There’s more to watches than just checking time. Today, luxury brands are very invested in modifying their timepieces to deliver a seamless and enigmatic experience to the wearer. However, not everyone is aware of all watch complications as they are sometimes too complicated to understand. Read the guide to learn about the six most popular watch complications to be aware of everything when you buy your next luxury watch.
What is a Watch Complication?
Complications are features of a watch other than telling time. The more complicated a watch, the more valuable it is in terms of pricing and future investment. Many watch enthusiasts look for different complications in a watch, while, others don’t even know what each complication means.
There are plenty of different luxury watches with perpetual calendars, annual calendars, moon phases, and other complications that are truly a masterpiece. But to become a pro at understanding watches, you first need to understand the most common watch complications.
6 Watch Complications That You Should Know
The premium watches industry is fueled with timepieces equipped with unimaginable complications. The world’s most complicated award, however, goes to Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260, which has a total of 57 watch complications. Some of the other most complicated watches are Star Chart and Date of Yom Kippur.
You might have heard of a few complications in a watch, but there’s a huge chance that you don’t know anything about them. So, without wasting any time, let’s discuss some of the most popular complications you can find in a watch.
Day-Date
Day-Date is the most basic feature of a watch, which simply means the timepiece shows both the day of the week and the date of the month. You no longer have to reach your phone whenever you want to check the day, month, or date, your watch can do all of it for you.
One of the most popular models with this feature is the Rolex Day-Date timepiece, as the name suggests. It is the first-ever wristwatch displaying all such details on a small, clean dial.
Perpetual Calendar Watches
You have to adjust the date on your watch when it cannot show you whether a month has a 31st date or not. It can be quite frustrating, especially if the watch takes some time to set the date.
With perpetual calendar watches, all of this can be solved almost instantly. This feature tells you how many days there are in a month and even lets you know if it’s a leap year. You don’t have to set up this timepiece for a long time, which makes it just the perfect investment!
Minute Repeater Watch
Minute repeater watches are perfect to let you know the time at all times without even looking at your watch. It is the most difficult watch complication and not all watches consist of it, which is why it serves as the best addition to your watch collection.
What a minute repeater watch does is, it makes sounds to tell the wearer exactly what time it is. For instance, it will make two sounds of the same tone to tell you if it’s 5:00. Similarly, it makes sounds of different tones and pitch to let you know minutes. It’s a very cool feature to have in your wristwatch!
World Timer
World Timer is another watch complication that lets you check several time zones in one go. You don’t have to run after your phone whenever you wish to check other times if you have a timepiece with a world timer.
This wristwatch is perfect for people who are frequent travelers and need to keep track of time without having to set their watch again and again. The watch shows 24 cities under each time zone and all you have to do is adjust the bezel according to the time zone and the hour hand automatically jumps with it. It’s this simple!
Annual Calendar
Luxury watches come with two types of calendars: one is the perpetual calendar, which we have already discussed above and the other one is the annual calendar. This type of calendar is one step ahead of the regular Day-Date complication as it also shows the monthly calendar.
You can easily know if the month has 30 or 31 days; however, you will have to adjust the timepiece every February. If you want a recommendation for such a watch, then get your hands on the premium IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar, which has the most beautiful dial you will ever find on a premium watch.
GMT
GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time and it’s a complication related to showing two time zones at the same time. One of the easiest ways to identify if a timepiece has a GMT complication is by checking for a big hand apart, which tells the time in another zone.
It’s the most common complication that you can find on many different watches from various brands. Setting two time zones can be a bit tricky, but once it’s done, you don’t need to do anything else and simply flaunt your timepiece on the wrist without a hitch.
Get these Watch Complications in Your Next Timepiece
If you’re tired of your regular watch, then it’s time to level up your game. Check out these complications and purchase your next wristwatch for additional fun and excitement. However, remember that the complication you choose will decide the price of your watch, so set your budget and contact the watch resellers accordingly!