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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Movement record · Switzerland

Valjoux 23

Partially verified

A column-wheel chronograph calibre with laterally coupled clutch, supplied as an ébauche to a very large number of brands and finished to their own standards.

Technical specifications

Diameter
Approx. 29.5 mm (13 lignes)
Height
Approx. 6 mm
Jewels
17 typical
Frequency
18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve
Approx. 40 hours
Winding
Hand wind
Setting
Pull-out crown
Escapement
Swiss lever
Balance
Compensating balance with Breguet-type hairspring on better finished examples
Complications
Chronograph with 30-minute register, Subsidiary seconds

Identification features

  • Column wheel (castle wheel) visible under the chronograph bridge
  • Valjoux signature and calibre number on the movement of many, though not all, examples
  • Lateral clutch rocking pinion rather than a vertical clutch

Known variants

  • Valjoux 23 with 30-minute register
  • Valjoux 72 as the related three-register calibre

Servicing notes

Column-wheel chronograph adjustment requires specific training and correct lubrication of the coupling; it is not beginner work.

General guidance only. Antique movements should be serviced by a qualified watchmaker.

Historical significance

One of the most widely used manual chronograph calibres of the twentieth century, and the standard reference point for column-wheel construction.

Diagram

top plate or bridgespillar platebalance and cockwheel train between the plates
Schematic: plate and bridge layout. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. Swiss ébauche trade catalogues and later reprints
  2. Introduction dates for early Valjoux calibres are given differently by different sources.

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.