How to Use the Tachymeter on Russian Watches

If you've ever owned a Russian (or other imported) watch that had a tachymeter function, like many people, you may have simply ignored it. Even some salespeople may not understand how to use the tachymeter option, dismissing the extra dials as superfluous. Using this feature is far easier than it may seem.

Once you have a basic understanding of tachymeters, you will enjoy finding new ways to use them. A tachymeter is a calculating tool that can indicate average speed based on the time it takes to travel a predetermined distance. Whether you are a serious athlete, a "weekend warrior" or simply a spectator, knowing how to use a tachymeter can add to your overall experience and enjoyment as you calculate the speed of racecars, footballs, baseballs, golfballs, cyclists, runners and more.

Instructions

    • 1

      Begin the timer/stopwatch function on your watch as soon as the object or vehicle to be timed has passed a predetermined point of origin. It's important that you already know the distance measurement to be used (one mile, one kilometer, etc.) for analysis.

    • 2

      Stop the timer function on your watch as soon as the object or vehicle reaches its destination or a predetermined distance. An example of this is to stop the timer once the vehicle has traveled one mile or one kilometer, etc (even if it continues moving past this point).

    • 3

      Determine where the chronograph indicator (the second hand of your watch) is positioned. Let's say for this example that the second hand was pointing at the "4" on your watch. This immediately tells us that twenty seconds have elapsed.

    • 4

      Look at the central dial on your watch between the clock dial and the outer dial of numbers. This middle dial will indicate speed during the time that has passed. If the second hand stopped at the number "4", you'll see that the number on the central dial that is directly adjacent to four is 180.

    • 5

      Take note that over a period of 20 seconds, the vehicle traveled one mile at an average speed of 180 miles per hour.