Complications… Simply put, the more a watch does, the more complicated and in the words of true watch collectors, ‘The More Exciting’ it is. Today some of the leading names in the watch world pride themselves on having unique complications that enhance the concept of luxury watches. It could take a single expert watch maker anywhere between 4-8 years to create timepieces like these. Folks if you’ve heard of rare watches, these watches are as rare and exclusive as they get.
We bring you 2017’s most jaw-dropping complications from amongst the recently released timepieces at Baselworld 2017.
Weap-One by Rebellion Timepieces
Inspired by the world of race car suspensions, Rebellion Timepieces introduces Weap-One. It features a tourbillon movement with a non-stationary horizontal axis and is housed in a detachable, sapphire glass tube. The asymmetrical, 60-second flying tourbillon movement is attached to two plates. Like the wheels of a race car, the rollers and tourbillon-mounted plates rotate at varying speeds – the right at 1 rpm, the left .5rpm. To compensate for this difference in speeds, the movement was developed with two differentials modeled after those found in race car suspensions. Ten ball bearings have replaced jewels in this piece for additional reduction in rotational friction as well as radial and axil loads. The movement is fashioned after a car suspension with several pieces of racing technology being integrated into the Weap-One.
Histoire de Tourbillon 8 by Harry Winston
Histoire de Tourbillon features a two bi-axial tourbillon design. With a finish inspired by the world of haute horlogerie, two large tourbillon cages perform a slow ballet with impressive precision. Together, these tourbillons display time through the use of two off-center cones, housed in a large white gold case dedicated entirely to the grand complication. The exclusivity of the Histoire de Tourbillon 8 is matched only by the exceptional quality of its details, finishes, and engineering. In an immense space, which encompasses half of the watch, two large tourbillon cages are engaged in a constant dance. Every 75 seconds, each tourbillon completes a rotation on a 30-degree inclined axis. Nested within this movement, a second cage turns on its own axis, completing a rotation every 45 seconds. Within the latter, the balance wheel keeps the tempo at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour.
Its HW4503 caliber is equipped with two rapidly rotating superposed barrels, one of which is equipped with a slipping spring. By virtue of the latter component, there is no sensation of disruption when winding the barrels. Furthermore, the possibility of applying too much tension, which could potentially break one of the three springs, is neutralized. Together, these components guarantee that the watch has a continuous run time of 55 hours, and more importantly, ensures the rigorously calculated regularity to its movement. This quasi-constant flux of motive force maintains the rotation of the tourbillons and balance wheels. The tourbillon is comprised of 117 components with each biaxial tourbillon weighing no more than 0.76 grams. Each of their two regulating movements operate independently. Nevertheless, they must be unified, so that their deliberately independent mechanical operation results in a single time measurement. To accomplish this, the Histoire de Tourbillon 8 employs a spherical differential. The exceptional complexity of this system makes it possible to obtain an average from the two biaxial tourbillons, eliciting a superlative level of precision to determine the elemental information known as time. The highlight of this Harry Winston masterpiece is the use of materials. There are varied textures on the watch and is available in two colour variations.
Astronomia Solar by Jacob & Co
Astronomia Solar houses all the eight planets on our solar system. The new Jacob & Co. JCAM19 movement is 34.55mm in diameter and houses 439 components that constantly rotate bidirectionally. The sun is at the centre in the form of a 1.5ct Citrine. The Earth rotates about its own axis once every 60 seconds and completes one full revolution of the dial in 10 minutes.
MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis by Hublot
MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis was built with the aim of giving maximum visibility to the tourbillon. Thanks to its position at 6 o’clock and a large opening that covers a very complex 3-sided sapphire glass, the gaze of the wearer will literally plunge onto the frantic travel of this bi-axial tourbillon, which overcomes the effects of gravity in a much more subtle manner than an ordinary tourbillon.
The bi-axial tourbillon undertakes a complete rotation per minute for the first axis and every 30 seconds for the second. The watch also has an innovative date corrector. Via a simple winding movement of the lever up or down, the date moves forward or back. The dial is multi-layered in black, white and red. Offered in a 49mm case, the timepiece comes in two variants of Titanium (limited to 50 pieces) and King Gold (limited to 20).
