempted to make a split seconds chronograph using this same caliber as its base, they found that rattrapante drag was simply insurmountable and they decided to fabricate an isolator mechanism. The details of this follow shortly but in the meantime, we should pause to regard the full beauty of Breguet?s concupiscent split seconds movement. In the image here you can clearly see the return lever lifting wheel and a pair of interesting geared switch arms that take instruction from the split seconds column wheel. In the Breguet movement, this is what happens when you activate the split seconds button:
1) The split seconds column wheel (A*) rotates, causing the split seconds brake (B) to clamp down on the split seconds wheel (C)
2) The column wheel activates the switching arms (D)
3) The switching arms act on the return lever lifting wheel (E), causing it to turn
4) The return lever lifting wheel lifts the return lever off the split seconds reset heart cam
The watch can now run with no loss of amplitude while the split seconds brake can be left on indefinitely.



Breakthrough Two: Patek Philippe Isolator Mechanism ? Higher Ground
It is interesting we end our look at Fr?d?ric Piguet?s innovation by studying Breguet?s Classique Rattrapante using an isolator built upon a Lemania chronograph movement. Because it was with precisely the same idea that Patek Philippe began their journey into split seconds innovation. Says Patek Philippe?s technical director Jean-Pierre Musy, ?We had only the Lemania chronograph and we wanted to have a split seconds version of this watch. At the time (in the late ?80s) Lemania had made some experiments with rattrapantes based on their CH 27 movement. What they realized was that they had huge problems with the amplitude of this watch.? The problem that Lemania predictably experienced was that each minute there would be a point, corresponding to when the return lever and jeweled roller would have to overcome the peak of the heart-shaped reset cam attached to the chronograph wheel, at which the watch?s amplitude would dip significantly. Attempts to change the profile of this cam so as to create less resistance proved futile. Says Musy, ?So we were at a standstill because we couldn?t accept a watch that performed like this.?

The stroke of inspiration that pointed Patek Philippe in the right direction came directly from the Fr?d?ric Piguet Caliber 1186 and its brilliant isolator mechanism. Musy recalls the revelation this caliber represented: ?I saw the isolator mechanism on the Fr?d?ric Piguet split seconds movement (Caliber 1181/1186). Here you had a ratchet mechanism (return lever lifting wheel) that sat on top of the split seconds wheel and that would actually move the return lever out of the way of the heart cam. So I thought this is quite inspiring but we should search for a different solution, and a better one if we can.?



Musy and his team set about analyzing the Fr?d?ric Piguet movement and arrived at what they believed to be one area for improvement. In the Caliber 1186 when you engage the split seconds chronograph, the return lever lifting wheel turns counter-clockwise, lifting the return lever. When the split seconds function is disengaged, the return lever lifting wheel turns clockwise to return the lever into place against the heart cam. (This is in the opposite direction that the now free split seconds wheel turns)When the return arm shifted back into place, the series of motions could theoretically cause the hand to jump. Says Musy, ?We decided a system where the ratchet is always advancing in the same direction. So in our system, the return lever lifting wheel operates in one direction and it is the next tooth that causes the return arm to shift back into place. We found that this system works very well.? Look at the Lemania-based split seconds chronograph caliber currently used in Patek Philippe?s divine 5004 perpetual calendar rattrapante and you?ll see that a device fondly named the ?Octopus? is actually a switching arm that shifts the return lever lifting wheel in Patek Philippe?s split seconds watches.

Breakthrough Three: A. Lange & S?hne ? Magical Mastery Of The Double Isolator
It appears that collectors are something of two minds with regards to A. Lange & S?hne?s Double Split. From what I?ve seen, secondary prices are decent but not extraordinary and the watch can be purchased should you want one, meaning that it hasn?t achieved the kind of cult status of, say, a Patek Philippe 5004. Lange CEO Fabian Krone has expressed that in more technically savvy regions like Southeast Asia, the Double Split has performed particularly well. But does this mean the Double Split is too overwhelmingly technical, too intimidating, too outwardly austere and just too damn Teutonic for the majority of us? Possibly. I would imagine the challenge with selling the Double Split is that you first need to explain how a split seconds chronograph works, then you need to explain how an isolator overcomes the inherent weakness of a traditional split seconds chrono before you explain how the Double Split uses a double isolator mechanism to allow you to split both the seconds and the minute hand for as long as you wish, with no negative effect on the watch.

