Community Stories

Do you use your chrono?!

Archer
Posts
29,196
Likes
75,443
B Barqy
What do you use it for at work? If you don't take a chrono, what do you then use to time things?

I use it for tasks like applying epilame surface treatment to parts during servicing - timing how long the part is submerged in the solution:







And then how long they have been drying:



I also use it for performing the damping test on automatic rotors with bearings, to check the condition and cleanliness of the bearing, ensuring that it meets the specs on this test by timing how long it swings for:







I also use it when performing high pressure wet testing, to time how long the case has been at various pressure stages in that process:







And how long it has been on the heater:



If I don't have the Speedmaster on, I use whatever watch I have on, but this is much easier to do with a chronograph, in particular the damping test where I have to watch the rotor swinging to know exactly when it stops...
 
C
Posts
1,579
Likes
15,222
I don't use my chronographs very often. Fairly rarely does it come up in my day-to-day other than cooking.

From the responses, I just know that as much as I wished I was on @Archer 's client list before, it's only worse now. It's great to see behind the curtain at a watchmaker's processes when they really care.
 
mydeafcat
Posts
1,382
Likes
6,497
I use it every day for a considerably more important purpose than timing a retro-rocket burn. For what’s a burn without rocket fuel?

8A41A08B-D2C0-4ABE-B2D7-EBFC68F88503.jpeg
 
arturo7
Posts
1,075
Likes
1,624
I sell industrial machinery. When I'm at a customer's facility I'll often use a chrono to monitor cycle times.
 
pdxleaf
Posts
6,012
Likes
20,668
Some interesting and creative uses. Thanks for sharing.

When I purchased my first speedy, I wasn't sure what I would use the chrono for, but since it was there decided it needed to be played with. Now I really do use it regularly, much like others do for cooking. (Although I am not much of a cook.) A must have for bbq, things in the oven.

Take out is a big one, as in, it will be ready for pickup in 20 mins.

Any doctor, dentist, or similar appointment to time how long it takes to be seen after my appointment was supposed to start.

Starting on a road trip to see how long it takes to arrive.

Dog walks, to track our time out.

I only used the tachymeter once though, and that was driving as a passenger to see if it worked to track speed. (It did.)

It's become so addictive that I seldom wear a watch without a chrono and when I do, I will sometimes still reach for a pusher that isn't there.

But I am easily entertained and retired.
 
Bugbait
Posts
408
Likes
355
On average probably works out to at least once per day. Usually cooking and baby naps but really just randomly whenever I need to time something. That's why screw down pushers are an absolute no-no for me.
 
MRC
Posts
3,502
Likes
8,771
Mine have been used to time car rally stages & selectives -- that was original motivation to have one. Race track lap & individual corner times for other cars and handed over to someone on the trackside to time me. Car & motorbike speedometer accuracy checking, building evacuation times in fire drills, network latency under increasing load in the early days of ethernet. Cooking, pasta especially. Race start countdown for yacht races, how long does the bus take to get from stop X to my nearest so I can minimise time spent standing in the rain in future.

And when someone says "I'll just be a second" to tell them exactly how many seconds it was. That can be risky though. 😗
 
B
Posts
34
Likes
20
Not until it returned from a service with a slight misalignment of the minute hand. I am now obsessed that the second and minute hands can collide occasionally and find myself testing it far too often. 😡
 
befobe
Posts
1,545
Likes
9,916
Use it at work regularly. And I will try very soon the advice of @revmiguel for "water intake reminder"...!
 
LesXL
Posts
3,798
Likes
41,046
Rarely, only when I want to admire the seconds go by... Or timing something stupid... Though I always forget to stop it when things get done, and I only remember it like a couple of hours later!
 
B
Posts
73
Likes
67
Amg786s Amg786s
Seldom. Only really for timing home baking!

See, I don't get the home baking idea as the chronograph function doesn't have a timer. This opens up more risk than the traditional timer via an oven for example with and audible sound to let you know exactly. This isn't to say you couldn't use a chrono, but perhaps it's less effective, or better phrased, riskier.
 
Hernium
Posts
31
Likes
110
JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
I use it for long shutter releases (mechanical shutters) - click chrono and cable release at the same time. Very handy for very long release in the multiple minutes range. I did a series of exposures (on film- can’t do it in digital), where I left the shutter open for a series of long exposures (in the hours each range) of the night sky in the open desert of Arizona- you could see the Stars spiraling around the North Star. Speedy timed each of those.

Oh absolutely - out in the dark dark cornfields in Indiana, with the camera pointed towards the sky, and an hour long exposure on Provia, it was nice being able to keep track of how far I was into each exposure as I huddled up in the car. It also helps when I'm back in the city and doing slightly shorter long exposures on whacky stuff like Instax Square, now that has a really bad reciprocity failure to deal with ☕
 
Orinoco111
Posts
108
Likes
186
Only time when was the kids were young and I’d time them over obstacle races when on holidays.

I also own a dive watch.....with a helium escape valve.....don’t like the sea me!
 
man winding
Posts
62
Likes
134
Only use it when running with my wife so I can check if enough time has passed for me to stop looking like it doesn’t hurt.
 
Dsloan
Posts
3,568
Likes
24,084
I use mine all the time for little things, like timing stuff at work. But, lately, I've been using it for toddler tasks: tracking screen time, sunscreen reapplication, and, sad as it is, I sometimes set it to make sure that I'm giving undivided attention (like, force myself not to check work emails for an hour).
 
Pvt-Public
Posts
2,553
Likes
3,662
I think if I actually had one, I would at least think about using it.
 
STANDY
Posts
16,854
Likes
47,854
Used it in the boat the other day to see how long it took to travel to the mouth of the river. 😉
Yep it gets used...more than you think.
 
67 More Posts...
Sign up or log in to reply...

Similar threads

M'Bob

Bracelet micro adjust: do you use it? What’s optimal?

M'Bob Open Discussion
Felix_La_PuBelle
Felix_La_PuBelle
Posts
16
Views
445
Omegafanman

Domestic water filter - do you use one / recommendations please?

Omegafanman Open Discussion
S
steversaurus
Posts
52
Views
6K
TheRedBaron

Which spring bars do you use?

TheRedBaron Modern Omega Watches
PatinaPete
PatinaPete
Posts
32
Views
14K
vtec96

What watch stand do you use?

vtec96 Open Discussion
DaveK
DaveK
Posts
12
Views
2K
palatine

uk posting high value watches... who do you use?

palatine Open Discussion
palatine
palatine
Posts
5
Views
1K
DaveK

What hooks do you use to display pocket watches?

DaveK Open Discussion
Waltesefalcon
Waltesefalcon
Posts
49
Views
9K