Watch Features

Watch features: Chronographs

The chronograph is one of watchmaking's most recognized complications, but it is often misunderstood. With several hands whizzing around the main dial and a collection of sub-dials (normally two or three) it can be easy to get confused. Additionally, it is not uncommon for the bezel to be printed wi...

Watch features: Repeaters

The field of repeater watches is one of the most exclusive niches in the entire industry. The complexity of these mechanical marvels enabling them to engage with their wearers on multiple sensory levels is understandably awe-inspiring. But what is a repeater and what gave rise to this unusual enclav...

Watch Features: Altimeter

Occasionally in life, knowing how high you are above sea level is very important. But finding an analog altimeter on a mechanical watch is a pretty rare thing. They do, however, exist. Part of the problem of installing relatively old technology into a wristwatch comes down to miniaturization. Modern...

Watch features: Day and Day/Date Function

One of the oldest and most established complications in wristwatch design is the humble date window. Although we often take this innocuous feature for granted, it wasn't until 1945 that the immediate jumping date to which we've become accustomed first appeared. The very first model to feature this c...

Watch Features: Perpetual Calendar

Of all the complications in the world of watchmaking, few have the glory and prestige of a true perpetual calendar. Regarded as one of the most challenging complications to design, assemble, and service, a good perpetual calendar's functionality will outlive that of its original owner quite comforta...

Watch Features: Jumping Hours/Minutes/Seconds

One of the first things you associate with a mechanical watch is the smooth sweep of the seconds hand. In fact, many people would assume that the easiest way to tell the difference between a quartz watch and a mechanical watch is whether the hands "sweep" or "step". Regrettably, for fans of neat def...

Watch Features: Tourbillon

You don't have to spend long around the watchmaking industry to hear about the tourbillon complication. But despite it frequently popping up in the conversation, its meaning is very rarely explained. So what is a tourbillon? A tourbillon (theoretically) eliminates gravitational poise error, which sh...

Watch features: Power Reserve

A common - and very helpful - complication one might find on a mechanical timepiece is a power reserve indicator. As its name suggests, a power reserve indicator acts as a fuel gauge, informing the wearer of how many hours of run time the movement has left in it before it will need winding again. Ov...