Anyone who owns a mechanical watch ultimately knows little about the little machine that spins on their wrist. Of course, anyone has access to the basics of movements such as the alternations per hour, the number of rubies and the power reserve. But beyond those terms, few people seem to be able to provide the answers ... except true amateurs and experts, but that's to be expected. Knowing that precision has a preponderant part in the price of a watch, one thinks in particular of precision certifications such as COSC, it is a real aberration. So yes, there are other technical factors (manufacture or not, complications as well as precious materials) as well as the reputation of the brand, but the notion of precision is crucial since a timepiece serves to ... give the time !

Lepsi & chronocomparateurs:

So let's look at a small “revolutionary” product created by a Swiss startup called Lepsi. This company designs chronocomparators, also called "watch analyzers", which analyze the performance of the movements of your watches. It now offers two products: the Watch Scope (€ 419) and the Watch Analyzer (€ 1,099) which is more complete but also more expensive. In a nutshell, the Watch Scope is the smallest chronocomparator available on the market, analyzing the ticking of the movement through a high-sensitivity microphone to reveal its secrets. And this in a few seconds thanks to a sharp algorithm, but above all unparalleled precision thanks to an atomic calibration (and not quartz like traditional chronocomparators).

Packaging & design:

The device comes in a thin wooden box covered with matte black cardboard packaging with the brand name written in hot foil stamping. It’s simple but very neat in detail. Inside, the Watch Scope is bound to be. It is a small matt gray metal disc with a face covered with a material of imitation carbon fiber in the center of which is a small hole for the high frequency microphone and on which the watch sits. It connects to your phone / tablet using a standard (3.5mm) quality jack cable: black sheathed and braided with two chrome metal tips marked with the brand's logo. The whole measuring approximately 60cm. The accessory itself is visually pleasing, as is the packaging, but above all practical and nomadic due to its discreet size. Lepsi did it right and it's nice.

Installing the Watch Scope:

To help you get started, the wooden box contains a black mini-envelope containing basic instructions for downloading the app (Android or iOS only), positioning the device, and taking a first measurement. In all fairness, this is so intuitive that reading these instructions is not necessary.

Make a first diagnosis:

Once you have downloaded the application and entered the serial number with your email address, it only takes a few seconds to start accumulating data. But a calibration is necessary to obtain the famous precision of 0.1 seconds: in fast mode in 30 minutes or then in standard mode in 3 hours. Once done, you will only need 30 seconds to perform a watch diagnostic which will provide you with the following data:

Rate variation (with an accuracy of +/- 0.1 sec. Per day)
Amplitude of the balance (with an accuracy of +/- 1 °)
Mark (with an accuracy of +/- 0.1 ms.)

And to top it off, you can follow the measurement in real time with an animated graph or even observe the sound oscillations. It’s just captivating, even if you don’t really know what happens the first time around. In addition to determining almost immediately the number of vibrations per hour of the movement, there is also an option to adjust the lifting angle of the movement. Fortunately, Lepsi listed them on his site. The application then allows you to save the reports in a Collection tab where you can specify the make and model of the watch in question and, above all, make comparisons over time. It’s simple, clean and well sorted. If you want to go a little further, you can also export a comprehensive and already laid out measurement report in PDF format. This modular device makes it possible in particular to take measurements in several positions and especially when your watch is on the wrist, this is a real plus for obtaining measurements in real conditions.

On the other hand, it is difficult to verify the accuracy of the data provided without a basis for comparison ... and apart from professional tools such as the famous Witschi, there is not much available.
It's the geek side talking. Next, let's be honest: this is not a tool you need, but a tool that will make you happy, even a very nice gift

 

Thank you for sharing, this is an interesting product. I have considered purchasing a cheap timegrapher of Amazon but concluded that it might make me obsessed with precision of my watches. I dont care in general as long as they are not crazy off.

I do wonder though, what does Lepsi add more than fancy packaging that makes it worth spending so much? A standard timegrapher that most hobby collectors seem to use cost under 200 dollars on amazon, the Lepsi is more than twice as much.

 

you're wright.
here in Switzerland, prices can approach the depth of some lakes
here as elsewhere, all is not as 'cool' as some people want to write it