The production of marine chronometers is part of Wempe?s watchmaking tradition. Since 1905, the Hamburg-based company has equipped seagoing vessels with these special timepieces, whose great precision is unaffected by rough seas and ever-changing temperatures. Wempe?s ?unified chronometer,? housed in a classic case, has been manufactured (and continuously refined) for the last 80 years. In the latest edition, Wempe now brings nautical tradition and state-of-the-art yacht design together thanks to renowned British ship designer Tim Heywood, who has created two striking new marine chronometers.

Tim Heywood at the Wempe Glashütte I/SA production site in Glashütte.

The base movement of this unified chronometer ? Type 05 ? has proven itself for decades thanks to continuous improvement. For the current Type 06, every component was redesigned and adapted to cutting-edge manufacturing techniques implemented between 2017 and 2021. This is a major reason for the chronometer?s maximum rate variation of only 0.3 seconds per day while maintaining 56 hours of power reserve. This extraordinary precision is also due to the elaborate chain-and-fusée assembly that ensures that the energy supplied to the gear train by the mainspring as it unwinds always remains constant. The energy is transmitted via an intricate chain that slowly unwinds from a cone called the fusée. 
Type 07 three-bridge movement with chain-and-fusée assembly

The elaborately decorated Type 07 three-bri...