Complications: Do You Use Them?

Baron - Mr Red · 2015-02-02T06:15:37Z

Do watch complications still matter in the age of smartphones? WatchProSite collectors debate the utility, emotion, and enduring appeal of mechanical watch complications.

Baron - Mr Red

WPS member · Rolex forum

28 replies4951 views1 photos

Baron - Mr Red initiates a thought-provoking discussion on the utility of watch complications in an era dominated by advanced technology. He challenges collectors to consider whether mechanical complications still hold practical value compared to modern electronic devices. This article explores the community's diverse perspectives on the enduring appeal of traditional watchmaking.

A good friend of mine who also happens to be a big collector of watches made an interesting remark to me recently. He said...no watch complication is really that useful. His point was that technology can do pretty much anything better than the (comparably) expensive complication built into a watch. Late last year, I bought myself the top of the range Garmin for running. It can measure my heart rate, estimate my VO2 max, tell me how long my foot is in contact with the ground when running, number of strides I take per minute, the extent of my vertical oscillation on each stride, the horizontal gain during hill climbs, my maximum speed, and on and on and on. It has to be the most complicated watch in the world, right?!?! And all for under £300. I use those complications. But do I use the ones that typically come on my watches? Chronograph. Moonphase. Minute Repeater. Amagnetic resistance. GMT. Waterproofing. The list of watch complications goes on and on. Yet, how many do people really use? Can't my iPhone tell me pretty much everything that my watch complication tells me?

I have to say, in essence, I think my friend is correct. In most cases, a watch complication can be performed way more efficiently by modern technology. My iPhone can perform virtually all of the functions of my watches.

Yet, there is another side to this discussion. I can't use my iPhone so easily in the water. Its not so easy to use my iPhone when I am in an airplane either. So in this sense, there are certainly circumstances where the convenience of a watch on my wrist supplants the use of modern technology. However, I am guessing that PuristS will take yet another line of opinion.

To me, its not about what technology can do better. The modern day Porsches are far superior in terms of most performance criteria to the now classic 993 that sits in my garage. My Golf is actually now faster than my 993. Technology will do that. Yet, if one asks most Porsche aficionados, they will say that the 993 is a far more beautiful and complete car than the modern offerings. I think I take the same view on watch complications. the skill and engineering that is required to place complications inside the tiny capsule that is a watch case requires an expertise that creates an aura around the watch. To have that engineering on my wrist creates a feeling that just isn't comparable to the feeling involved when I ask my iPhone when it is a full moon. Maybe it is an old fashioned feeling. Maybe the new technology watches will change the landscape. But I don't think so. i suspect there will always be an awe around the complications that we choose to have embedded in our watches.

I am curious to hear what others think about this topic. I think it is hard to dispute that modern technology can do most of the things that our watches can do more "efficiently". But it does it without soul....and thats why i think i love the complications in watches...and will continue to use them even if my iPhone is available.

Key Points from the Discussion

The date complication is used daily, and dive bezels are practical for timing activities like swimming laps or surfing, even if digital alternatives exist.
The value of watch complications, much like art, lies in the pleasure and mastery they represent, rather than pure functional efficiency compared to modern technology.
Useful complications include the annual calendar for daily information, power reserve indicators for winding reminders, and world time for international communication.
Mechanical watches and their complications offer an emotional connection and tactile experience that electronic devices cannot replicate, such as the feel of a manual winding movement or a column wheel chronograph.
The charm of collecting lies in the mechanical ingenuity of vintage watches, which performed complex functions without computers, a stark contrast to rapidly evolving, software-driven modern electronics.
While complications are appreciated for their craftsmanship and aesthetics, their practical necessity is often secondary to the basic function of telling time and date.

The Discussion

dr.kol

Feb 2, 2015

I like all the complications. But in the end of the day what counts is the capability of showing the time and perhaps date. The rest is plain decoration. That said, while waiting my Patek Philippe 5711 to arrive, I ordered as the first thing this morning a complete calendar with mono pusher chronograph. Why? I like the brand, I like the looks of the watch, it's brand new and I got great offer. Do I need it? For sure no! But it will be cool to have a watch showing the date, day, month, moon phase

Baron - Mr Red

Feb 2, 2015

Fricks opened up the idea that one's desire for complications was inversely correlated to age. It was an interesting thought. Like you, I am warming more and more to purity and simplicity...I thought you described it really well by aliening it to looking at a sculpture and appreciating it more as you look at it more. For sure, I am getting that particular pleasure more now from my time-only Calatravas than ever.

dr.kol

Feb 2, 2015

to own Calatravas like yours. I would give away several complications if I could find one. Best, Kari

amanico

Feb 2, 2015

I still prefer my JLC Memovoxes or UN Sonata.... This is a question of class... And of romantism, too. Electronics cannot compete with that. Vivent les montres! Best, Nicolas

Baron - Mr Red

Feb 2, 2015

....think about having the year on your watch? "OOOhhh...what year are we in? Hang on, let me look at my watch. Ahhhh...2015" I'd like to meet the guy who uses the year function on a watch.

crown comfort

Feb 2, 2015

there are a few non-features of my wristwatches the iPhone cannot keep up with: - no need to upgrade the SW - no need to sync with iTunes or iCloud - the wife cannot track me - no annoying mails or messages with bad timing - I can't catch a virus - never heard of the NSA listening into my wristwatch :) CC

Continue the conversation

This thread is active on the Rolex forum with 28 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.

Join the Discussion →

Key Points from the Discussion

Continue the conversation

More from this Forum