Complicated Watches and their Features

Complication


A watch is named "complication" when it has some additional functions besides showing the hours, minutes and seconds. Generally complications have a more sophisticated mechanism than the ordinary watch, which is why they are more expensive and sought after by collectors.

The most complicated pocket watch was created by Patek Philippe. It included 33 complications all in all having 1,728 component parts. The most complicated wristwatch was designed by Vacheron Constantin. It was called Tour de l'Ile and it comprised 834 parts. The watch was created in 2005 to celebrate the 250 years of the brand.

Complications are grouped into 2 categories depending on whether they're linked with timekeeping or not. The groups of features related to timekeeping include:
- Acoustical;
- Silent;
- Astronomical indications;
- Measure of short times;
- Features designed for every day life;
- Ultra-sophisticated watches.

The acoustical group encompasses such complications like: time signal; alarm; minute repeater, five-minute, half-quarter, quarter, repeater, hour and half-hour strike, grande sonnerie and petite sonnerie.

The silent group comprises: "A toc" dumb repeater as well as an "A tact". As for the astronomical indicators than one may find in this category such features like: simple calendar, annual calendar, perpetual calendar, number of the current week, year, equation of time, sunrise and sunset of a certain location and movement of the planets.

The measures of short times include such additional functions like: independent seconds; chronograph, which in its turn can be of several types: simple, with both hour and minute totalizers, with split seconds, with mono-ratrappante, with multiple or with one scale. The latter can be of four types: tachymetric, which calculates the speed on a specific distance; telemetric, which calculates the distance according to the speed of sound; asthometric, which counts the number of breaths per minute and pulsimetric, which estimates the number of heartbeats per minute.

Among complications that make everyday life more convenient there are: world time display; universal time display; multiple timezones; diving dial, fly-back chronograph and power reserve indicator. The second category of complications that are not related to timekeeping includes: thermometer, barometer, compass as well as altimeter.

Among the most popular features of a complication are power reserve indicator and perpetual calendar. These are commonly used in a mechanical watch and most watch enthusiasts take them for granted.

Power Reserve Indicator
A power reserve indicator shows the time that's left till the next wound of the spring. Inside the case of the watch there's a spring which supplies the mechanism with energy. The tension of the spring determines how much time the mechanism of the watch will function. The lower is the tension the less time is left till the next wound of the watch.

Perpetual Calendar
The perpetual calendar shows the day, date and year. Its main advantage is the automatic adjustment to the months with 30 and 31 days as well as 28 and 29 days of February. The perpetual calendar can automatically calculate the leap year which allows it to function till 2100 without any correction. According to the Gregorian calendar 2100 is not a leap year which is why perpetual calendar will need correction. Besides a perpetual calendar there are less common types of calendars like: annual and centurial.