Complications decoded, from moon phase to minute repeater
Calendars, moon phases, chronographs, tourbillons and repeaters: what each watch complication actually does, and why collectors value them so highly.
Watches
Complications, etiquette and the long road from pocket to wrist.
A fine mechanical watch is a small machine that keeps going because people keep caring for it. Our watch pages explain complications in plain words, set out the etiquette of the dress watch and trace the history of the wristwatch from a queen’s bracelet to the modern collector’s piece.
Dress watch etiquette: the rules worth keeping
What makes a watch a dress watch, how to wear one with a suit or black tie, why white tie traditionally means no watch at all, and which old rules you can relax.
From the Queen of Naples to today: a short history of the wristwatch
The wristwatch began as a jewel for women, became a tool for soldiers and pilots and survived the quartz revolution to become today’s luxury object.
Try it yourself
Watch Style Finder
Five questions to the watch style that suits the way you live.
Continue the tour
More rubrics
- JewelleryTiaras, pearls and signet rings: the pieces that carry a family’s history.
- CoutureHaute couture, royal wedding dresses and the craft of bespoke tailoring.
- CollectiblesWatches, royal memorabilia and the paper trail that makes objects valuable.
- Luxury BrandsHeritage houses, royal warrants and the codes of quiet luxury.
- Royal FamiliesDynasties, coronations and the jewels that pass between generations.
- AuctionsHow sales work, record results and a calm checklist for bidders.
- ArtRoyal collections, attribution and how to start collecting.
- GemstonesThe 4Cs, the great coloured stones and the largest diamond ever found.
- AteliersGoldsmiths, hallmarks and the watchmaker’s bench.