Tudor is growing and increasingly acquiring an identity independent of Rolex, to the point of making a strong statement of intent: its predestined adversary is Omega. It does so in a spectacular manner, presenting a model sporting on its dial - no less - the words Master Chronometer, 6 years after the first Omega (the Globemaster of 2015). And, sportingly, thanking its adversary for opening the dances.
In fact, Omega was the first Swiss brand - and so far the only one - to be certified by Metas and to be able to display the words Master Chronometer on the dials of its watches. Not only that. The Bienne-based company has invested to the point of extending it to a very large slice of its production, so much so that even the Speedmaster Moonwatch has been Master Chronometer since this year.
Obtaining Metas certification is not easy. It requires strict specifications regarding the construction of the watch in its entirety. The characteristics to be met are: Swiss Made, Cosc-certified movement, resistance to magnetic fields of up to 15,000 Gauss, chronometric accuracy on the wrist (tests similar to the Cosc tests are performed on the complete watch), constancy of accuracy throughout the duration of the winding, water resistance of the case.
Performing the tests is entirely the responsibility of the company and requires a substantial investment to implement a Metas laboratory in-house. The Federal Institute has control over the specifications of the laboratory and carries out periodic sample tests to verify the accuracy of the controls. In contrast to the Cosc, therefore, the Metas does not have its own facilities where brands send their movements (or watches), but, as with the Cosc, in order to obtain certification each individual piece must be tested. And this takes place within the factory.
It is easy to think, therefore, that investing in Master Chronometer certification for just one watch is uneconomic, to say the least. It is more reasonable to assume that Tudor's objective is to extend testing and certification, progressively, to all or almost all of its production. The die is cast. How will Omega respond?
Dody Giussani
