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1 - Validation of the technical and aesthetic criteria
In order to perform controls of the technical and aesthetic criteria,
the applicant deposits the movement of the watch to be certified, presented
in a kit, at the offices of the Foundation. The plate, the bridges,
the complete barrel, the oscillating weight, the wheels, the profile-turned
or profiled-turned and cut parts, as well as the shaped parts, are set
aside and submitted to a visual examination at a distance of 30 cm,
and then under the no. 3 microscope setting.
The main aesthetic criteria:
Decoration must be visible on the maximum thickness of the mainplate
or on the visible part of the bridge, by a selective process of the
zone to be decorated, as well in the main recesses. The parts must not
have any rough sharp angles and the countersinks must be polished. No
burrs must be visible and the functional zones of the steel parts must
be polished. The screw-heads must be flat and polished, chamfered on
the slot and around the rim. The shaped parts must be chamfered and
polished, if possible with strokes drawn out with a file.
2 - The CHRONOFIABLE test
Movements submitted for Fleurier Quality Foundation certification must
have passed the CHRONOFIABLE test which comprises several stages:
An
ageing cycle, test cycles designed to measure the pull-and-push forces
on the stem, the pushbuttons and on the rotating bezel if there is one;
tests on reactions to magnetic fields, shock-resistance tests using
a heavy pendulum or striker, except for complications, as well as several
water-resistance tests.
NB: The following number of watch heads are
required to be submitted to the CHRONOFIABLE tests: 5 units (if the
model is produced in a series of 1 to 100); 10 units (from 101 to 200
units); 20 units (over 201 units).
3 - The COSC test
100% of movements submitted for Fleurier Quality Foundation certification
must have successfully passed the test.
4 - The FLEURITEST
This machine, specially invented at the time of establishing the Fleurier
Quality Foundation certification, is used to perform the last stage
of control: the regularity of rating of the movement, once cased up
within the watch in its final form. A positive result in this test ensures
future owners of the high aesthetic and technical quality of their watch.
A 24-hour operating test is conducted on the machine. The originality
of its procedure lies in the computer-driven simulation of conditions
in which the watch will be worn. Depending on the programming, the Fleuritest
machine is capable of reproducing the activities of a man or woman in
all possible types of activity, making it possible to alternate between
active, highly active and calm phases (e.g. sport, a typical working
day, etc…).
Variations in rate are analysed using a digital camera image
acquisition system. The precision of the movement rating must fall within
the range of 0 to +5 seconds per day.
At the end of the test, if the
watch has passed, a certificate is delivered for each watch head. The
watch is then entitled to the certification "FQF La Haute Horlogerie
certifiée".
 Download Regulations (pdf)
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