The Magic of Mechanical Watches

A mechanical watch used to be the only watch on the planet. Before the advent of battery-powered quartz watches, every watch was mechanical.

Mechanical watches use a movement inside the case to keep accurate time. The better the movement, the better time the watch keeps.

A mechanical watch is a marvel of engineering, artistry, miniaturization and design. It's possible that a mechanical movement might have 300 parts or more (the simplest movement has at least 150), making the watch on your wrist quite a bit more complicated than any car you have ever owned.

The watchmaker takes all these incredibly detailed and amazingly small parts and assembles them into the movement, breathing life into this little engine that will power the watch, if cared for properly, theoretically forever.

Mechanical Watch

Unlike most quartz watches, mechanical watches have to be assembled by hand. They cannot be done by robot or computer, there has to be a watchmaker sitting at his bench putting every movement together. So, in one way, every mechanical watch is unique by virtue of the small tolerances and variances that exist when human beings are involved in production.

When you know how much skill, engineering, dedication, planning and artistry goes into this timepiece, a mechanical watch becomes that much more special.

The movement on your wrist is a living, breathing thing and knowing that your watch was designed, manufactured and assembled in the rarified air of Switzerland (and in some cases Germany), might just make you appreciate and value your time a little bit more.

At the highest end, where watches cost upwards of $200,000, it might take one watchmaker more than a year to hand assemble, finish, polish and regulate a watch. Realizing and appreciating the kind of work that goes into these watches inspires more than a little bit of awe.

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The Engine of the Watch, The Movement

Here are the basics of how a movement works - every timepiece has four requirements:

1. A power source
2. A way of transmitting the power
3. A way of regulating the power
4. A way of indicating the power so you can tell the time.

For mechanical watches, the power source is the mainspring. The mainspring's power is transmitted through a series of gears called the "gear train". The balance wheel, which is the part of the watch that turns back and forth at a changeable rate, is where the power is regulated. The indication is done by the hands: hours, minutes, seconds.All these things combine to make the watch what it is and determine how well, or how poorly, it keeps time.A watch is very similar to a wind-up toy. Look at a wind-up mouse, which the British call a clockwork mouse - it hasgears and the number of teeth in the gears determines how fast it will go across the floor. In a watch, you wind up a mainspring, supplying power to the gears. Instead of going across the floor, a watch applies that power in a different way, to turn the hands of the watch.

Audemars Piguet's ultra complicated movement Caliber 2120 - designed on computer (above left) and then realized (below left) Patek Philippe's Caliber 315 (Upper Right) with a view of the self-winding movement with date and center seconds. The latest addition of renowned Patek Philippe self-winding movements, it features a new, fast rewing mechanism powered by a 21-carat central rotor for maximum winding efficiency.

 

Complications Simplified

A complication is anything that is above and beyond simply telling time. A basic watch is a three hand timepiece - hour, minute and seconds. Anything more, even a day or date display, is a complication. Most complications are modules place on top of and integrated with the base movement. A chronograph (timer) is an example of one of the most useful complications and a dual time display is another very practical complication. Some more complicated watches are designed from the ground up.

Here are some complications and a simple explanation:

The very first experimental construction of the Double Tourbillon 30° system by Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey. This "toy" helped them to validate the functioning principle of this fundamental invention.

Tourbillon
A Tourbillon is a device that is designed to counteract the effect of gravity on the movements balance, thereby increasing the movement's accuracy. A tourbillon features a small cage that holds the balance and the escarpment, and the cage turns independently of the watch, usually at a constant rate of once per minute. The tourbillon, which means "whirlwind" in French, is one of the watchmaking art's most involved and elegant complications.

Split Second Chronograph
This chronograph has two chronograph hands instead of one, allowing the user to time different things. Let's say you are timing a race - to start the race, you push the chronograph pusher and both hands start together, on top of each other. When the first runner reaches the first mile marker, for example, you push the button again, stopping the first hand, but the second hand "splits" apart and continues timing. After you record that first time, you push the pusher again, and it catches up to the second hand, allowing you to then stop it again whenever you want for another time measurement. You can repeat this operation any number of times. The French term for this complication is rattrapante, which means "recovering" or "catching again".

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BELL & ROSS' BR01 INSTRUMENT IS ELEGANT IN THE SIMPLICITY OF ITS DESIGN AND ASSEMBLY, IDENTICAL TO THE CLAMPING SYSTEM USED FOR INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES IN PLANES AND COCKPITS.

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Annual Calendar
This watch will run for a full year (Starting on March 1) without having to be reset. It will have to be reset at the end of February, the only month that varies in the number of days.

Perpetual Calendar
The ultimate calendar because it knows how long each year is, no matter if it is a leap year. Keep a perpetual calendar running and you won't have to reset it until the year 2100.

Moon Phase
These watches have a rotating disk that shows the phase of the moon (full, half, crescent, etc.).

Retrograde Display
This kind of display counts up (whether it is seconds, minutes, the date, etc.) then snaps back to zero.

Jumping Hour
Instead of regular hands, a single digit shows the hour and it jumps directly to the next hour, from three to four, for example.

Minute Repeater
This is a watch that chimes out the time (hours and minutes) when a lever is activated.

Grande Sonnerie
This watch chimes out the time (hours and quarter hours) automatically or when a lever is activated.

Grande Complication
This rare watch has a split second chronograph, a perpetual calendar and a minute repeater…or even more complications.

Producing a watch with any complication, or combination of complications (e.g. a split second chronograph with day/date display) is not a simple thing. It takes a great deal of expertise, amazing attention to detail and know-how to produce correctly. In general, when more is added to a movement, it means that more can potentially go wrong, so it's a good idea to make sure you are buying a complicated watch from a quality company.

Also, the more complicated a watch is, the more expensive it will be. Thank goodness wearing a complicated watch is really quite simple - slip it over your hand and onto your wrist, secure it and enjoy!