Insight: The Patek Philippe Complications And Grand Complications
The word complication is used quite a lot in the world of watchmaking. Complications are what most people look out for in a watch after the design and movement. Complications include a perpetual calendar, moon phases, dual time zones, etc., and can really boost the value of a watch. Major luxury watchmaking brands have specific collections for complicated watches, for example, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. And it is widely known that Patek Philippe really shines in the mechanical mastery of complications.
Patek Philippe, in this regard, has two watch collections for complicated watches, "Complications" and "Grand Complications."
These two collections might appear to be quite similar, but they are unique and different from one another. First, it would be better to learn what the word "Complication" really means in horology.
In horology, any function in a watch that does more than just tell the time is known as a complication.
Now let us discuss the difference between these two collections and how they are unique from one another.
How Are The Two Collections Different?
Well, just as the name suggests, one collection is named "Complications" while the other is "Grand Complications," but it is not that simple. The watches offered under the name of the collection "Complications" include functions like dual time, chronographs, annual calendars, world timers, and power reserve indicators.
The watches offered under the "Grand Complications" collection are even more complex than the simple Patek Philippe Complications watches. They feature combinations of extremely complex functions ranging from the Perpetual Calendar and Perpetual Calendar Chronograph to Celestial and Minute Repeater. The Grand Complications collection is your place if you want to find some of the best and most complicated mechanical watches.
One of the most famous watches from the Complications collection is the World Time which indicates 24 time zones at once. The history of these watches goes back to the 1930s, and they are still in production today. These flawless and beautiful timepieces are highly collectible among Patek Philippe watch collectors. The World Time watches are perfect for those who travel frequently as they indicate the time across 24 time zones.
Another series of famous watches from the Complications collection is the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar watches. This is relatively a quite new complication as it was developed in 1996. The watch which features this complication indicates the correct date throughout the year, just needing one manual adjustment on the first of March every year. There have been a few generations of the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar since its initial release, with versions for both men and women.
Another famous watch from the Patek Philippe Complications is the Patek Philippe Calatrava Travel Time. This is Patek's version of a dual-time watch. This complication can be found on different Patek Philippe watch models, for example, the Calatrava. On the dial of a Travel Time watch, there are two hours hands. One hand indicates the local time, while the other is for a second-time zone. The second time zone can be very useful if one is traveling. The second time zone can be activated pretty easily by just pushing a duo of pushers located on the case. The second time zone jumps in one hours increments, both backwards or forwards. You can also hide the second time zone hour hand behind the traditional hour hand by just putting the local and second time the same.
However, if we talk about the watches from the Patek Philippe Grand Complications, they are way more advanced.
One of the more known models from the collection is the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in platinum. A perpetual calendar displays a group of indications of a calendar on the dial, for example, day, date, month, leap year, and the moon phase, without the need for any type of manual adjustment until the year 2100. It is a well-known fact that Patek Philippe's Perpetual Calendars are some of the finest and most coveted Perpetual Calendars in the high-end luxury watch market.
There are also Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph watches that combine the two complications along with the Perpetual Calendar with Retrograde Date.
One of if not the most extraordinary mechanical watches ever made is the Patek Philippe Grand Complications Sky Moon Celestial. This poetic watch shows the exact same configuration of the Northern hemisphere's night sky along with moving stars and the phase of the moon.
Conclusion:
Patek Philippe is one of the best, if not the best, in making complicated watches. They have done everything from making the Patek Philippe Grand Complications Sky Moon Celestial to combining complications like the Perpetual Calendar and the Chronograph. They also put every complication in a single watch when they released the Grandmaster Chime. They continue to do unbelievable things, and we are excited.
