Rolex is jealous! ? Search for Frédéric Piguet Cal.1185, the father of modern automatic chronographs |. Luxury watch magazine Chronos Japan Edition[webChronos]

When talking about modern chronographs, there is one movement that is indispensable. This is Cal.1185 by Frederic Piguet. The innovative design, including the column clutch, single-plate reset hammer, and 12-hour counter integrated into the movement, had a decisive influence on the new automatic chronograph.

Eiichi Okuyama: Pictures of Eiichi Okuyama
Masaaki Hirota (this magazine): Interview and transcript by Masayuki Hirota (Kronos-Japan)
Special thanks to ZENMAIWORKS
[المقالة منشورة في النسخة اليابانية من كرونوس عدد سبتمبر 2020]

Cal 1185 searches

If future generations are to talk about the history of the chronograph, the Frédéric Piguet caliber 1185 will be one of the key elements.

Very smart design. The two small gears visible above the one-piece reset hammer are the 30-minute counter idler wheel on the left and the 12-hour counter idler wheel on the right.

The designer was Edmond Caputo, who worked for Valjoux. On April 6, 1973, he and Gerald Gunther filed a patent for a camera chronograph, which was published on February 13, 1976 under number CH500073. The chronograph he applied for was the Valjoux 7750, and later the ETA7750. This movement not only reduced manufacturing costs by reducing flexing of the levers, but also included a brake lever despite being of the cam type. In addition, it is equipped with a one-way automatic winding machine.

The condition in which the idler wheel of the collecting device has been deleted. You can see the reset hammer, which consists of a single plate, and the lever that moves it. The reset hammer is a direct reset that is actuated directly by the reset button.

However, progress on the 7750 has not been smooth. Despite achieving an annual production of 100,000 units, Valjoux discontinued production of this movement in 1975 and destroyed all inventory. Kabuto left Valjo sad. By the way, ETA started producing the 7750 in 1983.

However, Caputo's talent flourished with Frederic Piguet, who moved to him. He worked on many fine movements, and in 1985 he developed the mechanical quartz caliber 1270. In 1988, the company completed an entirely new automatic chronograph, the caliber 1185.

Furthermore, the reset hammer has been removed. The clutch levers that engage and release power can be seen on either side of the vertical clutch located in the middle. It's a surprisingly simple design.

If you'll forgive the harsh language, this is a movement that combines the best of the ETA7750 and Seiko's Cal.6139. The vertical clutch uses an improved version of the 6139, and the various levers use pressed parts that brought success to the 7750. However, Caputo also incorporated new challenges into this automatic chronograph. The 12-hour counter, previously located on the side of the dial, has been moved to the side of the movement.

What made this possible was the vertical clutch which did not take up horizontal space. What's new about Caputo is that the 30-minute accumulator, the second chronograph, and the 12-hour accumulator are lined up horizontally in a straight line and reset using a single plate. He was able to turn the large carrying lever and reset hammer, which were major problems on machines equipped with horizontal clutches, into a surprisingly small size. Frédéric Piguet also succeeded in reducing manufacturing costs by forging the reset hammer from a single plate. The 1185 was undoubtedly a luxury machine, but it was intended for mass production.

The main feature of the Cal.1185 is its one-piece forged hammer. The protrusions extending from the bottom are the reset parts for the 30-minute accumulator, the second chronograph indicator, and the 12-hour accumulator from the left. However, the reset hammer is only supported by two protrusions. Therefore, later models based on Cal.1185 now have a fixed, fixed reset hammer.

The automatic winding mechanism is the same unidirectional winding type as the ETA7750. The reason we don't go both ways is probably to save space. By placing the automatic winding mechanism on a bridge and using it to cover the movement, the 1185 is only 5.5 mm thick. This was 2mm thinner than the 7.9mm on the 7750, and several mechanisms could be added.

1185, the pioneer of the modern automatic chronograph. I would like to present one episode that shows how unique this movement is. In the 1990s, Rolex was looking for a base movement for the Daytona to replace the El Primero, and decided to go with the 1185. At the time, the plan was scrapped because no one else could offer it but Blancpain, but if it had gone ahead, the new Daytona might have been the 1185 By Frederic Piguet.

The caliber 1185, which had the fourth wheel in the middle, could easily be converted into a chronograph by simply stacking the vertical clutch on top of it. The idea is the same as the Seiko caliber 6139. The behavior of the vertical clutch is fixed by pressing the clasp with the support of the 12-hour integration mechanism. What is interesting is the kana that can be seen at the bottom right of the chronograph wheel. Its role is to transfer power from the fourth wheel to the small seconds wheel at six o'clock.