A Guide To
Luxury Watch Complications
Often the most unique and influential of watches are rarely the simplest – especially when it comes to the craftsmanship and effortless style of luxury pieces. If you're interested in investing in your own luxury wristwatch collection, or you want to get acquainted with the complications every watch collector should know, we've got you covered.
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Watch Complications Explained
If you've ever wondered how to use a chronograph watch or thought, 'what is a tourbillon watch?, you first need to know what watch complications are. A watch complication is any watch feature that goes beyond simply telling the time. If a watch only displays the seconds, minutes, and hours, it is a simple movement watch.
While there are many classic time only watches, some luxury models go beyond these basics by including various elegant, integrated complications that add value to each timepiece. The more complex the watch, the more precise and delicate the mechanisms below the surface need to be.
While the average person doesn't require a watch to tell the time with a smartphone in their pocket, that doesn't mean that there's no appeal to these complex, precise and luxurious watches for collectors. The amount of time and level of expertise that goes into producing mechanisms with additional complications can help to add value to a luxury watch, with more complex watches often commanding higher price tags.
7 Watch Complications You Should Be Aware Of
There are dozens of different and unique watch complications that a watchmaker may choose to feature on their luxury watch design. From single additions to watches that have many complications, there are features to suit a wide range of watch wearers and collectors. Seven of the most common watch face complications you are likely to encounter include:
1. Date
The date may be one of the most straightforward additions to luxury watches, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hold a value of its own. Date complications do what they say on the tin – they introduce an additional number into the equation in the form of a small box or window that displays today's date. If you want to know exactly what day of the month you're on, all you need to do is glance at your wrist. While date displays are simple and widespread, they do require some manual functionality to be useful. With the date ticking up to a total of 31 days, a reset is needed in shorter months for the date to be displayed correctly over time.
'Big date' is an evolution of the classic date functionality, using two rotating discs to create a more complex display for stellar results. The Rolex Datejust is one of the first examples of an independent date complication, with no need for manual setting each day.
2. Day-Date
Day-date watches take the concept of the date complication up a notch with accurate insight into both the date of the month and the day of the week.
This additional precision further adds to the versatility of the luxury watch, allowing watch owners to see at a glance exactly what time, day, and date it happens to be at any given moment. If you're looking for the luxury of convenience, day-date is an excellent place to start.
Much like date complications, day-date may need to be adjusted at the end of each month to retain accuracy. The original example of the classic day-date feature is the Rolex Day-Date, so named for being the first wristwatch in history to provide both the day and the date on the dial itself. If you're after a bit of history, day-date complications are an excellent place to start.
3. Dual Time Zone (GMT)
Dual time zones are a popular choice in the global watch community, providing a simple yet effective way to see the time in two locations with one glance. GMT remains the most popular option for dual time luxury watches, though other time zones may be used depending on personal preference to suit the collector's needs. Typically, dual time takes the form of an additional hand on the watch face.
Dual time zones offer an easy and effective way to see what GMT is at a glance while also offering a relatively clean watch face for day-to-date use.
The most popular luxury watch with this particular complication is likely the Rolex GMT Master. The GMT Master was originally developed to allow commercial pilots to track multiple time zones while flying internationally. This popular style of watch has been a favourite for frequent travellers and business people ever since.
4. Chronograph
What is a chronograph watch? In simple terms, a chronograph watch is one that allows the wearer to measure elapsed time via a stopwatch, in addition to telling the time. A chronograph usually includes two or three sub dials that measure time in periods such as fractions of a second, minutes or hours.
Often running seconds will be tracked via a subdial, with the seconds hand on the regular dial coming to life when the function is activated by the stop/start button on the size of the case. The chronograph has a distinctly sporty and iconic appearance that immediately adds value and brings a unique sense of style to any number of watch models.
The history of the chronograph is an interesting one, with anything from the Omega Speedmaster to the Rolex Daytona and Zenith El Primero featuring those immediately recognisable circular faces. With a solid connection to racing, the chronograph's stopwatch-style functionality helps elevate the luxury of dozens of different watch models in looks alone.
5. Moon Phase
If you're wondering, 'how does a moon phase watch work?', the answer may be simpler than you might think. Amateur astronomers and non-scientists alike have long enjoyed the addition of the unique moon phase feature to luxury watches of all shapes and sizes.
Essentially, a moonphase watch includes a display that tracks the phase of the moon as it appears in the sky, over a typical period of 29.5 days. For example, when you look up at night and see a half moon, a moonphase watch will display an image within the moonphase window that represents a half moon. As an often aesthetically pleasing addition, moon phase complications are as much about style as they are about substance.
Many prestigious manufacturers have created moonphase watches over the years, including Patek Philippe, with examples like the Nautilus Moonphase, for an elegant twist on the sporting icon. One elegant example of the moon phase is the Rolex Cellini Moonphase, with a highly recognisable circular window featuring the moon and night sky. At the same time, the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer Moonphase Chronograph takes a slightly more understated approach with a slice-style visual of the moon's current phase.
6. Tourbillon
What is a tourbillon watch? Instead of adding a brand-new function to luxury watches, the tourbillon takes an entirely different route. Enhancing accuracy by improving balance, a tourbillon protects both movement and gravity to keep everything ticking over with a higher standard of pinpoint accuracy.
As a mechanical complication, the tourbillon is no longer an essential – but that doesn't make it less covered in vintage, mechanical designs. Requiring a high level of watchmaking expertise to produce, tourbillons offer a high level of engineering sophistication and are a mark of a brand's level of watchmaking prowess.
Breguet's Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Automatique is the ideal example of the tourbillon, offering a transparent window into the inner workings of this unique bit of watchmaking history. With a history spanning more than 200 years, it's no surprise that the tourbillon is a top want on many collector's lists to this day.
7. Annual / Perpetual Calendar
If you're keen to get an overview of everything you need to know directly on your wrist, then the annual or perpetual calendar may appear.
An upgrade over the classic day-date model, luxury watches can add even more complication to their offering by introducing a calendar that accurately covers the date, day, month, and year for hundreds of years.
As one of the most complex complications, it makes sense that models such as the Patek Philippe Grand Complication are so highly sought after for the unique intricacy of their design. The added functionality of a monthly calendar improves the functionality of the watch and introduces an entirely exclusive look and style to the face as a whole.
What Are The Best Luxury Watch Complications?
While there's no such thing as one 'holy grail' complication, there are dozens of different options available that enhance and diversify many of the luxury watches available to collectors.
From unusual complications such as planetariums and power reserve indicators to everyday, historic complications like tourbillon or day-date functionalities, there is a vast world of unique combinations to discover.
Whether you need additional features on your watch for a specific purpose, or simply love the way a complication looks, there are plenty of superb options available from the world’s most iconic watch brands.
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