But let?s look at the Double Split another way. A split seconds chrono, like fiery tempered Latina temptresses, is mesmerizing and exciting for the smoldering complexity that lies beneath its outwardly calm surface but beware, push its buttons in the wrong sequence and you will enter an emasculating ring of Dante?s Inferno reserved for the most abject of sinners. I should know, my last wife was of Ecuadorian decent. In both instances, it has to do with the way these entities are hard-wired. In a traditional split seconds chronograph, attempting to reset the watch while the split seconds brake is deployed will cause a truly soul decimating sense of despair as the inner works jam. Like minute repeaters, split seconds chronographs are divine engineering marvels that are very, very easy to break. So the appealing thing about A. Lange & S?hne?s Double Split is that the watch is completely idiot-proof. It is effectively the supermodel girlfriend that you can treat like a buddy, drink beer with and even make the odd comment on other women?s posteriors with, and experience zero negative fallout. You can reset the Double Split or activate its chronograph flyback function to your heart?s content even when the split seconds/minute brakes are deployed and the watch will handle all actions with a tolerance that is positively Zen Buddhist.

On the dial side, the unique feature of the Double Split adds to the already high performance equation of a traditional rattrapante, a split minutes hand. This means that when you press the split seconds button, both the split seconds hand as well as the small split minutes hand deploy, allowing you to record an accurate full reading in both minutes and seconds of an interval time. Say for example you are recording a lap time so you hit the split seconds button on your watch. Then suddenly, you get a phone call from the hot little vixen you met the evening prior at the local cotillion. Dedicated as you may be to your sausage dog?s physical fitness, you are compelled by millions of years of genetic hormonal encoding to take the call. ?S?up babe?? you say. ?S?up yourself,? she says back and your heart does the drumbeat from Kanye?s ?Gold Digger?.

When you return to your reading the interval time in a normal rattrapante, the accuracy of your interval reading will be compromised after one minute because your chronograph minute counter continues to advance even while the split seconds hand is deployed. Not so in the Double Split, thanks to the pragmatically nifty split minutes hand.

How does the Double Split work? On top of the chronograph wheel there is a split seconds wheel and on top of the wheel for the minute counter there is a split minutes wheel. These wheels are attached respectively to the chronograph seconds wheel and to the minute counter wheel through the use of spring-loaded return levers against heart cams. On top of both of these wheels there are two return lever lifting wheels shown in the image above. In close contact with these wheels are switching levers which are operated by the split seconds column wheel. This is what happens when you press the split seconds button in the Double Split located at 10 o?clock on the watch case:
1) The split seconds column wheel turns, causing the split seconds brake to clamp down on the split seconds wheel, causing the split seconds hand dial side to freeze
2) The column wheel also causes a lever (not a pincer) to stop the split minutes wheel
3) The column wheel activates a switching lever to cause two return lever lifting wheels ? one above the split minutes wheel and another above the split seconds wheel ? to push the return levers out of the way of the reset heart cams. Incidentally, if you?re wondering why the Double Split is a relatively thick watch, this amazing multi-layered construct provides the answer.





Once the hands are split, the chronograph seconds hand and minute hand continue to progress around the dial. The minute counter does so using A. Lange & S?hne?s patented precise jumping minute counter which causes the minute hand to jump exactly on the 60 second mark of each elapsed minute and not a moment before or after. Normal chronograph function can be carried out in this mode, meaning you can start, stop and reset the chronograph or even use the flyback function. Because the return levers are completely out of the way of the reset cams, there is no loss of amplitude to the watch. What happens when you press the button again? Try resetting a traditional rattrapante when the hands are split and you might as well ball up a fistfull of thousand dollar bills for the repair costs.

Now let?s look at what happens when you release the split seconds and split minute hands:
1) The split seconds column wheel turns, causing the split seconds brake and the split minutes brake to release the split seconds and split minutes wheels
2) The return lever lifting wheels turn as a result of input via the switching lever and the return levers come back to reset against their respective heart cams
3) Both the split minutes hand and split seconds hand instantly catch up with the minute counter and chronograph seconds hand
So you can see that when I was saying that the Double Split represents the greatest advancement in the field of split seconds chronograph wristwatches to this day, I wasn?t just leaning to adolescent hyperbole as the editor-in-chief of this magazine tends to do. There simply is NOTHING on the market that equals its extraordinary performance abilities.


