Industrious activity invariably prevails in “T3,” where all completed watches are thoroughly tested. The movements and cases, to which the wristbands have not yet been attached, are inserted into a Cyclotest apparatus, where they undergo several hours of testing. Each timepiece is rotated around its own axis, while the box is simultaneously carried along a circular orbit like a carousel. These motions simulate the varying conditions and changing orientations which the watches will later undergo on their wearers' wrists and also assure that automatic calibers have ample opportunity to fully wind their mainsprings. The Cyclotest also ferrets out any loose parts. This is essential because on rare occasions, a screw may not have been fully tightened or a component may have been incorrectly affixed during the assembly process. Even if all previous monitoring hadn't discovered a shortcoming, the Cyclotest almost always reveals it. The machines tireless rotary motions loosen any poorly affixed parts, which then tumble noisily inside the case like the proverbial “loose screw.” Now is the proper moment for another thorough inspection of the assembled case and its movement. After the timepieces have undergone this simulation of realworld conditions, they're placed in an electronic timing machine which can simultaneously analyze up to ten watches. The machine automatically turns the cases and movements into the desired positions, i.e. dial up, dial down, and crown at “9,” “6,” “3” and “12 o'clock.” A microphone at each measuring location conveys the ticking of the watch to the computer. The analytical and measuring program draws conclusions, precisely calculates deviations from perfect timekeeping and displays the entire scene on a monitor. Colleagues in atelier “T3” can see instantly whether a tested watch is performing within a specified range. green numbers confirm good rate values, but a red background or red numbers show that postprocessing is needed. The more closely each link in the qualitycontrol chain follows its predecessor, the better the ultimate quality. The next job is to test each watch's water resistance. Depending on the type of timepiece, this water resistance test may be performed either with a lowpressure apparatus, in which the watch's case doesn't come into contact with water, or via a pressure test conducted underwater. The firstmentioned test is usually sufficient; the second variety of test is primarily reserved for diver's watches. The lowpressure apparatus creates a vacuum under a bell, inside of which the tested watch has been placed. If air escapes from the case, the examiner knows that it is not hermetically sealed. The direction in which the air escapes makes little difference. If the lowpressure apparatus has discovered that a case is not hermetically sealed, water will eventually find its way into the case, where it will cause serious damage. Diver's watches are first tested with the lowpressure apparatus and afterwards tested underwater. For this ordeal, the cases are immersed in a waterfilled basin inside the testing device, which is then sealed so that the desired pressure can be exerted inside the apparatus. This simulates the amount of pressure exerted by water at various depths. If the insulating washers fail completely, the results are instantly evident: the case is full of water. Slight penetration by water can be discovered by warming the case and then allowing droplets of cold water to fall onto the crystal: if any moisture has penetrated, the underside of the crystal will fog up, thus revealing that this watch has problems with its water resistance. (1) No Fields Found.