Basic elements › Units of measurement

ELECTRICAL UNITS

At the end of the 19th century, the watchmaking industry played a driving role in the rise of electricity in Switzerland and in the rapid deployment of the domestic network. The machines, previously operated manually and then hydraulically, were among the first to benefit, as was the lighting of the workshops. Efficiency and productivity experienced unprecedented growth, bringing in their wake lasting gains in terms of reliability and precision, as well as a significant reduction in manufacturing costs.

A structuring energy

Beyond production tools, electricity quickly established itself as a cross-cutting driver of watchmaking manufacture. Today, it underpins both the means of measurement and Testing processes of very diverse origins: proven technologies such as electroplating treatments and Anodising, as well as more recent processes such as electrical discharge machining or femtosecond lasers, used as part of Additive manufacturing. Electrical conductivity is therefore an increasingly important criterion in the selection of Materials.

In terms of Time measurement, the first electric clocks appeared as early as 1840. The widespread adoption of electronic Quartz watches, beginning in the 1970s, marked a major technological turning point in the history of horology.

Ohm’s law and the three main measurements

The electrical measurements a Horologist (watchmaker) may be called upon to take traditionally revolve around Ohm’s law and therefore essentially consist of voltages, currents and resistances.

According to the International System of Units (SI):

The voltage is symbolised by U, its unit of measurement is the volt (V)

Current is symbolised by I, its unit of measurement is the ampere (A)

Resistance is symbolised by R, its unit of measurement is the ohm (Ω)

Although devices exist to measure each of these values specifically (voltmeter, ammeter, ohmmeter), they are generally combined into a single device (the multimeter), which can measure combinations of these three values.