Typically, power reserves (how long a watch runs after it is fully wound) do not go beyond 50 hours. The watches on these pages have energy reserves of above 100 hours, so they keep on ticking on monday, even if you leave them over the weekend – or longer.
Typically, power reserves (how long a watch runs after it is fully wound) do not go beyond 50 hours. The watches on these pages have energy reserves of above 100 hours, so they keep on ticking on monday, even if you leave them over the weekend – or longer.
WORK OF ART (DECO)
The date and day indicators on this watch jump instantaneously at midnight, a feature that uses plenty of energy. Which makes it all the more impressive that the Patek Philippe Ref. 5200 Gondolo 8 Days, Day & Date Indication has an eight-day power reserve – made possible by the movement’s two mainspring barrels (instead of the usual one), and the use of friction-reducing silicon components. It’s all housed in a stately white gold Art Deco-style case measuring 46.9mm (across lugs) by 32.4mm.
IN A SPIN
The central attraction of the Breguet Grande Complication Automatic Tourbillon (Ref. 5317BA/12/9V6) is its beautifully finished tourbillon, which takes pride of place alongside another highlight: its five-day power reserve indicator. These displays are set against a silvered gold dial with Breguet’s signature guilloche decoration, which is in turn encircled by the fluted caseband of the 39mm yellow gold case.
CONSTANT PRESENCE
When it was launched in 2013, the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement LM made waves with its unusual mechanism and aesthetic. At the heart of its mechanism is an ultra-fine silicon blade – six times thinner than a strand of human hair – that regulates the impulses of the escapement to ensure that power transmission is constant throughout its six-day power reserve period. This year’s edition sees the manual timepiece being slimmed down from 48mm to 46mm, and encased in lightweight titanium.
IN PERPETUAL MOTION
The Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar “Terraluna” is big – 45.5mm in diameter and 16.5mm thick – but that’s because of how much A. Lange & Sohne has packed into it. Its perpetual calendar features four precisely jumping displays, while a constant-force escapement controls the energy in the twin mainspring barrels for consistent accuracy across its power reserve of 14 days. And on the back of this white gold watch, a star-studded display indicates the moonphase, as well as the position of the moon and sun as seen b y a viewer in the Northern hemisphere.
MARK THIS DATE
One of the models from the deluge of new Pilot’s watches, the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” marks the first time one of the brand’s aviation-themed timepieces is equipped with an annual calendar. Despite the three month, date and day display discs that need to be driven by the Calibre 52850, the movement shores up seven days of energy when fully wound. A rotor shaped like the Little Prince standing a top a planet adds whimsy to this 46mm red gold watch.
POWERFUL STATEMENT
A tourbillon, a chronograph – and an eight-day power reserve? The Rotonde de Cartier Tourbillon Chronograph manages all that with its manual-winding Calibre 9348MC, which is made by Swiss movement specialists Renaud & Papi. Classical yet dynamic in design, this 45mm pink gold timepiece features a white galvanised guilloche dial harmoniously juxtaposed against an openwork grid with a sunray effect.
ABOVE ITS WEIGHT
One of Panerai’s technical stars for this year, the “Lo Scienziato” Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT (PAM 578) is an extreme lightweight – but only literally speaking. Made using a process that builds layers of powdered titanium, its case is even lighter than regular titanium. Its skeletonised movement further enhances the 47mm watch’s sense of weightlessness. However, it’s certainly a horological heavyweight: Aside from a second time zone with a day/night indicator, PAM 578 also features a patented tourbillon – and three spring barrels that give it a six-day power reserve.
