Watches can be complicated.
When they do something more than just telling time (hour, minute, second),
It’s called a complication.
These functions can range from simple to very complex, and a grand complication like Patek Phillipe’s ref. 6300 contains a staggering total of 20 complications.
Calendar and Date Complications
- Date Display: The most common complication, a simple window on the dial that shows the current date.
- Day-Date: A display that shows both the day of the week and the date.
- Triple Calendar (Complete Calendar): Shows the day, date, and month. This requires manual adjustment for months with fewer than 31 days.
- Annual Calendar: A more advanced calendar that automatically adjusts for the varying lengths of months (30 or 31 days) but still needs to be manually corrected at the end of February.
- Perpetual Calendar: The most complex calendar complication. It displays the correct date, day, month, and year, and even accounts for leap years. It only requires a manual adjustment once every century.
- Moon Phase: A display that shows the current phase of the moon as it appears in the night sky.
Timing and Chronograph Complications
- Chronograph: A built-in stopwatch function that allows you to measure elapsed time. It typically has a central seconds hand and subdials for minutes and hours.
- Flyback Chronograph: A type of chronograph that allows the wearer to reset the timing without first stopping the chronograph.
- Split-Seconds Chronograph (Rattrapante): Features two seconds hands, which allows you to time two separate events at the same time.
- Tachymeter: A scale, usually on the bezel of a chronograph, used to calculate speed over a known distance.
- GMT (Dual Time Zone): A feature that displays the time in a second time zone, often with an additional 24-hour hand.
- World Timer: A more comprehensive version of a GMT watch that shows the current time in all 24 major time zones simultaneously, often using a rotating bezel with city names.
High-End and Other Complications
- Power Reserve Indicator: A gauge on the dial that shows how much energy is left in the mainspring of a mechanical watch before it needs to be wound again.
- Alarm: A mechanical watch that can be set to sound an alarm at a specific time.
- Minute Repeater: A striking complication that chimes the time on demand, typically with different tones for hours, quarter-hours, and minutes.
- Petite Sonnerie (“Small Strike”): This complication automatically chimes the hours on the hour and the quarter-hours at the quarters.
- Grande Sonnerie (“Grand Strike”): This is a much more complex and power-intensive complication. It automatically strikes the hours on the hour and then repeats both the hour and the quarter-hour at the quarters.
- Equation of Time: A rare and highly complex complication that shows the difference between solar time (the actual position of the sun) and mean time (the standard 24-hour clock).
Do you actually need complications?
Well, no. While some of the complications can be quite practical (calendar, alarm, chronograph etc.), the vast majority of watch complications are not essential for daily life in the 21st century, or they are only useful in certain niche scenarios.
But then, why are watch enthusiasts still chasing after these complications?
For many, the appeal of a mechanical watch lies not in its utility but in its artistry. Complications are a testament to the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the watchmaker. They are miniature marvels of engineering, a dance of gears, springs, and levers that perform a function with no aid from electricity or software.
No matter what complications you are looking for, we have them in store at ARISTO. Ready to explore our collection?