Useful Features In a Timepiece

I am not sure about you but I have never really sat down to think what the useful features are in a timepiece.

Honestly, how often do you activate the chronograph function? What about that perpetual calendar especially those with the pushers? Even the date is something of a chore for some unless it is the big date.

Truth me told, I hardly use the chronograph feature on my chronographs. I know some say you could use it to time how long you park at a particular location etc., but really?

Enjoy the picture of the A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph.

The honest truth, at least for me, is the beauty of the 1815 Chronograph movement rather than the function itself. Now, how can you argue with a movement like that? I have to say, both the dial side and the movement side of the Lange 1815 Chronograph are gorgeous. But how often do I use the chronograph function?

Then again the perpetual calendar...

A nice feature to have and I believe that when they developed the Quantième Perpétuel, most owners had one watch to their name. So if that timepiece were with you all the time, it makes sense to keep it running and in order not to have to make those minor date changes (30 and 31), the perpetual calendar was invented. But today? Well, it really becomes a status symbol than any "useful" feature.

Don't get me wrong, I love the perpetual calendar watch. A great invention. But how often do you use the function especially when you need to hit those pushers to have the day, date, month and moonphase aligned? Well, doesn't really matter when the movement is as nice as the Moser Perpetual One.

What I really like - the Zero Reset...

What I would really like as a "regular" feature in a timepiece is the Zero Reset. When it comes to time setting, I am a stickler for accurate time setting i.e. having to wait till the seconds hand hits zero before pulling the crown to set the time. Some timepieces with this feature are the Lange Saxonia and the Glashutte Senator Chronometer.

Featured here is the Lange Saxonia belonging to a friend of mine. The Zero Reset is a patent belonging to manufacture A. Lange & Sohne.

And the case back showing off the automatic movement.

The Glashutte Original (GO) Senator Chronometer is also another timepiece featuring a reset seconds hand when the crown is pulled. But they go one step further in the attempt to improve accuracy during time setting. Not only does the second hand return to the zero position when the crown is pulled, the minute hand changes in full minute increments i.e. the minute hand progresses to the next minute index. And when one depresses the crown, both the seconds and minute hand move in tandem.

And the case back revealing a three quarter plate typical of German watchmaking...

With the Zero Reset feature, the seconds hand returns to the 60 second position when the crown is pulled. As far as I know, the two brands that has this feature are A. Lange & Soehne and Glashutte - both German brands. Is that a coincidence? And then the question of "How difficult is it to make?" Then again, is there an easier and more innovative way to develop this feature?

GMT or Two Time Zone

A more regular (and useful) feature is the GMT or two-time zone which of course is essential for the frequent traveller. The Reverso from Jaeger LeCoultre comes to mind...

With the two time zone, the timepieces allows the traveller to track local time (where he is) and his home time. With the Reverso, this is done with two dials on the same movement. But the more common variation is the GMT where the timepiece features another 24 hour bezel like in the Rolex GMT II featured here.

There is yet another variation - the World Timer. Featured here is the Patek 5131R...

And the Andersen Genève World Timer, 5th Edition.

One more thing before I sign off this post - hacking seconds... I like to be able to pull the crown and the seconds hand stops at 60. That allows me to set time more accurately. So what's your thoughts about useful (or not) features in a timepiece?

The H Moser Endeavour Small Seconds - Pretty In Pink

The mother of pearl dial when executed well adds to a timepiece. Such is the case with the H Moser Endeavour small seconds.

On top of the the mother of pearl dial, the diamond encrusted bezel brings the simple three handed timepiece to another level of attractiveness. The Endeavour also known as the Mayu is not new but this particular model rarely seen. When executed well, the dial outshines the normal dial as it changes from a light shade to a darker shade of depending on the lighting condition and the angle of the light source.

From a lighter pastel pink to a darker shade of pink.

The handcrafted sculptured mother of pearl dial under different lighting conditions.

A really pretty package - Pretty In Pink!

The timepiece is well made - the indices are well finished and the quality comes through on the 12.

I can understand why the ladies will love this piece... pretty in all the right places. A white gold case with 84 diamonds around the bezel and the lugs too.

The timepiece comes with a manual winding in-house HMC321 movement with three days power reserve. Case diameter is 39mm - perfect on the wrist of the Asian lady.

Moser makes some rather iconic timepieces one of which is the Perpetual One which I covered in another post. The new Concept Watch is also another step in the right direction - less being more. Classy really!

Perpetually Simple - Moser Perpetual One

Simple watches are one of the most difficult to design and make but making complex timepieces simple is even more difficult. But what a stroke of genius from the group at H Moser & Cie in collaboration with Andreas Strehler.

A stroke of genius really - using the 12 markers on the dial do indicate the 12 months of the year. Brilliant really! No one has yet done that. In 2003 Andreas Strehler worked with Moser to develop the Moser Perpetual Oneand it wowed many a watch collectors - me included. A beautifully crafted timepiece - classic. If one does not pay attention, the Perpetual One looks like the Mayu with the small sub-seconds at 6 O'Clock.

Take a close look at the watch - notice the small arrow hand pointing to 6 O'Clock? That is the hand indicating the month. The large date is actually a single window with two discs one on top of the other. The timepiece comes with an impressive 7 days power reserve and the indicator is located at the 9.

The black dial is rather well made - almost resembling a lacquer dial. And the finishing on the hands are excellent. The date and month indicator changes are all instantaneous and one can change dates forward and backwards - impressive to say the least. The clean, uncluttered and well proportioned dial makes the Perpetual One a pleasure to the eyes.

At the back is the in-house developed HMC341 calibre done in collaboration with Andreas Strehler. The manual winding movement comes with an impressive 7 days power reserve and beats at a slow 18,000 vph.

The back comes well curved to sit snugly on the wrist. From the back, one can see how well finished the movement is. Not only is it beautifully constructed, the finishing is of a rather high quality.

Another feature in the Perpetual One is the interchangeable Moser escapement. This is also a feature in all their watches. The module allows a watchmaker to easily remove the entire escapement for servicing or replacement with a new one. Another clever invention.

The way the module is constructed is such that the entire escapement module may be removed for servicing or repairs. In theory, watch repair centers around the world can simply take out the faulty module and replace it with a new one and it should be going back to the owner in no time. A close up of the module featuring the Straumann Hairspring.

In recent years, I have come to appreciate manual winding watches as opposed to automatic ones. One of the main reason is the visibility of the movement - I love a well made and well finished movement. The rotor on the automatic covers the beauty of the movement.

Overall, the watch is well made and definitely a gem. One glance and you will see the beauty of the timepiece. A classic in every sense and the simplest complication money can buy. And honestly, I love the rose gold back dial version the best.

For more information, please visit the Moser Website.