Breakthrough FOUR - Industrializing The Rattrpante
As I mentioned before, the rattrapante was considered to be on a par with the minute repeater. Then in 1992 IWC did the unthinkable and created a robust functional and handsome split seconds chronograph sports watch named the Dopple Chrono, at a fraction of the cost of any other rattrapante on the market. It achieved this through radically simplifying the mechanism involved in the rattrapante. As with Jaeger-LeCoulre?s 2006 launch of the Master Tourbillon, they couched the watch?s highly aggressive pricing strategy by focusing on its functional merits.

IWC?s former technical director Kurt Klaus explains, ?You know the likelihood of you using this function very often is not high because in modern sports, timing is done using computer and electronic sensors. But it is something fascinating to be able to read a lap time on a mechanical watch. When we created this watch, we insisted that it must not only work well but it must continue to operate perfectly after many years. We spent over one year making sure that this watch was highly reliable.?

One way in which IWC made their split seconds chronograph affordable was by creating it as a module that could be easily added to a pre-existing movement such as the ubiquitous but reliable Valjoux 7750.

Taking a page from Valjoux?s bag of tricks, IWC replaced the beautiful but difficult to adjust split seconds column wheel for a simple switching cam. This allowed the split seconds mechanism to be set up in a much shorter time. Also, instead of a traditional spring bar, IWC was the first manufacture to use a coiled cylindrical spring on the return lever that allowed a greater level of elasticity to diminish rattrapante drag and also to make setup easier.

Kurt Klaus is particularly pleased with the implementation of this spring. ?This spring was used in pocket watches, but IWC was the first to use this for a split seconds chronograph wristwatch. This is one of the things that make our rattrapantes so reliable. Because this cylindrical spring is ten times better than a solid spring bar which is often used for the return lever of the split seconds mechanism. With the cylindrical spring you can pull it 100,000 times and it doesn?t deform ? it will always be stable.?



In addition to IWC, Jaquet S.A. ? now known as Le Joux Perret ? has similarly retrofitted Valjoux movements with highly affordable split seconds mechanisms that are used ubiquitously by manufactures such as Ulysse Nardin, Graham and Panerai to create affordable split seconds chronographs. The legendary Franck Muller believes passionately that these industrialized versions of the rattrapante have killed the interest in the split seconds chronograph. He?s stated in an exclusive and candid interview with this magazine, ?In the past, a real rattrapante made in the artisan ways was considered on par with a minute repeater in the complexity and the finesse it took to properly render the watch. But then the industry suddenly came out with really low priced rattrapantes (IWC and then Jaquet) and totally destroyed the dream of owning a split seconds chronograph.?

But from the perspective of a collector, I disagree with the Franckster. Because while I admire the functionalism and handsomeness of an IWC Double Chronograph or Panerai 1950 rattrapante, I also consider them to be a vast world apart from the split seconds chronographs made by Blancpain and solar systems removed from Patek Philippe?s 5004 and A. Lange & S?hne?s Double Split. To equate them would be equating a Subaru WRX, or maybe a Porsche Cayman S, to an Aston Martin Vanquish S. Which is to say, you?ve missed the point altogether. And hopefully in the course of this lengthy paean dedicated to the merits of the rattrapante and to those brave few who?ve radically improved its performance, I?ve communicated that the dream of the artisan split seconds chronograph is very much alive.

Indeed, it belongs to that ethereal spectrum of ultra refinement that includes Japanese vintage 1984 Yamazaki single malt brewed with Shinto temple waters, Aubercy grande measure shoes, Mark Powell suits and Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagatos? if you don?t get why they cost so much, then you never will. Now if I could just get that little minx Ping Ping to slow down a tad, I?d be a happy man.






More Pictures of the Lange Double Split and the passionate and wonderful people at the Lange Manufacture:

[Jaw]

Unbelievably serious and complex technical issues explained in the most light-hearted way.

Thanks and congrats!

We are proud of you Declan.

