Chronograph

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For an instrument used to measure velocity of a projectile fired from a gun, see gun chronograph.
Pocket chronograph
Pocket chronograph
A Seiko quartz wristwatch using the chronograph function (movement 7T92).
A Seiko quartz wristwatch using the chronograph function (movement 7T92).

A chronograph is a timepiece or watch with both timekeeping and stopwatch functions. Pocket watch chronographs were produced as early as the 18th century but did not become popular until the 1820s.[1]

Contents

[edit] Types

There are many types of chronographs.[1][2]

  • Analog chronographs show both time and stopwatch functions with analog hands. Typically the center hand will be used for stopwatch functions, while subdials may indicate seconds, stopwatch minutes and hours and (in some quartz chronographs) tenths or hundredths of a second. A variation of this chronograph is the Bull-one head, with the movement rotated 90 degrees, placing the crown and buttons at the top of the watch rather than the traditional location on side.
  • Digital chronographs use a digital display for both timekeeping and stopwatch functions, either with separate displays or by switching modes on a single display.
  • Analog-digital chronographs have a standard analog watch with permanent center seconds and a separate digital display that usually operates independently of the analog section. A fallback will reset to zero and then continue to run when the reset button is pushed while the stopwatch is running. In contrast, most mechanical chronographs will reset to zero only when the stopwatch is stopped.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b A Brief History of the Automatic Chronograph. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
  2. ^ History of the Chronograph Watch. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.

[edit] References