For those unfamiliar: the Kunsthaus Zürich is home to one of Switzerland’s most important art collections, with around 4’000 paintings and sculptures as well as 95’000 prints and drawings from the 13th century to the present day. While around 1’000 art works are on permanent display, the special exhibition can be visited until January 14, 2024.

“From the Renaissance to the present day, this fascinating exhibition presents an immense diversity of artworks that, uniquely, are shown in dialogue with watches: timepieces in which perspectives from the natural sciences, sociology and economics are integral, just as they are in the works by over 100 artists on display.”

Kunsthaus Zürich

This “journey through the history of time” consists of paintings, videos, films, installations, performances and examples of the watchmaker’s art. They tell of “the changing seasons, the possibilities to reflect and global financial markets that are now synchronized down to the last picosecond.” With more than 1,200 [square] meters of exhibition space, the exhibition is divided into six chapters which consider ‘deep time’, political dimensions and biological aspects of time, and more. Some impressions:

Curated by Cathérine Hug, the exhibition is a collaboration with the Musée international d’horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds (some will notice, for example, the Rolex Deep-Sea Special from the MIH’s collection), in liaison with CERN in Meyrin and experts in the field.

More here.

In a successful attempt to cancel out as much of the influence of gravity on the precision of a pocket watch, Abraham-Louis Breguet invented the tourbillon. On June 26, 1801, he was granted a patent for it, yet the production for clients didn’t commence before 1805. Even after the patent expired, a pocket watch with a tourbillon remained rare, as it took exceptional skills to craft. In wristwatches, the tourbillon was a late bloomer. Some brands, including Omega, experimented with tourbillon movements in prototypes, but it wasn’t until after the quartz crisis that this complication became truly popular and more commonly seen.

Many still think that the tourbillon is a complication. While it is most certainly complex to make, it is an addition to the escapement of the watch. As this is an essential piece of a mechanical watch, it doesn’t count as a complication. In this same light is also a remontoire, or the co-axial escapement invented by George Daniels, not a complication, while they do require considerable expertise to make.

This brings up the question of what is a complication? The answer to that depends on who you are asking. A purist might say anything but the hour hand. Early clocks had only a single hand to tell the time. However, as we are talking here about wristwatches, the most widely accepted consensus on this matter is that any added function to a watch beyond the display of hours, minutes, and seconds counts as a complication. So even when a 60-seconds tourbillon doubles as a seconds hand, it still doesn’t make the cut.

Do you have any questions you want the answer to? Ask us in the comment box below, and we might feature it in an upcoming edition of “Did you know that….”

For a long time, exceptional power reserves were frequently reserved only for watches within the mid to high range of manufacturing and pricing, but in the past few years especially, that is beginning to change. There are now plenty of watches in the sub-$3,500 price category available with three-day or better reserves. We put together a list of six of these pieces, which includes offerings from Baume & Mercier, Christopher Ward, Certina, Hamilton, Tissot, and Oris.

Certina DS-1 ($650+)

Certina is a brand best known by most for its popular dive watch, the Certina DS PH200M, which we recently went hands-on with last month (and which you can read more about here). In addition to that popular diver, however, the brand also has some hidden gems in its catalogue, one being the 80-hour power-reserve-equipped Certina DS-1.

The DS-1 is available in a number of different colorways, in all-steel or two-tone cases, as well as silver, black, gray, and blue-accented dials. All of them share the same movement: the 3-day+ Powermatic 80. The automatic mechanism is derived from a base ETA 2824-2, which by slowing down its frequency to 21,600 vph from the standard 28,800 provides the movement an almost doubled reserve, at 80 hours.

The brand currently prices the watch at about $650; depending on the dial color it can frequently be found via an authorized dealer for a couple hundred less. Certina.

Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium ($775+)

Certina’s Swatch Group sister brand, Tissot, uses its own application of the Powermatic 80 movement in the Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium, the first in Tissot’s extensive collection to use that movement.

It was actually through the initial news of this Tissot watch that we learned the Powermatic 80 caliber not only has a reduced frequency, but also makes use of various silicon parts, including for its spring barrel which, according to the brand, results in more efficient operation without a major sacrifice to the ultimate timekeeping ability of the watch.

