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Photo: Vacheron Constantin
For budding watch collectors keen on acquiring more technical timepieces, it is crucial to understand the foundations of complications: what they’re intended for and their contribution to horology.
Helming at a public conference at Watches and Wonders 2024, Gianfranco Ritschel, a former watchmaker and master trainer at the Fondation Haute Horlogerie based in Geneva, paraphrased Albert Einstein’s sentiment: “If you can’t explain something complex, it’s just because you haven’t understood it yourself.”
Speaker Gianfranco Ritschel comes from a long line of watchmakers and runs his luxury training company Time To Train today. (Photo: Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation)
Contrary to its name, watch complications are not intended to complicate matters, said Ritschel, but rather represent any function beyond the fundamental timekeeping of hours, minutes, and seconds. “We don’t want to complicate life, we just want to find solutions to necessities or solutions to make it more efficient,” he added, encapsulating the essence of complication development.
Far from being impressive adornments, complications reflect centuries of horological innovation and craftsmanship. He highlighted the evolution of complications, expanding from traditional definitions to encompass many functions. Here are the five main categories, as presented.
The Parmigiani Toric Chronograph Rattrapante. (Photo: Parmigiani)
Chronographs: From monopoussoir to flyback
Chronographs augment basic movements with additional mechanisms that allow for the measurement and recording of elapsed time. Recognisable by their push-buttons, counters, and distinct hands on the dial, chronographs serve various purposes, from calculating average speeds to facilitating astronomical calculations.
For instance, the monopusher chronograph simplifies operation with a single push-button, while the flyback chronograph found utility in aviation with its unique ability to reset without stopping.
Watchmakers continued to innovate through time, introducing features like the Rattrapante (split-seconds), which can measure multiple concurrent events.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar. (Photo: Jaeger-LeCoultre)
Calendar complications: A symphony of timekeeping
Calendar complications, designed to synchronise with the rhythm of daily life, offer intricate displays of temporal information. From simple date windows to perpetual and eternal calendars, they embody centuries of mathematical and mechanical ingenuity.
Ritschel emphasised the perpetual and eternal calendars’ remarkable ability to account for irregularities in the Gregorian calendar, ensuring accuracy for future generations.
Additionally, complications such as moon phase displays imbue timepieces with poetic elegance, connecting wearers with the celestial dance of the cosmos.
Breguet’s No. 1176 Tourbillon timepiece, sold in 1809 to Count Potocki. (Photo: Breguet)
Tourbillon complications: Defying gravitational challenges
Tourbillon complications are born from a quest for precision in the face of gravitational forces. Ritschel explained how Abraham-Louis Breguet‘s invention of the tourbillon cage revolutionised timekeeping by averaging out positional errors caused by gravity.
Modern iterations, such as the flying tourbillon, offer enhanced visibility and aesthetic appeal, showcasing the relentless pursuit of precision in mechanical watchmaking.
The Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT tells time in three different time zones. (Photo: Tudor)
Time zone complications: Bridging distances
Time zone complications enable wearers to navigate global time differences with ease. Ritschel highlighted the evolution of world-time complications, from simple dual-time displays to sophisticated world-time mechanisms.
He pointed out that brands like Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe excel in crafting timepieces that elegantly display multiple time zones to cater for travellers and global citizens.
One of the newest minute repeater watches is the Chopard L.U.C. Full Strike. (Photo: Chopard)
Minute repeater complications: A symphony of sound
Minute repeater complications marry mechanical complexity with auditory delight, allowing wearers to discern time through sound alone. Ritschel underscored the exquisite craftsmanship required to produce minute repeaters, churning the time with remarkable precision. These complications, once reserved for royalty and nobility, now grace the wrists of discerning collectors.
The most complicated watch in the world, Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers – The Berkley Grand Complication. (Photo: Vacheron Constantin)
Grand complications: A special mention
Grand complications are considered the apex of horological engineering and incorporate many functions within a single timepiece. Beyond showcasing technical prowess, such creations truly honour the rich heritage of mechanical watchmaking.
Ritschel singled out Vacheron Constantin’s groundbreaking achievement with the 2015 launch of its 57260 pocket watch, which features 57 complications. Smashing the maison’s own record is its latest masterpiece, the Les Cabinotiers — The Berkley Grand Complication, currently the title holder of the world’s most complicated watch.
The fruit of 11 years of development, including a year entirely devoted to its assembly, the creation flaunts an unprecedented 63 complications and 2,877 components.