Jaw

[Josh]

THE ULTIMATE RATTRAPANTE? A. LANGE AND SOHNE?S DOUBLE SPLIT

By Wei Koh



To understand the roots of Lange and Sohne revolutionary Double Split chronograph we have to jump back in time to 1999, when the manufacture introduced us to an amazing new timepiece called the Datograph. For more than a decade there had not been any major achievement in the world of integrated chronograph. All that changed when the Datograph arrived on the scene. Today, the Datograph is something of a cult phenomenon and a showcase for Lange and Sohne?s engineering skills. It?s austere almost Bauhaus like dial is highly legible. Luminous, lancet-like hands stand in muscular juxtaposition with the sheer black dial. Two high visibility subdials show elapsed minutes and continuous seconds. Presiding over these counters is Lange?s patented grande date mechanism. This date mechanism changes instantaneously at the stroke of mid night.



The Datograph is powered by the L951.1 calibre, which essentially consists of a traditional manual wind German type base movement with ? plate made in Lange?s signature untreated German Silver. Typical of Lange and Sohne this base caliber has gold chatons (gold sleeves that hold the rubies that rotating parts are mounted on) and a sumptuously engraved balance cock with a Swan neck regulator. But gaze through the Datograph?s case back and it is the high polished steel art work of the chronograph mechanism on top of the base caliber that takes your breath away. On the upper left hand quadrant the imperious column wheel acts as the command center of this chronograph.

While all this makes for an impressive timepiece, it is the Datograph?s Precise Jumping Minute Counter that sets it apart from other chronographs.

Ok, so what exactly is the big deal about the Lange Datograph oft praised precise jumping minute counter? Other chronograph designs have minute hands that jumps but most hesitate before taking the penultimate leap forward.

But the Datograph?s minute counter stays on the correct minute mark for precisely 60 seconds. When the sweep second hand pass the 60 second mark, the hand jumps to the next minute mark INSTANTANEOUSLY. The hand will never jump before or after the 60 second mark.



The Datograph?s minute counter jumps exactly at 60 seconds thanks to this ruby sliding lever.

The Datograph accomplishes this by using a ruby sliding lever. This is essentially a feeler that rests against the chronograph wheel of the watch. The chronograph wheel is constructed with a sort of ramp that suddenly drops off at the 60 seconds mark. This drop causes another lever to instantaneously pull the minute counter forward. This entire mechanism is adjustable and can be fine tuned if it every goes out of synch. The precise jumping minute hand was first patented in the late 19th century by Lange and Sohne for their chronographs.

LANGE AND SOHNE DOUBLE SPLIT CHRONOGRAPH ? THE REBIRTH OF THE RATTRAPANTE



A look through the display back of the Double Split will send any technophile?s knees quaking in awe. The caliber L001.1 essentially consists of three tiers of engineering magnificence. The first tier is the base caliber with 3 /4 plate and engraved balance cock. The second tier is the glimmering steel basic chronograph mechanism. While the lofty third tier contains the split second and split minute assemblies and a separate column wheel that controls the split second brake. This amazing universe was created by watch designer Annegret Fleischer, Tino Bobe and head of the movement development Helmut Geyer.

On the surface the Double Split?s achievements seem obvious. The Double Split frees the split second chronograph from the one minute constraint for interval timings. Most split second chronographs have a split second hand that can be deployed while the chronograph continues to move. But, if you don?t record the split timing within the minute it falls in, you have no way of accurately recalling it.

This is true for all split second chronographs EXCEPT for Lange and Sohne?s Double Split. Because when you press the split second button this unique time piece has both a split second and a split minute hand that stay frozen in place until you press the button again to have it catch up with the running chrono hand and the minute counter.

But this as it turns out is just the very tip of the technical iceberg. While the existence of a split minute hand is certain appealing, it is actually Lange?s new disengagement mechanism for the Double Split that completely redefines and liberates the split second chronograph. Read on to see what else this incredible time recording instrument can do.

A SPLIT SECOND CHRONOGRAPH THAT RECORDS MULTIPLE TIMINGS


A view of the Double Split?s split second brake

The majority of split second chronographs use a heart shaped reset cam attached to the chronograph wheel and a return lever with a jewel roller attached to the split second wheel. When the brake is applied to the wheel, the chronograph continues to rotate because the force generated by the chronograph wheel is greater than the pressure applied by the return lever. But if you keep the split second brake on too long, the movement begins to suffer from the load placed upon it by the return lever.