Like the DS-1, the Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium is available in an array of dial colors and case materials, though it is the steel, blue-dial model and two-tone crème-dial edition that seem to most frequently catch the eyes of collectors. Pricing begins at $775 for steel models on leather straps, and rises up to $1,495 for two-tone examples on metal bracelets.

You can find this watch and a number of other more recent releases containing the Powermatic 80 in Tissot’s online store here. Tissot.

Hamilton Jazzmaster Power Reserve Auto ($1,245+)

The final Swatch Group watch we have on our list is the Hamilton Jazzmaster Power Reserve Auto, which like the previous two watches also features a 3-day+ power reserve (aka 80 hours), though in this instance accomplished via the Hamilton Caliber H-13.

Like the previous two models, the Jazzmaster is a relatively classical-looking timepiece, though with some additional features accounting for its higher price tag. Among these, we find a number of new dial colors including sunray silver, black, crème, and blue, all with a power-reserve indicator on the dial in addition to the date window.

While not confirmed by information from the brands, it has been speculated the H-13 automatic movement inside the Jazzmaster is a Hamilton-modified Powermatic 80 (itself, as mentioned, derived from the ETA 2824-2), especially because Hamilton also falls under the Swatch Group umbrella. Nonetheless, with classic looks, an 80-hour reserve, and a price point just topping $1,000, the Hamilton watch can surely draw attention to itself in its own right.

The Jazzmaster Power Reserve Auto is offered directly through the Hamilton website here, with prices starting at $1,245 for a steel model on a leather strap, and only going up slightly to $1,495 when the watch is placed on a five-link metal bracelet instead. Hamilton.

Christopher Ward C65 Trident Diver SH21 Limited Edition ($2,170)

British watchmaker Christopher Ward might not be the brand you think of first when it comes to timepieces with great power reserves, but the brand’s in-house Caliber SH21 movement with its 120-hour power reserve and COSC-specification timekeeping ability is nothing to scoff at.

The caliber comes standard in a handful of Christopher Ward’s watches since its initial release in 2014, including the racing-inspired C1 Morgan 3 Wheeler Chronometer ($2,050) and C1 Morgan Aero 8 Chronometer ($2,685), as well as the Bauhaus-style C1 Grand Malvern Small Seconds ($1,540).

Our choice for this list is the C65 Trident Diver SH21 Limited Edition, which is a luxurious take on the brand’s signature C65 Trident Diver design, and one highly limited to only 150 pieces. Equipped with a five-day power reserve, chronometer certification, 150-meter water resistance, and a solid vintage-inspired design, all in a 41-mm steel case and a blue dial — there is a lot to like about the model.

While currently stock is very limited as a result of its limited production run, some models are still available directly through CW, here, priced at $2,170. Christopher Ward.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic ($2,990+)

The Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic was much discussed upon its release, and for good reason. With a COSC chronometer certification, a five-day power reserve, magnetic protection, extended service intervals, and a very classical design, the watch has had a lot to offer since its initial introduction in 2018 and subsequent expansion in 2019.

Pricing for the standard Clifton Baumatic — that is, a time-and-date model — begins at $2,990 for either a dégradé blue, dégradé grey, or silver dial on a leather strap, and climbing slightly to $3,190 if you prefer it on a five-link metal bracelet. Depending on the case material and additional complications, prices on Baumatic models range up to $12,200. Baume & Mercier offers a number of models for purchase now directly though its online store, which you can find here.

Want to learn more about the Clifton Baumatic? We had one in for a watch test last spring; you can read the results here. Baume & Mercier.

Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 ($3,500)

If the previous models each generated discussion upon their releases, then Oris’ unveiling of its Calibre 400 movement — and shortly thereafter the new Aquis Date models that contained it — sparked serious conversation throughout the watch community.

Not only was Calibre 400 the first self-winding in-house movement produced by Oris, but the movement, and thus the new watch that contains it, come equipped with a five-day power reserve, serious antimagnetic properties, a 10-year warranty, and an astonishing 10-year service suggestion. All of this came together with the already widely praised design of the Aquis Date and its 300-meter water resistance, culminating in a high-value proposition that is likely to find its way into the collections of collectors young and old.

The Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 costs $3,300 for the 43.5-mm version on a rubber strap and $3,500 on a metal bracelet, though it is highly anticipated other sizes and models containing the movement will become available in 2021. The watch is available both directly through Oris, here, and via authorized dealers globally. Oris.

