It’s complicated: watch complications for dummies

A guide to the typical complications you will find in watchmaking. From the easy and simple to the expensive and immensely complex.

Wristwatches, particularly in the mechanical range of the spectrum, are typically meant to do one thing and one thing only: tell the time. Most people associate a timepiece with this basic function and nothing else. However, watchmaking companies have over the years perfected their art. Nowadays, not only does the tiny artifact on your wrist tell time more accurately than ever, it can actually do some pretty impressive stuff as well.

Because sticking a surprisingly constant and regulated timekeeping device smaller than a baseball on your wrist isn’t cool enough, watchmakers have taken it to the next level. Through nothing but sheer spite and a desperation to prove to themselves just how amazing they are, watchmakers have developed what we now call “complications”.

What is a watch complication?

The most standard definition can be simply summarized by any additional function the watch provides apart from the hours, minutes and seconds.

Now, you’d be surprised how many different variations of complications have been developed by watchmakers over the years. Some are more practical than others, some are harder to find than others and some are ridiculously more expensive than others.