But because the Double Split needs to keep its chronograph running for long periods up to and beyond the minute counter?s 30 minute limit, Lange and Sohne has to create a new type of disengagement /isolator mechanism for its Double Split. This mechanism allows the split second and minute hands to be stop for as long as you like with no adverse effect on the watch.


This incredible disengagement mechanism lets the Double Split store timings while letting you use the normal chronograph functions including fly-back.


Add to this the Double Split?s fly back function and you can indefinitely store a second timing on the Double Spit while having full use of your normal chronograph functions. That?s right you can activate the split second brake, then while your interval time is stored you can continue to use all other normal chronograph functions including fly-back.

FASTEST AND SLOWEST TIMING

Using the Double Split you can even store your fastest or slowest time. Doing this sounds complex but is actually simple. Say you want to store the fastest time. After you?ve taken two timings check out your watch. If your chronograph hands are faster than your rattrapante hands press the split seconds button once to ?catch up? with your chronograph hands, then again to actuate the braking mechanism so that they freeze in place. Now you can restart the chronograph pressing the reset button followed by the start button. If your rattrapante hand is faster than the chronograph hand, then leave this timing alone and restart a the next timing by pressing the reset button followed by the start button.

If you want to store the slowest timing, than do the following. If your chronograph hands are slower than the rattrapante hands, press the split seconds button once to make the split hands ?catch up? to the chronograph hands and once more to freeze them in place. You can then reset the chrono hands to record another time. Alternatively if the rattrapante hand is slower than the chronograph hands leave them alone and use the reset button to return the chronograph hands for a new timing.

Basically the Double Split is the first mechanical chronograph that flawlessly performs the type of multiple time recordings that for the last 50 years only electronic stop watches were capable of. This magnificent achievement can be highest evolution of the chronograph in contemporary watchmaking. Not only is it one of the world?s most beautifully rendered chronographs, but with the ability to record multiple times thanks to its disengagement mechanism is without a doubt the world?s most advanced high performance time telling instrument.

[Josh]

the complete story of A. Lange & Sohne's Double Split from the perspective of its creators-


Annegret Fleischer


Tino Bobe


Helmut Geyer

[Duncan]

Wow, thanks and kudos to both Declan and Wei! Am traveling this week but will find time tonight to re-read these amazing articles. So much information and so little time...

Wearing an IWC rattrapante and just wish that I could see the movement to correlate some of this information with my watch...

Thanks again guys.

Duncan

[Clublon]

Wow is right! Great thread! I'll have to reread it. Thanks!

[pj.m]

Awesome article with great pics and details. Very interesting.

Phil

[Jaw]

Simply fantastic!!!

Jaw

[Bruno]

Thanks for the great, informative report !

[CS Tan]

Highly educational article, especially for a newbie collector like me. I think I will have to read it a few times to understand the technical details. Thanks for sharing.

Regards,
CS

[Stefano]

Wow! Amazing info and great photos. Gonna read it one more time now!

Thanks,

[foversta]

Superb post !

Great info, well written and nice pics ! Thanks for everything !

[India Whiskey Charlie]

WOW! What an amazing read. Just when I thought I knew everything about Doppel Chrono's. Thanks much for posting, Josh.

[jimsbk]

You guys have certainly make this complication an interesting read with all the details and candid writing.Great stuff. Cheers, Jim

[HerrK]

Christian

[rotnagel]

Thanks for this very well written and comprehensive article. Taking my first steps into the world of high horology the article will help me for better understanding the technical details.

[Wei]

Sadly our photographer Josh will be leaving us soon to further his education and I wanted to thank him for his contribution to HM and Revo.

He shot everything here and I think its is good product and technical photography.

Cheers

Wei

[Rob]

can't say enough thanks for sharing such an in-depth and detailed report on what is certainly one of the more complicated aspects of horology. Your photos and text make this a much more interesting read than can be hoped for. Thanks again for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!

[frankrs]

...this is difficult reading – especially for me who doesn’t speak English fluent. Have read it twice, and I now begin to understand some of the complexity of making a Rattrapante.

Thanks to Declan and Wei for sharing your knowledge with novices like me – and to Josh for wonderful photos.

Frank

[Jürgen]

One of the best explanations I have ever read about the rattrapante function. Very nice pics also