FQFLab, a new face in horological testing

With its FQFLab laboratory service, the Fondation Qualité Fleurier offers the Swiss watch industry a new dimension in watch testing to complement the certifications it issues.

Thanks to its unique facilities, in particular watch-wearer simulators and recently acquired new equipment, the FQFLab can meet all requests for tests and controls for the development of prototypes, validation of products before being placed on the market, or analysis of returned articles.

The watch-wearer simulator is a new-generation dynamic analysis and test device. It incorporates an artificial vision system offering an unrivalled level of versatility and performance and guaranteeing faithful reproduction of everyday gestures with excellent repeatability. It is linked to accuracy algorithms that allow real-time analysis of constraints linked to the wearer’s movements in three-dimensional space.

Some examples of routine applications of the device: measurement of the winding rate and power-reserve of automatic watches is determined reproducibly under actual conditions of use, corresponding to people who are inactive, active or very active. Customizable settings can also be applied. These tests are particularly useful for qualifying the capacity of automatic winding systems. Experience sometimes shows marked discrepancies in results between Cyclotest measurements and actual conditions of use. The results of technical designs and digital simulations can thus be verified in practice. Another example is measurement of the accuracy of the watch over different periods and under precisely determined and perfectly reproducible wearer conditions. New built-in devices on robotic simulators also make it possible to observe continuously (video) how the balance and oscillating weight behave as they would when the watch is being worn.

The device is extremely versatile and is capable of simulating in repeatable fashion the actual dynamic of a timepiece worn on the wrist, a factor not normally included in rate and amplitude measurements. Coupled with an optical interface it allows real-time analysis of observed defects, meaning that problems can be characterised and isolated with shorter response times. The process can be applied equally well to a finished timepiece or a prototype and is therefore eminently suited to the development and validation of new products.

February 11, 2016