Learning to love the mechanical When it comes to appreciating a mechanical watch, accuracy and practicality are not remotely as important as appreciating the art, science, engineering, skill and history that goes into it

Learning to love the mechanical

When it comes to appreciating a mechanical watch, accuracy and practicality are not remotely as important as appreciating the art, science, engineering, skill and history that goes into it

 

Let’s get the basics out of the way. No mechanical watch, however expensive, is going to be as accurate as a half-decent watch bought at a departmental store that is powered by a quartz movement. A quartz mechanism of reasonable quality can be accurate to within half a second every day. Thermocompensated quartz movements in wristwatches can be accurate to 10 or 20 seconds a year. That is accurate enough to fly planes by or control satellites with. Mechanical watches are pathetic in comparison. The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres (COSC) certification, that is essential for mechanical watches to be called “chronometers”, allow errors of between −4 to +6 seconds per day.
In other words, if you are a social media millionaire, Russian resource oligarch, or optionsvesting chief executive, it doesn’t matter how expensive your Ulysse Nardin tourbillon, Greubel Forsey masterpiece or heirloom Rolex Daytona is. In all likelihood, your chauffeur wears a more accurate timepiece. The need to tell accurate time is vital, of course, but not one that by itself justifies the investment in a good mechanical watch. Indeed, accuracy is the best reason not to wear a watch at all. Your mobile phone is not only a more versatile timekeeper, but also an accurate and intelligent one. Most phones can automatically set their electronic clocks to the network time, or connect to an online time server. And unlike most watches, phones automatically take care of dates, leap years, daylight savings time, and even time zones when you travel.

Photo: A Lange and Sohne

When it comes to appreciating a mechanical watch, therefore, accuracy and practicality is not remotely as important as appreciating the art, science, engineering, innovation, skill and history that goes into every mechanical watch. From affordable brands such as Hamilton and Rado, right up to the hallowed names of Swiss haute horology such as Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, every mechanical watch tells a story. Every movement inside one of these watches is the culmination of centuries of human innovation and ingenuity. Around the movement are elements that are much more contemporary, but every bit as artful—the case, bezel, crystal and strap. In much the same way you can tell the history of people and places through their art and architecture, you can tell the story of modern design and engineering through the designs of watch cases and bezels. (For instance, see page 19 of this issue and browse through seven decades of IWC Pilot’s watches. See how our ability to work metal and inscribe lettering has evolved over that period.)Therefore, contrary to common perception and consumption, there is more to a watch than the brand on the dial. It is also about understanding the inherent provenance and complexity of the object in your hand. And mechanical watches are astonishingly complex: this year’s Patrimony Traditionnelle 14-day Tourbillon by Vacheron Constantin packs 231 parts, including 31 jewels, into a movement 6.8mm thick!
Formula One racing and vintage cars are worthwhile comparisons to mechanical watchmaking. Why do people care so much about speed? What element of F1 racing, from the perspective of the average automobile user, is remotely practical? If you were in that much of a hurry you’d probably catch a train, book a flight or hire a helicopter. Yet each race in the F1 calendar is seen by millions all over the world. A young 23-yearold German driver in a team owned by an Austrian energy-drink entrepreneur has devoted fans in far-flung suburbs of Mumbai. Young Chinese and Malaysians debate the technical merits of the latest cars, reducing complex cuttingedge concepts into four-letter abbreviations and phrases such as KERS and “electronic traction control”.
The halls and corridors at SIHH and BaselWorld are witnesses to similar heated discussions and debates about the latest mechanical watches. Albeit at a much smaller scale. (Some watch nuts might say that watching the second hand travel around a Piaget Altiplano Skeleton is as satisfying as seeing Fernando Alonso chew up lap after lap.) Watch lovers take their passion very seriously indeed. Some people love the technical accomplishment. Some, the design and heritage. Still others have too much money lying around and want to own everything new. It makes for a heady mix of views and emotions, and explains why popular watch magazines and blogs are a dozen to a brand. But what do they talk about? Plenty. Everything from the leather in the bracelet, to the colour of the numerals can divide opinion. And, of course, innovation.

Photo: A Lange and Sohne

Now, this is an industry obsessed with perfecting a technology that is, when you come to think of it, mostly obsolete. Does that mean brands sit on their laurels and mint money shipping out the same old references year after year? Well, yes, of course. But there is also tremendous innovation lurking under the surface.Take the case of one of the simplest and most vital parts of the mechanical movement— the balance spring, or hairspring. The first timepieces with hairsprings were made by Dutch scientist Christian Huygens around 1660. One would assume that the last 352 years have resulted in every possible innovation. But, in fact, to this day, maisons such as Breguet continue to design and manufacture new types of hairsprings out of materials such as silicon. Innovation in mechanical watchmaking is well alive. The pressure to impress retailers, customers and the media at fairs each year is so high that brands often have two or three years’ worth of innovations and novelties in the pipeline at any given time. Few of these are as path-breaking as the tourbillon movement. But brands still strive.
If the technology, complexity and innovation isn’t enough to convince you, then perhaps the heritage will. Watches have accompanied human beings through some of their greatest achievements through the course of the last century. Omegas have been worn to space, Rolexes have summitted the Everest, Cartiers have crossed the Atlantic with Charles Lindbergh and IWCs have fought a world war. And, while it might seem like the entire world is wearing a Rolex or a Patek Philippe, the top Swiss brands in fact make very few watches each year. Some, like Richard Mille, intentionally keep supply below demand to maintain exclusivity. Which means many watches are hot collector’s items. In December 1999, Sotheby’s sold a unique Patek Philippe pocket watch, made in 1933, to an anonymous collector for $11 million.
Thus, when you wear a mechanical watch on your wrist, what you are really wearing is a feat of engineering and a product of history. The price you pay can depend on anything from the number of diamonds on the bezel, to your gullibility. (And these guys are great at marketing.) But with a little research, a little curiosity, and a little passion, you will find yourself owning not so much a device but a work of art—one that can accompany you everywhere.