A minute repeater is a complication that will indicate the actual time by sound after the wearer pulled a lever or pushes a button. A tourbillon is a complex solution to fight the gravitational pull a watch has to deal with as the watch continuously changes positions while the wearer’s wrist moves around throughout each day. Typical complications on a mechanical watch with a high complexity level are, for example, the much talked-about tourbillon or a minute repeater. In watchmaking, a ‘complication’ refers to a specific function that is complex to design, develop, and manufacture. What to think of the actual construction of the mechanical movement? Not only movements that just tell time and indicate a date (which can already be brain breakers), what to think of movements that feature complications. Keep in mind that I have only mentioned the manufacturing process till now. Rolex Rolex Submariner – View offers on Chrono24Īlthough – in most cases – the parts are being milled and produced by high-end machinery with very low tolerances, a lot of the Swiss and German brands still finish and assemble the parts (being it movement parts or parts of the watch case and bracelet) by hand. The abuse a (mechanical) watch has to deal with – were it for magnetic fields alone – keeps watch manufacturers fully occupied, to be able to deliver you the best possible product that will just keep on working. Only after a 5-7 year period (on average), do you need to have your watch serviced to replace worn out parts, clean parts, and renew oil. And to do this every day, every week, every month, even for years without servicing.Ĭompare that to your car, that you use probably only a few times per day but will need servicing sooner rather than later. This is necessary, for the creation of mechanical watch that is able to keep perfect time with only a small tolerance in deviations. Working with incredibly small tolerances that are basically microscopic to zero, pushes watchmaking to the border of what is possible.
It takes the utmost precision and concentration from both machines and men to be able to produce a fine mechanical timepiece. This article is for the group of people that are new to mechanical watches, and want to know why these watches are so special and how the (often steep) price tag is justified.įirst of all, a mechanical watch is a piece of high-end engineering. For us watch aficionados it means much more than that. To some people a watch is just a watch, a device that will tell you the time.