Regulator Dial Variations Explained — WatchProSite Forum Digest

cazalea · 2018-06-01T07:57:34Z

Explore the diverse world of regulator dials with Cazalea's comprehensive guide. Discover various layouts and their historical significance in watchmaking.

cazalea

WPS member · Seiko forum

9 replies1969 views19 photos

Cazalea's "Deliberations on Dials, Part 3" offers a comprehensive exploration of regulator dial layouts, building on previous installments. His personal journey, sparked by a Chronoswiss Regulateur, led to an exhaustive visual categorization of how hours, minutes, and seconds can be uniquely arranged for legibility and aesthetic appeal. This deep dive provides an invaluable resource for understanding the diverse interpretations of this horological complication.

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This is part 3 in a series on watch dials - their beauty and their function. If you missed them, here are Part 1 (CLICK TO VIEW) and Part 2 (CLICK TO VIEW).

INTRODUCTION

In the first 2 episodes I provided a bit of an overview of the subject; today I am going to dive deeply into one specific genre of dial: the regulator (regulateur). The word refers to arrangement of the hands on separate arbors (shafts) so they can be more easily read. And if I might comment, more easily constructed as the watchmaker doesn't have to deliver power on a slender arbor that goes up inside another one (or two or three) hollow arbors.

Here's a regulator clock made by watchmaker/Purist David Walter for Purist TimJ so he can adjust all his watches precisely.

HOW I GOT INTERESTED IN REGULATORS

Years ago I went to a special event hosting Gerd Lang from Chronoswiss. I thought it would be polite to wear one of his watches, so I bought myself this classic Regulateur, which began my fascination with these dial layouts. Notice that the hours are at the top here, rather than the bottom as on David's clock.

This started me thinking - how many ways can you arrange the different displays on a dial and still call it a regulator? And in my usual fashion started to look for an answer, and I started on a quest to collect/create images of every layout. Pardon me for recycling some of these images from posts I made in 2014-15.

REGULATOR DIAL VARIETY

Here's the logic in my images - they are grouped in two sets - Round and Rectangular cases. Then within each group, I started with all the dials that have HOURS at the top or 12 o'clock. The next set displayed those with HOURS at 1 o'clock, then HOURS at 2 o'clock and so forth around the dial.

Within each box you find a key to the dial's features. In some cases the only difference was the numbering strategy of the dial. Of course I didn't replicate the dials exactly but did provide enough for you to find your regulator among these

. I tried to use a consistent coloring scheme for the hands.

Using the middle one in the top row as an example, the key says:

RG-32 (32nd graphic I made)
Hours subdial at 0 showing 12 hours (BLUE 12 hour hand)
Hours subdial at 9 showing 24 hours (GOLD 24 hour hand)
Minutes in the center (GREEN minutes hand)
Seconds subdial at 6 (RED seconds hand)
Date display at 6

SUMMARY

I hope this overview isn't too overwhelming. It does convince me that I will NOT be doing a similar comprehensive search for conventional dial variations, as I don't have the energy anymore. I did this review the old-fashioned way, by scanning through hundreds and hundreds of watches on the web and in my library (plus accepting input from dozens of PuristS).

Did you happen to see the illustration for this watch I used to own? It should be easy to find as there aren't many regulators with moonphase indication at 10.

Please come back for Part 4 when it arrives in a few days.

Cheers,

Cazalea

Key Points from the Discussion

The author drew a parallel between his meticulous categorization of regulator dials and a past editorial assignment to compile vacuum hose routing diagrams for automotive repair, highlighting the shared challenge of organizing complex technical information.
A contributor praised the article's timing, having recently purchased a Hamilton Jazzmaster Regulator, and found their watch's dial configuration within the comprehensive entry, commending the author's work as an invaluable contribution.
A reader expressed appreciation for the article and highlighted a specific preference for Dornblüth regulators due to their central seconds hand, a configuration not commonly seen.
The author considered moving the thread from the Seiko forum to 'Horological Meandering' to better reflect its broader applicability to all types of watches, indicating the universal nature of the topic.

The Discussion

Teacher Yang

Jun 1, 2018

I like such posts. Excellent and Detailed. Thank You Mike. [nt]

Spangles - Dr. Tabby

Jun 1, 2018

These are cool, thank you. [nt]

Ron_W

Jun 1, 2018

You must be the most patient man in watch collecting. What an enourmous amount of work to `collect` all these versions and put this all together in a graphic like this...

Wonderful read ! I too like a ragulator, especially the one from Dornbluth because it puts the seconds hand in the central position, have not seen that before. Thanks !

cazalea

Jun 1, 2018

I learned in the school of hard labor

One of my first editorial assignments in automotive publishing was to create a new book of vacuum hose routing diagrams for emission control repair. Technicians need this information to repair or reconnect hoses on an engine. The car is built with a decal on the hood or the firewall which provides this information - but those are often damaged, painted over or lost. So we thought there was a market for a book of them. Here are some samples -- some manufacturers wouldn't give us their shop manual

Ron_W

Jun 2, 2018

Impressive, and again much appreciated! [nt]

halgedahl

Jun 2, 2018

Many thanks for this exhaustive (exhausting?) compendium!

Well-timed for me, having just written of my first mechanical purchase—Hamilton's Jazzmaster Regulator. Though by no means an elegant watch (I have long admired the Chronoswiss models), nonetheless I feel Hamilton is to be congratulated for having successfully marketed this nod to history. It's a solid piece of engineering with an enviably accurate and long proven movement at a very fair price. And I found its dial configuration in your encyclopedic entry! Your work is comprehensive, and an inva

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