Complication (horology)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In horology terms, a complication in a mechanical timepiece is any feature beyond that of a simple hours, minutes, and seconds movement. Common additions like day/date displays and chronographs are usually also omitted. The more complications in a watch, the more difficult it is to create, assemble and repair: typical date-display chronographs may have 250 parts, while a really complex watch may have a thousand or more parts. Watches with many complications are sometimes called grandes complications.
Examples of complications include:
- 24 hour watch
- Automatic watch (self-winding watch)
- Chronograph for measuring short time periods
- Double chronograph or rattrapante, split seconds timing or lap timing
- Flyback chronograph, can be reset while the timer is running
- Date display
- Day of week display
- Equation of time
- Minute repeater (chiming watch)
- Month display
- Moon phases
- Perpetual calendar
- Annual calendar
- Power reserve or réserve de marche
- Quickset date
- Tourbillon
- Week of year
According to watch manufacturer Patek Philippe, the three most complicated watches in the world are all pocket watches made by that company.
- The Patek Philippe Calibre 89 has 33 complications using a total of 1728 parts. It was released in 1989 to commemorate the 150 anniversary of the company. The complications include the date of Easter, sidereal time and a 2800-star celestial chart.
- The Supercomplication built for Henry Graves Jr. in 1933 has 24 complications. The watch was reportedly the culmination of a watch arms race between Graves and James Ward Packard. The Supercomplication took three years to design and five to build, and sports e.g. a chart of the nighttime sky at Graves' home in New York. This is also the world's most expensive watch, auctioned off for USD 11 million in 1999.
- The Star Caliber 2000 has 21 complications. Its complications include sunrise and sunset times and the lunar orbit and it is capable of playing the melody of the Westminster chime (from the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London).
The International Watch Company's "Il Destriero Scafusia" ref. 1868 from 1993 is a wrist watch with 21 complications using 750 individual parts. Its perpetual calendar will display the day, date, month, year, leap year and century correctly until year 2499. The moon phase display is the most exact ever made, needing a one-day adjustment in 2115.
