AndrewD
[HoMe Moderator]
12829
Philosophy of time …
Hi Mark, I tend to agree with you about the display of linear time. In fact one of the things I particularly like about the 5Hz, 36000vph hi-beat watches is the way the second hand (or chronograph hand in the case of the Zenith) glides around the dial with an almost imperceptible ‘jitter’. The Spring Drive watches take this even further of course (?8Hz). The thing about the dead second complication, however, is precisely that time is stopped for a second. It gives us a certain level of control over it that is completely artificial. In fact the whole measurement of time, the length of a second that we have arbitrarily defined, is a man-made construct. It’s too late at night here to be any more philosophical, but I hope I made some sense. J
Andrew
Second hand
Hi All, We have talked before about watch hands and their various designs, but we tend to focus on the hour and minute hands and ignore the seconds. Admittedly most second hands are slender pointy affairs without much interest, but this seems a pity as it...
If you're going to have a second hand....
...make it a Grande Seconde hand... Cheers, pplater....
Very happy to be...
..the current custodian, Steve - a real gentleman made it all possible. ;-) Cheers, pplater.
Surprised, though...
...that you didn't lead with everyone's favourite - Cheers, pplater....
The essential element...
...as the second hand just about defines this watch - Cheers, pplater....
A subtle re-alignment...
...of the hours and minutes to a mildly off-centre location gives the second hand added prominence - Cheers, pplater....
Double the fun...
...(and yes: they badly need to be synchronised!!) - Cheers, pplater...
Oh, how nice it would be...
....to own this second hand! Even 'second-hand' would be acceptable ;-) Can only claim the wrist in this shot - Cheers, pplater....
Probably not the second hand you had in mind...
More of a second second hand, really - ;-) Thanks for the thread. Looking forward to seeing one of the early FPJ tourbillon cages, or maybe a nice retrograde seconds (Prescher???). Cheers, pplater....
Perhaps with Thomas’ blessing …
… the next PPro watch? But that would require a slightly different waving Mao on the dial. J A
Dead Seconds
IMHO, the most interesting second hand available is the Dead Second hand: Craig...
To be honest..
.. I never understood the appeal of the "dead seconds" complication; time is something that's continuous, not discrete.. Perhaps technically speaking it's an interesting complication, but to me it just does not make a lot of sense; continously sweeping (l...
Philosophy of time …
Hi Mark, I tend to agree with you about the display of linear time. In fact one of the things I particularly like about the 5Hz, 36000vph hi-beat watches is the way the second hand (or chronograph hand in the case of the Zenith) glides around the dial wit...
Interesting image of the DS …
Thanks Craig, One of my unswerving favourites as well. I love how you have caught the second hand ‘dead’, but the tourbillon cage in flight. Andrew
The second hand is almost always my favorite...
...hand on any watch. Some that I am particularly fond of are the "diver's flag" second hand on this Sinn U1... (Courtesy of Men's Watch Review) ...and the hand-bent, heat-blued beauty on my Habring2 Jumping Seconds. Cheers, Daos...
I love the one on the Richard Lange
Not innovative, but traditional of course, but I find it mesmerizing to watch in it's stately progress acrross that big dial. Best, Andreas...
Andreas, the RL is the perfect 3-hand dress watch IMO
You are very lucky to have such a great piece! Thanks for sharing it with us! Cheers, Daos
Mine too!
Hello Daos, I join you in this regard - somehow the second hand is the most busy part on the dial side, if you don´t have a chronograph running or even a tourbillon. Amazed who you mange to upload a video, as I´m sometimes bumbling about with the photos !...
I'm forever fumbling with my photos and such...
...so please don't give me more credit than I'm due! The only reason I was able to upload videos was because Anthony posted a tutorial on it recently. Without his step-by-step pictorial guidance I have serious doubts I'd have been able to post my short cl...
Damasko, Rolex, Panerai
No longer mine, but I liked the bright yellow sweep seconds hand on this DA36; Ofcourse the lightning bolt of the Milgauss belongs in this thread; This one is going crazy I don't know if it's considered a "complication", but a sweep seconds hand is my fav...
So, what would be the interesting second Hands?
Certainly the Rolex Milgauss, for its originality: The Langematik Anniversary for its Supreme Elegance: The Blancpain Milspec for its useful luminous arrow: The Tourbillonesque Amvox III Second Hand: The Co Branded Second Hand ( unique in its kind ): And,...
The RM yellow arrow shaped skeleton seconds hand is one of my favorites
pic of the RM11 seconds hand...
And of course, how can we forget the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconds hand
Here's the orange luminous seconds hand on the J*D Sports Watch...
Here's another unusual secs hand from Bell & Ross
The seconds hand looks like a walking cane...
I'll tell you what floats – I mean rows my boat...
The "paddle" second hand is one of two features that clearly distinguish the vintage IWC ref. 866 Ingenieurs (the other being the big crown). I have always really liked this paddle design, and found that it suits the design of the dial extremely well. Reg...
My fav second hands...
The one of the Athys: Not a second hand but it is used as a second hand: And the second hand over the caliber (MCT): Fr.Xavier...
a few alternatives to the traditional second hand
you wouldnt expect me to be conventional would you firstly a tuning fork running at 300hz so the a true sweep second hand a couple of things wot rotate to as a second hand would, but dont indicate the actual time. a rotating earth. Vincent Calabrese's rot...
What is that "red dot" watch, Graham?
To add to the discussion, my favourite seconds-hand? The Seiko 6015-811x "stop-light" hand.
Ben, its a Zodiac Astrographic,...
Ben, its a Zodiac Astrographic, but not the SST high beat version i'm afraid. it uses 3 discs that rotate, the red dot being the second hand. its from the early 70's so 'nothings new under the sun' as i think Pink Floyd said a few years ago. best Graham
My fav second hand in my little collection...
I love it. It makes me feel a lucky man. Best Emilio...
Es lo que tiene ser hermanos! :))))
Certanlly Nicolas, the second hand in the vintage FF is really sexy and beautiful. Best Emilio
Some off-topic "seconds"....
Are some of these seconds hands off-topic? None -- but elegant for it. One - that can't make up its mind which way to go One - whose friends can't decide which way to go One - that goes round the l-o-n-g way My favourite One -- S-stamped with brand loyalt...
Thanks for thinking laterally …
Hi Melvyn, Thanks for thinking laterally. You have proven again that sometimes less is more. And that it is the juxtapositions in horology that can make a watch interesting. Andrew
Pure and simple . . .
. . . that would be Grand Seiko SBGW001 . . . . . . my wrist, Mike R's watch . . . cordially, Art...
Hey, that looks remarkably like …
… one of those “slender pointy affairs”, but when it works, it WORKS. Nice shot and supports Mostel’s argument above that balance is more important that excelling in a specific area. A
One of my favorite "seconds indicator"
The tourbillon cage doubles as a seconds indicator, and the lyre (or alternatively, Cygna) shape adds an element of whimsy and romance....
Seconds I have known and loved
Silberstein yellow and curved Seiko Galante - purple AND curved so very gracefully Seiko Credor blue and what an end! Look at the arcs and circles on this dial Seiko Brightz red tip and B end I loved the tiny red tip on the Blancpain, the blued Broad Arro...
You gotta admit the Corson Dresdener has quite the attractive second hand.
Take a look. An absolutely beautiful second hand. Mitch...
Isn´t it all about the little details ...
... Just a little bit of red ... and the kink ... ... and one more red detail ... ... and one just plain ... ... Just love these kind of details Oliver...