Movement record · Switzerland
Valjoux 23
Partially verifiedA 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.
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Swiss ébauche trade catalogues and later reprints
- Introduction dates for early Valjoux calibres are given differently by different sources.
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.