Horological Meandering

Julian C
386

• Show profile
• Show other posts

Long Read: The most desirable Destros in the World

Long Read: The most desirable Destros in the World

I love destro watches. There, I’ve said it in public now.

Comments from fellow purists aside, I want to tell you the whys and wherefores. Since I was a wee little one sitting on my father’s lap, I’ve been looking at his watches and playing with them. All on his right hand (Dad being a lefty). This led to the obvious human trait of imitating the dominant male: in my case, trying each of his watches on my right hand… just like daddy.

So what are destro watches and why aren't they as popular as one would think?

A normal watch, from the humble Casio to the illustrious Patek, is usually made with right-handed people in mind. After all its only natural, given that the vast majority of the world is right-handed and wears his or her watch on the opposite hand. This is, historically, to make winding easier for right handers, as well as productivity (the left hand is then free to look at the time, and the watch doesn't get as much wear and tear as when worn on your “working hand”).

Normal watches have the crown and pushers at the 3 o’clock marker, or variations thereof, but primarily on the right side of the watch - tool watches vary in their crown placement for specific reasons (I always think of one of my favourites, the newer Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk II with the crown at 4 o’clock). Destro watches, however, feature their crowns and pushers on the left side of the watch (and yes, I can hear calls for a mention of the famous Panerai destro here - more on that later, and others with some fascinating provenance).

In fact, from a recent poll on A Blog to Watch, out of nearly 4,000 watch fans who voted, 22% are right handed and wear their watches on their right hand; a further 12% are genuine lefties who wear them “correctly” - on their right hand. This would lead one to conclude that the watch industry is doing something wrong… if nearly one third of watch wearers prefer their right hand, why do destros not make up one in every three watches? I mean with automatics and quartz watches, one doesn't really need to wind up the watch anyway right?

Wrong. Tradition is a sticky thing, it tends to pass from generation to generation, and manufactures are a sticky lot. Or at least that’s what I thought until I looked into destros in more detail and decided that any collection is incomplete without at least one of these.

Destros for any Collector

The timeless Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso, patented by René-Alfred Chauvot on 4th March 1931 to make polo playing in India easier by making a "wristwatch which can slide on its base and flip over on itself,” could be argued to be one of the first destros.

And what a destro it is! The fine art deco lines and reversible side made from a case comprising of more than 50 parts makes it not only one of the most complicated cases in any watch, but also one of the most beautiful.

How does one move from there? Well, the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref 3569, though not strictly a destro, is one which could be argued to be both sides of the coin as it doesn't have a crown at all - perfect for lefties and righties alike. Known as a “backwinder” was created in the 1970 to give the illusion of the thinnest watch available in the market by moving the crown to the back of the watch and providing an optical illusion of thinness. Not to say it’s not thin: Patek’s enduring Calatrava design is perfect for any formal occasion and houses an automatic movement with a manual wind function that is svelte and sumptuous at the same time.

 And then there is Panerai with its three classic destro designs: the PAM 219 Luminor Base Destro, a Panerai that follows the lines of the classic Luminor; the Panerai Luminor 1950 PAM 579 Monopulsante Destro 8 Days Titanio - yes, as you guessed it a massive 47mm titanium cased destro housing Panerai’s P2004/9 with a column wheel chronograph and bi-compax layout which allows for two sub-dials, one for the minutes and one for seconds; and last but not least, theres the Panerai Luminor 1950 Submersible 2500 Destro PAM 358.

A real driver’s watch, the Girard-Perregaux R&D 01 Monte Carlo Chronograph stands out as professional driving instrument thanks to the late Luigi Macaluso, President of Girard-Perregaux, the 1972 European Rally Champion, President of the Italian Motorsport federation and the International Karting Federation. Developed after dedicated R&D with actual F1 drivers, housing the manufacture’s own 033CO movement and a power reserve of 46 hours, the chronograph function pshers are located on the left and the crown with its cap resembling the air intake of F1 racing cars, at 4 o’clock. As usual, bold colours and numbering to match a racing car’s dashboard, make this one of the most desirable sport destros to own.

One piece, which could perhaps be named the rarest destro in the world is housed in the Vacheron Constantin museum and is not just any old Vacheron Constantin Steel Chronometer (as if Vacheron could make “just any old watch!”). This is the steel chronometer, of which only 3 versions exist, that was originally made for the Chairman of Richemont, Vacheron’s parent company, to convince him (a proud lefty) that Vacheron should enter into the sports watch arena. A destro like no other, impeccable credentials, completely unavailable and probably the most sought after destro in the world.

But it doesn’t stop there… there are other great destros which deserve a mention, and perhaps a separate article in itself: the Oris Great Barrie Reef, Zenith with its gorgeous Captain Chronograph with the El Primero 400B movement; all U-Boat models (tool watches which are only made as destros); the Sinn EZM3; Citizen’s “Eco-Zilla” Eco-Drive and Hublot’s Big Bang Paris Chronograph; and last but certainly not least, Serena Williams’ special, one-off Audemars Piguet Royal Oak are all watches lefties would love.