A split-second chronograph is, in fact, a quite complex mechanism, a grande complication, the pinnacle of mechanical creativity. The most noticeable element is the clamp, which will instantly immobilize one of the chrono wheels when the split-second pusher is activated. Meanwhile, the other chronograph hand must continue its time-counting undisturbed. When the clamp is released, the immobilized hand will “catch up “ (rattraper in French) to its companion. Each part must be manufactured to the highest specifications to ensure absolute precision.

A glance at the SHX6, Czapek’s proprietary calibre created in collaboration with Chronode, is a work of art from the mechanical and aesthetic standpoint. For one, the number and thickness of the main components had to be reduced to make sure the timepiece would keep its streamlined look and feel and fit well into the 42.5-millimeter case. “As with the classic chronograph, the split-second runs on energy tapped from the second wheel,” explains Xavier. “This time, we favoured a horizontal clutch rather than a vertical one to highlight the aesthetics of the transmission”.

The focus of the movement is the tripod bridge in the centre that holds down a patented satellite minute train and the patent-pending split-second mechanism just below. The two column wheels, one at the top (for the chronograph) and the bottom (for the split-second mechanism) divide the movement into two halves. The minute totaliser at four o’clock and the small seconds at seven o’clock serve as visual anchors to this high-flying, modern and dynamic timepiece, and maintain the link to the company’s spiritus rector, the great nineteenth-century watchmaker, François Czapek, who was using vertical symmetry as an aesthetic guide.