Quite recently - maybe just a couple of years ago - it seemed that wristwatches were irretrievably a thing of the past. In fact, literally every person has a mobile phone, on the screen of which the exact time is always visible - especially since this phone, as a rule, is connected to the Internet. And there are (and are becoming more and more popular) also wristwatches, but not watches, but multifunctional gadgets paired with the same phones or operating autonomously, but in any case showing a lot of all kinds of information, including, again, the exact time. And classic watches, even mechanical, even quartz, become a relic, in demand only by a narrow group of lovers ...
It might seem so. Fortunately, it didn't materialize. And numerous reviews of the wristwatch market (they are not difficult to find on specialized and not only specialized resources) speak of a new growth of mass interest in wristwatches; and simple everyday observations - even in the subway, where there is a watch on the wrist of every second passenger.
And here I must say that a wristwatch is not only a device for controlling time. Not only and even not so much! For some, they are decoration, part of the image. And someone is attracted by the unusual functions of the watch, even if they are not necessary in life - but it's so interesting!
Here are some watch models with not the most common functions and let's talk here. We note once again: we will talk about watches, and not about “computers on the wrist” - this is certainly a good thing, but about them some other time ...
Options for non-standard functions of watches are quite numerous. From this abundance, we have selected seven models for you.
Phases of the Moon in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres – Cuervo y Sobrinos Doble Luna
In general, knowing what phase the Moon is in now, to put it mildly, is not necessary in the everyday life of an ordinary person. And the knowledge of what phase it is in in the sky of the other hemisphere is completely unnecessary. However, it is curious, this time. And two: the indication of the phases of the moon is not in vain referred to as the most romantic watch complications. And when the indication is also for both hemispheres, both of them naturally double!
It should be said that the model we have chosen is good in everything, as, in fact, all models of a wonderful brand that was born in Cuba, and now is fully Swiss. The watch is powered by an automatic movement CYS 6331 (basic - ETA 2892-A2 with Dubois-Depraz 9000 module), is dressed in a 40 mm steel case, and on an elegant dial with a blue Clous de Paris decor shows the current time (three central hands), date (also the central arrow), the day of the week and the month (the apertures inside a wide arc of white) and, finally, the phases of the moon that attracted us so much - a double indicator at the bottom of this arc.
It is worth mentioning that the phases themselves are the same: for example, in Moscow the Moon is growing and in Rio de Janeiro it is also growing. But the fact is that in Moscow (and in the Northern Hemisphere in general) the horns of the month in this phase are directed from right to left, and in Rio (and everywhere in the Southern Hemisphere) - on the contrary, from left to right. This is displayed in this watch. And more than skillfully!
Add a sapphire crystal, a Louisiana alligator leather strap and other details - we have, without a doubt, a luxury product.
Yachting: tactical planning, sail points – Delma Oceanmaster Automatic
The respected Swiss watch brand Delma has been associated with the maritime theme for more than half a century. It produces models for diving and yachting, and is the title sponsor of prestigious regattas. Here is this three-hander with a date, on the automatic caliber Sellita SW200, in a steel 44 mm pillow case and on a steel bracelet - a full-fledged diver, and what a: water resistance reaches 500 m! However, the rotating (as it should be) black anodized aluminum bezel is marked with a compass scale, and on the dial, also black, there are markings that are not at all related to underwater affairs. This markup refers to sailing.
So, a horizontal line with "+" and "-" signs, respectively, above and below the line, and markers at positions "1.30", "4.30", "6", "7.30" and "10.30", red and blue, all this called with beautiful words: tactical planning functions and sail points. The first ones are needed so that you, if you have a yacht, can determine in which direction it is better to start in the regatta. The second is how to tack and how to set sails for this. We will not go into details here; to get a general idea of what and how, you can, including in our blog, you just have to search ...
In it, you can also find out that with the help of such clocks and public tide tables, it is easy to predict the arrival of "high water", as well as "low", on the coast that interests you.
