chippyfly
790
I thought the chronometer chronograph would be my most useful . . .
. . . so I had bought two for my aviation activities and one vintage gold chrono for its aesthetics, but I was wrong. For flying, the "pilot" with clear, all 12 alpha numerals with central seconds hand is my 100% favourite. In fact the 12 alpha-numerical dialled watches are now generally my most attractive, especially those with applied gilt figures. Obviously not really a complication. My watch repairer once told me it cost three times the amount to service a chrono compared to a time only-watch.
A hacking chronometer are my priority functions.
My only GMT is for foreign travel and I like the gimmick of not having to retime/realign the seconds hand when adopting different time zones away from a source of the precise time. How I hate the air steward always announcing the "local time" from their own watch that is always two minutes wrong! Home time is always UTC on my GMT!
My unfulfilled desire is for a power-reserve indicator on an automatic watch. Not important on a mechanical watch for me because full wind is easy to set and remember.
Dates are take-it or leave-it but they must not scream their presence on the dial. Oversize date windows are a definite "no".
I like moon windows on the dial, but indicating the present moon's state is rally a waste of time and money. Much more use would be the ability to predict a moon's state at a future date/time. Does such a watch exist? Maybe there is a quartz watch that does? Yes, on my iPhone!
The most useless dial feature is a telemeter. Total waste of dial or especially, the bezel space. Who uses one, especially for the non-existent, measured mile? Did any astronaut use it on the Omega "Moon Watch" to time against a passing star?! Maybe the scale on a doctor's watch for a heart pulse reading is really useful.
Enamelled art, automata, gongs and music on a watch are lovely engineering creations but beyond my affordability. I am fond of my Reverso "complication" and all my other Art-Deco cased and dialled watches.
Clive
Favorite, and/or most used complication?
I am fortunate to have "a few" watches, some modern, some vintage. They all are time only, time and date, and 1 GMT. Would I use a chronograph if I had one? The answer is no, probably not so having one never really interested me, nor does a moon phase wat...
I think i own a decent amount of watches with complications . But like you said i hardly use them besides looking at the time .
Its just ,to have them, imo . I would love to own a Minute Repeater at some point šš».
My favorite complication among my very small collection
is the one which doesnāt need to be used but is constantly effective: the jump hour of my Quattro Spirit 25. The subtle, discreet hourly click of the hour disk is very poetic and measures the passing of time during the day. And even at night it happens th...
You should get CW Bel Canto!!
After reading your post Im convinced that you would LOVE it!!....it chimes once every passing full hour... ...
Yes, Iāve thought of the Bel Canto and of
the āSonnerie au passageā complication , but as Iām not fond of openwork dials I personally prefer the L.U.C Strike One to the Bel canto (even if I know prices are really worlds apart) and, most importantly, contrarily to the click of the jumping hour, wh...
They aren't made anymore, but you'd like "dumb" or "a toc" striking watches
The hammer hits the case instead of a gong; it's like putting your phone on vibrate.
Well, Iāve tried, at its beginning what could maybe be considered the modern
version of the āmontre Ć tocā (I mean the Apple Watch with its haptic feedback on the wrist) andā¦ hated it! I found this ātapticāstrike on the wrist very intrusive. And for the same reason I never pute my phone on vibrate (and keep it in silent mode const...
The chronograph
is most useful for my morning walks and travels. The moonphase is for purely aesthetic pleasure....sheer fun
Sonnerie for me
it chimes whether I think of it or not! Since complications are a collecting theme for me there are very few that I don't have but I guess an equation of time would be next on the list. Great question! Best Andreas
Equation is great, it's a shame there are so few and they're so expensive
Someone (Dubois Depraz?) needs to make a basic ETA/Sellita compatible EQ module
More of a passing thought most likely, but the power reserve
indicator is one I forgot to mention. I see both sides of that complication.
Complications
The complications my watches have are for aesthetic purposes only. I like the dial layout of a well done chronograph, the extra hand of the GMT, and the world depiction of the world timer. For me it adds interest to the dial that some (definitely not all)...
Clock / sonnerie
Not necessarily in watch form, I have a Westminster chiming clock at home that helps greatly with keeping track of time. Up/down and chrono are also great.
All in on alarms
If I have a theme it's alarms & I have far too many of them. Do I use it yes occasionally. It nice to know the ability's there if needed. Cheers JML
I thought the chronometer chronograph would be my most useful . . .
. . . so I had bought two for my aviation activities and one vintage gold chrono for its aesthetics, but I was wrong. For flying, the "pilot" with clear, all 12 alpha numerals with central seconds hand is my 100% favourite. In fact the 12 alpha-numerical ...
Hello Thomas! You make a good point here. I own several watches and I like complications but truth is that I only use my watches daily just to read the time and all the complications are there...
... only because I love to view them. My favorite complication is the chronograph, but I confess I only use them to time 3,5 minutes boiled eggs. But sometimes I like to view them working just for a whim. I also find rattrapante chronos fascinating. Moon ...
Annual Calendar
I have to sign a lot of forms, and every single time I look at my watchā¦ example I place my signature and date in this formatā”ļø SUN16MAR2025 ...