COSC
The COSC, or Official Swiss Chronometer Certification, is an undisputable reference in the certification of movement precision for Swiss watches. It awards the title of chronometer based on the ISO 3159 standard.
The process of certification for a chronometer, under the wing of the COSC, is conducted by the three Official Offices of Bienne, Le Locle and Geneva. They are all accredited in accordance with the ISO 17025 standard (Laboratory testing) by the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS).
TIMELAB represents the Official Office of Geneva of the COSC whose mission is to perform controls on the movements which are entrusted to it.
A little history
In 1956, the Official Office of Geneva was created at the Geneva School of Watchmaking, offering the possibility for all watches to be candidates for the acquisition of a "Chronometer Certificate". This Official Office united six other regional agencies in Le Sentier, Le Locle, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Bienne, Saint-Imier and Soleure.
In 1973 the Association for the Official Swiss Chronometer Certification (COSC) was founded by five watchmaking cantons: Bern, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Soleure and Vaud, as well as by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.
The COSC today
Today the process of certification for a chronometer, under the wing of the COSC, is conducted by the Official Offices of Bienne, Geneva and Le Locle.
These three laboratories are accredited in accordance with the ISO 17025 standard (Laboratory testing) by the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS). The Official Office of Geneva is on the SCS (Swiss Calibration Service) register, under the number 064, for the measurement of intervals of time.
The management of the COSC’s operational activities is controlled by a Board Committee composed of the COSC director and the three directors of the Official Offices. The Board Committee meets regularly to coordinate its work, actions and projects in line with its activities.
Definition of a chronometer
A chronometer is a movement, destined for a watch, which has successfully passed the tests of the ISO 3159 standard that relate to the working precision of the watch. The tests are carried out over a period of 16 consecutive days, and each day a new test is conducted on the movement on its way to be becoming a chronometer.
For more information, www.cosc.ch
