On The Mark: The Most Accurate Mechanical Watches
Luxury timepieces have come to represent many different things, but at the core of these pieces remains one single-minded pursuit: superlative accuracy. Since the dawn of mechanical watches, watchmakers have been obsessed with creating ever more accurate movements, impervious to shocks, temperature changes, magnetism, and the force of gravity itself.
For centuries, the best watches in the world have been defined by how accurately they told time. Thanks to modern technology and a culture of constant innovation, today’s top watch brands are still making advances in this pursuit, using advanced materials and ingenious movement designs to create watches with unprecedented accuracy. Here are a few of the best.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon
There’s one thing that stands as shorthand for the brilliance of the world’s top watchmakers: the tourbillon. Patented in 1801, this intricate mechanical complication was created to combat the effects of earth’s gravity on pocket watches, and it remains a hallmark of refined and highly accurate watches more than 200 years later. (Price upon request)
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R
In keeping with its elite status as the world’s most coveted watchmaker, Patek Philippe doesn’t simply meet existing accuracy standards — it creates its own. The micro-rotor movement inside this iconic design is marked by the Patek Philippe seal, which indicates not only extreme accuracy but also a superlative degree of hand-finishing. ($43,400, at Humbertown Jewellers)
Bulova Accutron Spaceview 2020
In the 1960s, Bulova’s electric tuning fork movements were some of the most accurate on the planet. For 2020, the brand made a triumphant return to form with this watch, which relies on a proprietary electrostatic movement composed of a precisely engineered motor and turbine system to generate power. ($3,995)
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic
This new Black Bay model is special for two reasons: not only is it the first-ever Tudor with a ceramic case, but it’s the first to be certified by both the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). In short, that means its manufacture calibre movement is possibly the most accurate ever made by Tudor. ($5,660)
Citizen Promaster Navihawk A-T
Quartz watches — those powered by batteries rather than rotors and mainsprings — might not be as glamorous as their mechanical counterparts, but they’re far more accurate. Case in point: this advanced chronograph, which uses radio signals from an atomic clock to automatically adjust its date and time, resulting in a margin of error of just one second in 100,000 years. ($995)
Seiko Prospex SNR031
If two words explain why Seiko watches are so unique and so coveted, it’s these: Spring Drive. Rather than choose between a quartz or mechanical movement, Seiko combined the two, resulting in a sophisticated 30-jewel automatic movement with a quartz regulator. While the workings of a Spring Drive movement are complex, the benefits are anything but: accuracy of +/- 1 second per day, plus a 72-hour power reserve. ($7,800)
Louis Vuitton Tambour Damier Graphite Race Chronograph
The iconic French brand may be known chiefly for its leather goods, but it has been making strides in watchmaking too. Among Louis Vuitton’s latest achievements is this sporty chronograph inspired by Virgil Abloh’s runway collections, featuring a finely decorated Swiss automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve. ($10,250)
Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic COSC
In the watch world, the initials “COSC” and the word “chronometer” are shorthand for a timepiece with exceptional accuracy. The acronym stands for the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute, an independent organization that tests watch movements and designates the most accurate of them — like this Highlife Automatic COSC — certified chronometers. ($2,595)
Mido Ocean Star 600 Chronometer
You can shell out a lot more for a professional-quality dive watch and still get something less accurate than this flagship Mido, which boasts a robust 600 m of water resistance, a ceramic bezel, and a helium escape valve. Whether you take it deep sea diving or not, the COSC-certified movement will keep this watch ticking reliably for years to come. ($2,150)
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150 m Co-Axial Master Chronometer
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You might look at this Seamaster and see a classic steel sports watch, but Omega sees a Master Chronometer. This designation indicates a watch that has undergone exhaustive tests by METAS for magnetic resistance, chronometric precision both on and off the wrist, isochronism (the accuracy of the movement at different power reserve levels), power reserve, temperature, and water resistance. It’s as impressive as it sounds. ($8,550)
