Rolex is jealous!? A study of the Frédéric Piguet Caliber 1185, the father of the modern automatic chronograph

When talking about modern chronographs, one movement is essential: Frederic Piguet's Caliber 1185. Its innovative design, including a vertical clutch, a reset hammer made of a single plate, and a 12-hour counter built into the movement, had a decisive influence on the new automatic chronograph.

Cal.1185 research

　If future generations were to talk about the history of the chronograph, Frederic Piguet's Caliber 1185 would be an indispensable part of it.

　The designer was Edmond Capt, a former Valjoux employee. On April 6, 1973, he and Gerald Gunter filed a patent for a cam-operated chronograph, which was published on February 13, 1976 under the number CH500073. The chronograph he applied for was the Valjoux 7750, later known as the ETA 7750. This movement not only reduced manufacturing costs by reducing the bending of levers, but also featured a brake lever despite being a cam-operated movement. It also featured a unidirectional automatic winding mechanism.

　However, the 7750 did not go smoothly. Despite achieving an annual production of 10 units, Valjoux discontinued production of the movement in 75 and destroyed all stock. Capt left Valjoux in despair. Incidentally, ETA did not begin production of the 7750 again until 83.

　However, Capt's talent blossomed at Frédéric Piguet, where he worked on a variety of thin movements, developing the meca-quartz Caliber 1270 in 85. He then completed the Caliber 1185, a completely new automatic chronograph movement, in 88.

　If I may be so bold as to say, this movement combines the best features of the ETA 7750 and Seiko's Caliber 6139. The vertical clutch is an improved version of the 6139, and the various levers use the same pressed parts that made the 7750 so successful. However, Capt also introduced a new approach to this automatic chronograph: the 12-hour counter, which was previously located on the dial, has been moved to the movement.

　This was made possible by a vertical clutch that took up less horizontal space. The Capt's innovation was arranging the 30-minute counter, the seconds chronograph, and the 12-hour counter in a horizontal line, and resetting them with a single plate. The large carrying arm and reset hammer, a major problem with watches equipped with horizontal clutches, were surprisingly compact. Furthermore, by molding the reset hammer from a single plate, Frédéric Piguet also succeeded in reducing manufacturing costs. The 1185 was undoubtedly a luxury watch, but it was intended for mass production.

　The automatic winding mechanism is the same unidirectional winding system as the ETA 7750. The decision not to use a bidirectional system was likely due to space constraints. By placing the automatic winding mechanism on a bridge and using it to seal the movement, the 1185 was only 5.5mm thick. This is over 2mm thinner than the 7750's 7.9mm, allowing for more movement to be added.

　The 1185 is the ancestor of the modern automatic chronograph. I would like to share an anecdote that shows just how outstanding this movement was. In the 90s, Rolex was searching for a base movement for the Daytona to replace the El Primero, and chose the 1185. At the time, the plan was canceled because no one other than Blancpain could offer it, but if the plan had gone ahead, the new Daytona might have been powered by Frédéric Piguet's 1185.