What do you think of our list, and would you want to add any of these watches to your collection? Are there any watches we’re missing that fit this category? Let us know in the comments below!

Mind you, the press pictures I had received from Breguet couldn’t have been of a better quality, but they just did not show the, for the lack of a better word, “full picture,” which includes so much more than one photo can transport. Thankfully, I know that very well by now, which is another reason why I always try to take hands-on photos and videos for my articles. More importantly, I have a rule to never judge a watch before I have seen it the flesh. Or even better, have worn it, ideally over a couple of days, should I intend to do a review. The same rule applies when buying a watch: watches tend to look different in real life, and, quite often, some releases also grow on me over time: When I first saw the Bathyscaphe from Blancpain in Basel ten years ago, for example, I wasn’t blown away. Now guess which watch has not only become one of Blancpain’s bestsellers, but also been on top of my list for the last eight years? – Exactly (still undecided between the chronograph with “tropical green” dial, the 1315-powered titanium version with brushed dial or the automatic with a black ceramic case). A new design requires time to be appreciated and explored, and quite often, that process starts with a bit of friction.

If you ask a representative of a watch company how much time they spent on the development of a new watch, you usually get a number between two and five years, depending on the complexity of the project (and we’re obviously not talking about a new dial color here). Sometimes, launches are postponed, shuffled around to be aligned with an anniversary or milestone, or even get cancelled, be it because of changing market situations, lack of production capabilities, or simply because of problems with a new complication or material. In short: the product management of a watch company, not unlike that of a car manufacturer, often works with timelines that can span over decades. And even when a watch finally gets released, collectors often have to wait a couple of months longer until they, too, finally get to see the watches in real life, while journalists and retailers were able to at least briefly see and touch them at trade shows or brand events.

In the case of Breguet’s new Type XX, the brand stated that “four years of preparation preceded the arrival of the new generation of iconic Type XX,” mostly because of the development of the new self-winding Calibre 728 for the civilian version and Calibre 7281 for the military version. With the two unique watches made for Only Watch, the Type XX Only Watch 2021 (Ref. 2065ST/Z5/398) and the Type 20 Only Watch 2019 (Ref. 2055ST/Z5/398), both powered by restored Valjoux 235 movements, Breguet thankfully gave us a rare glimpse of what was to become a celebration of the anniversary of the Type XX’s “almost 70 years” with the release of the aforementioned 2067 and 2057 this week. Which means that a number of employees at Breguet started working on the new Type XX, even before the first human cases of COVID-19 had been identified. In other words: while the average watch collector has had a couple of days to learn about the latest novelties from Breguet by now, others have already spent years going over every detail, and, ultimately, getting accustomed to the final design of the watch. As a result, brands, retailers, journalists and customers often have very different timelines. The same applies when you switch roles: If a watch was, let’s say, on the market for two years, and didn’t meet the management’s expectations, the same executives may have had already six years with that watch when they consider pulling it, while potential customers still contemplate about what watch might have to go to fund it. Give it time.

Good thing is that I have about four more weeks until I plan to hand in my Type XX article for the upcoming issue, and there is a real chance you, too, will have been able to see these two watches at selected retails partners of Breguet by then, since the brand made sure to already deliver the first watches (or you’ll see them at WatchTime New York in October). I’m curious to see how my last paragraph will turn out.

Looks are only part of the equation, as wearing comfort is another. When a strap doesn’t sit comfortably around your wrist, it reflects on the watch as a whole. What often happens is that you simply wear it less, even when the watch itself is great. A mere strap change can make a difference. While I am an avid advocate of buying quality, getting the right strap doesn’t always have to cost an arm and a leg. In particular, when looking for a rubber or NATO strap, many cost-effective examples can be found that won’t disappoint.

If you want to ensure that you get it right, a custom-made strap might be the way to go. While this sound expensive, in my experience, the cost is not much higher than if you would buy a strap from one of the well-known Swiss brands, with the advantage that now, you are in the driver’s seat. You are in command of the type of leather, the color of stitching, and the thickness and material used for the lining. It often results in a strap that matches your taste and usually also elevates the way the watch looks. This will increase the wearing comfort as well as the pleasure you get from your watch.

How did you elevate your wrist game by changing the strap? Tell us in the comments