The hidden art of complications

In the world of watchmaking, “complications” don’t mean problems — they represent technical mastery. They are what transform a watch from a simple timekeeper into a work of art, blending precision with engineering brilliance. But what exactly is a complication? Let us take you through some of the most common — and most exceptional — complications, both in our collection and in the history of horology.

The Calendar: High-Precision Timekeeping

Put simply, a complication is any function of a watch beyond telling the time; even the basic display of today’s date qualifies. Of course, complications can vary greatly in complexity. The next level comes when a watch also shows the day of the week, like Rolex’s iconic Day-Date, often nicknamed “The President’s Watch.” A “triple calendar” goes further, displaying the complete date — day, month, and year. Some models go beyond that still, featuring the perpetual calendar — a complication that automatically accounts for months with 30 or 31 days, as well as leap years. Imagine: in February 2024, a leap year, a perpetual calendar watch automatically displayed February 29; in February 2025, a non-leap year, it correctly skipped from February 28 to March 1. By following the logic of the Gregorian calendar, these watches require no manual adjustment until February 2100 — a special case in our calendar system — which is why the perpetual calendar remains one of the most prestigious complications in watchmaking today.

A chronograph is a complication that allows you to measure short intervals independently from the main time display, often via recognizable sub-dials that track elapsed seconds, minutes, or hours. You’ll find this complication in many models in our collection, such as Omega’s Speedmaster and Seamaster, as well as timeless classics like TAG Heuer’s Carrera or Breitling’s Navitimer. Here too, intricacy elevates the watch into a true work of art: at the start of a race, the chronograph must engage smoothly and responsively, without disrupting the time display, and then stop with the same exactness. It’s a bit like fitting a car with two engines that run independently yet never interfere with each other — except here, it all happens on a microscopic scale, strapped to a constantly moving wrist, while still maintaining flawless accuracy. The challenge of miniaturization reaches new heights with split-seconds chronographs, which can measure two separate times simultaneously — for example, two runners starting at the same moment — making this not only a highly useful sporting tool but also a showcase of technological prestige.

Travel Complications: Time Across the Globe

Travel complications serve those who frequently move between time zones by allowing multiple zones to be tracked at once. The most common is the GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) complication, which adds an extra hand — often colored — that makes one full rotation every 24 hours to indicate a second time zone on a graduated bezel or a 24-hour ring inside the dial. It’s perfect for travelers who want to read two time zones at a glance: you land in New York from Geneva and your watch already shows local time, while the GMT hand reminds you it’s six hours later in Geneva — perhaps already nighttime. Watches with this feature often proudly display “GMT” in their name. The second common travel complication is Dual Time, typically shown on a dedicated sub-dial with its own 12-hour hand; unlike the GMT, it isn’t tied to a 24-hour scale, so it’s less intuitive to tell day from night at a glance.

Poetry and Elegance: Astronomical Complications

The most iconic astronomical complication is the moon phase. Celebrated by brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, and Omega, it has become a hallmark where poetic artistry meets technical skill. Typically displayed through a semi-circular aperture on the dial, it reveals a rotating disc that mirrors the lunar cycle; each day a little more of the moon appears, only to fade again after roughly 29.5 days. Beyond its technical and artistic finesse, there is something mesmerizing about seeing the same crescent in the sky and on your wrist. Rarer astronomical complications can indicate, for instance, the difference between solar and civil time or the length of the seasons, while the fusion of artistic expression and mechanical innovation perhaps reaches its peak in celestial map displays showing the night sky from a specific point on Earth, or in tide indicators.