Degrees on Equator

Did you know a minute can be the length of 60 seconds in time, but also the stretch of one nautical mile, called an arc minute?

The equator is divided up by 360 longitudinal lines, going from the north to the south pole (or 360°). The length between each longitude (1°) along the equator can be divided up into 60 arc minutes, each of which is 1852 metres or 1 nautical mile in length. Now you wont feel so stupid the next time you are watching some 80′s war movie and the Navy Seals are asked for their position on the radio and you just cant figure out why they start gibbering on about temperature and minutes…

So it will soon be time for Le Tour. For those who don’t know: its a sporting event made up by the French because they were jealous of the English receiving all the attention during Wimbledon. Also called Grande Boucle, which means something in French, it is the worlds most prestigious cycling race and certainly one of the big global sporting events that receive a lot of attention. So what better place to put our products in the spotlight, the clever horologists at Festina must have thought. And they were right. As official timekeeper of the Tour de France and due to a doping scandal in 1998, also known as the Festina Affair, they have been able to associate their watches with the grand event forever.

Of course they took the opportunity to produce a watch especially for the Tour de France: the Tour Chronograph. This watch will appear each year in a new design and has long since become a sought after collectors item. These watches are certainly lookers. Combining bright colours and polished steel, these unusually cut, chunky timepieces look as if all doped up on steroids. But of course nobody in this noble sport would have anything to do with that sort of stuff, would they? Check out the new 2012 Tourchrono collection and behold new heights in brashness and eccentricity. Fitted with scratch resistant mineral glass, available with steel or synthetic wrist bands and a multitude of colours. The 43mm in diameter and 15mm in height measuring cases are watertight up to a pressure of 10bar.  Maybe you will want a fancy new watch to go with that skin-tight, canary-yellow outfit you are wearing.

After 10 years of abstinence, the Swiss watch manufacturer Certina recently announced that they were returning to Britain. In their own words: “with a clear target: becoming a major player”. So lets take a quick look at this ambitious company hoping to win the hearts and souls of British horologists.

Founded in 1888 in Switzerland, the Certina watch company has long since been involved in pushing the technically possible to new heights. They started producing wrist watches in 1908, mainly women’s watches, as the gentleman of the time still seemed to prefer the trusty old pocket watch. In 1936 they produced the worlds first digital watch! A mechanical drive used inscribed, rotating disks to display the time.

The DS (Double Security) concept was introduced. This incorporated a specially suspended watch movement inside a reinforced case. These watches could withstand a drop from up to six meters, almost triple of the height normal automatic watches were expected to cope with at the time. They could also handle water pressure of 20 ATM, which was very high end in those days. It was these technological breakthroughs that made Certina famous and they have become one of the highest regarded luxury watch makers ever since. Their constant emphasis on quality and durability have certainly helped to maintain that image.

When it comes to design, they must have a tightly packed trophy room somewhere, with all the prizes they have won so far. From the Milan Fair’s gold medal award to the International Diamonds Award and the Golden Rose of Baden-Baden, they must have everything in there by now…

As for Image, they have put their timepieces on all kinds of folk that “take it to the limits”. They have sent their watches up and down the Himalaya, given them to deep sea divers, Saharan expeditions and unmanned Atlantic crossings. And the list of sportsmen brandishing a Certina is endless. Amongst them Roger De Coster, Alex Criville, Collin McRae, Robert Kubica and even Muhammed Ali. Certina has established itself as one of the major sponsors in sports, especially in the world of motor sports you are bound to have come across this brand.

Certina is what I call a “real” watch company. I mean not a fashion label that slaps their logo on a chep piece of sh… and then in turn straps it to a movie star or pop idol. They make watches in house. The tech involved and the design are developed by Certina employees. They know what they are doing and they know their product.

So what models are we currently looking at then? They still have the DS system, making them more sturdy than their counterparts. They all have ETA movements. They are available as quartz and automatic watches. The materials used are either 316L stainless steel (hypo-allergenic) and titanium. The stones used are brilliant cut, top wesselton (near colourless yellow) diamonds, which are guaranteed conflict-free in respect to the Kimberley process certification. So you can go ahead and bling with a good conscience.

So in a word: Certina is for people who value quality over imagery.

Junkers is back. Yes, but not as the bombers-for-Britain-building part of the second world war Nazi war-machine. Thank god they have left that era behind and have turned to more peaceful pastimes. The name, which is still associated with craftsmanship, precision engineering and German thoroughness, now stands for high-quality watches.

The Brand now sports an exclusive range of quartz and automatic watches. And the please don’t think that a famous name is being used to sell a bunch of overpriced junk here, these are some very good timepieces. Not only well made cases, but the insides are equipped with the reliable and well-proven Miyota and ETA movements, including the finest Valjoux movements in some models, for the aficionados amongst you.

So these are not some pimped up, £5.- watches with a fancy logo slapped on them, but some watches to be taken seriously. You will also recognise this in the design. From the very sleek Bauhaus designer model, the classic Iron Annie JU52 to the high-end and modern Eurofighter Typhoon, you can always be sure to be owning a serious piece of equipment which looks the part as well.

OK People, it’s time to present some of the important watch brands out there. I would like to start off with one of my personal favourites: Junghans.
This is a genuine watch brand. They don’t just have one clockwork around which they plaster a couple of different pretty designs until the actual technology inside is utterly out of date. They not only design and produce everything themselves, they also put a lot into research. Always have. Making the very first radio controlled wristwatch, the Junghans Mega 1, which had a cleverly designed antenna that was inside the strap, they continue to produce cutting edge timepieces on the very brink of technical possibility. Now we have been presented with their newest creation: The Junghans Mega Futura, which is part of the hugely popular Junghans Avantgarde collection. These brand-spanking new multi-frequency radio controlled watches are clearly designed in reference to the original Mega 1.
But it is not all about technical finesse and a slight nerdicality. Tradition is a strong part of this company’s corporate culture. And in my humble opinion, this is best presented by the Max Bill collection. These sleek gentlemen’s watches are absolutely timeless in their design. The classic domed crystals and the minimalistic faces are true design classics and instantly recognisable. I feel they have certain James-Bondishness about them (if James Bond were German of course). Or to put it in one word: smart.
These are just two examples of the many different styles and technical incredibilities this traditional and famed company of watchmakers has to offer. Feel free to explore their range on our website and get in touch if you have any questions. I would be happy to oblige.

Hello there everyone,

this is the first in a continuing cascade of news, updates and inside information on Atomic-Clock.org.uk, the brands we stock and the wonderful world of time.

We will try to keep you updated on issues such as new trends, hot collections and technical specs. You will also find useful information on topics such as the world time, summer time and the atomic clocks as such.

Last but not least, we will keep spirits alive by ‘aving a little fun, fun, fun.

Please feel free to contribute at your discretion, we welcome anyone who has an opinion or some fresh information!