A watch timing machine or timegrapher is a machine that acoustically measures the ticks of a mechanical
watch
A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...
to assess its accuracy and enable calibration. This device calculates the
amplitude
The amplitude of a periodic variable is a measure of its change in a single period (such as time or spatial period). The amplitude of a non-periodic signal is its magnitude compared with a reference value. There are various definitions of am ...
, beat rate, and beat error of a mechanical watch, and provides a summary of these figures after the watch is connected to the device for a fixed interval of time. The information recorded by this instrument is used by
horologists and
watchmaker
A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their par ...
s to help determine if the timepiece's
movement is in need of servicing, or a complete overhaul, to restore its
timekeeping
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to compa ...
accuracy.
[https://www.bobswatches.com/watch-resources/how-to-use-a-timegrapher Why You Should Own A Timegrapher (and how to use it) ''Bob's Watches'', JANUARY 07, 2015] It is also used to determine if a newly produced timepiece is accurate, prior to being sold or released.
References
External links
A Youtube video of a timing machine
{{Time measurement and standards
Watches
Horology
Timekeeping components