There are also quartz and chronograph versions.
Jumping Hour - Perrelet Jumping Hour
The Swiss watch company Perrelet is very, very respectable. Its founder, Abraham-Louis Perrelet, is not only a full namesake, but also a friend and comrade of the illustrious Breguet. And both are more than successful masters.
At the time when they worked, separate indication of the hour and minute was quite popular: the minute hand is located in the upper part of the dial, the hour hand is in the lower part ... or vice versa ... There could also be a second hand - the central one. This arrangement is referred to in watchmaking by the term "regulator".
Today, two hundred years later, regulators are also produced, but very rarely. And the model we are talking about can be called a super regulator, since the hour value is displayed here in numbers in the window, and switching to the next hour occurs instantly. Hence the name - Jumping Hour, that is, "jumping hour".
Note: for a conservative person who is accustomed exclusively to arrows, some difficulty may arise. So, in the photo, the clock shows 10:07, and the transition to seven minutes of ELEVEN requires additional work of the brain, because there are no eleven on the dial - unlike the analog version, in which they are. But this, of course, is mere trifles: it’s easier to get used to it, and there are few such retrogrades already - the figure has conquered the world ... And, in the end, a little effort of thought is even useful.
At the top of the black dial is the minute hand, at the bottom is the second hand. The watch is powered by the in-house automatic caliber P-191, the case is steel, 40 mm in diameter, and the strap is made of alligator leather.
Telemetry - Aviator Air Cobra P45 Chrono
In watchmaking, the terminology is sometimes very specific. We just saw this with the example of the "regulator". Now let's look at "telemetry".
In the generally accepted sense, this is the collection of data in remote locations, transferring them there, remote control. In watches, the telemetry function is just a measurement of the distance to any event that is fixed by sight. This function is based on the fact that the speed of sound in air is very small compared to the speed of light - about a million times less. This allows us to detect, for example, the moment of a flash (lightning, explosion) - it is recorded by our eyes almost instantly, and then - the moment when the sound accompanying this flash reaches our ears.
The telemetric scale, like the tachymetric one, is applied to the bezel of the watch or to the periphery of the dial and is graduated in kilometers (rarely in miles). This function works most effectively in chronographs: with a flash, press "Start", with a sound, press "Stop", read the distance to the event by the arrow.
This is the model we have chosen, powered by a Ronda 5040.D quartz movement and housed in a 45mm PVD-coated steel case. Note the bracelet made of the same material and the perfect readability of the dial, made in the "pilot" style: contrast, large Arabic numerals, massive luminescent hands. Concentric to the telemetric scale is the more common tachymetric scale, for measuring speed.
It should be borne in mind that when estimating distances, an error is possible: after all, the telemetric scale is marked according to the speed of sound, which depends on air temperature. The standard value, at +15°C, is 340 m/s, while at -50°C it will be only 300 m/s; the error will exceed 10% ... However, at -50 there are no thunderstorms, and we are not seriously talking about high-precision measurement of distances, right? Where it came from is determined by completely different technical means ...
Heart Rate Monitor - Zeppelin LZ126 Los Angeles
Unlike the previous one, the function is purely peaceful in nature, it serves to measure the heart rate. The pulsometric scale allows you not to count these contractions for a whole minute. The principle of measurement here is the same as that of a tachymeter (of which it is, in fact, a version): you start a stopwatch and record a certain number of heartbeats - in this German model, this is 30 contractions, which is indicated on the scale itself. Then stop the stopwatch hand; She will show you on the heart rate scale per minute.
Of course, modern even extremely inexpensive gadgets will easily and accurately determine not only the pulse, but also the pressure, and even take a cardiogram, but here it’s also entertainment, so why not? And the quartz "engine" Ronda 6203.B supplies energy not only to three hands and a date indicator (the so-called "big", which is typical for the German watch industry), but also to the second time zone subdial.
Steel case, 42 mm, hardened mineral glass, leather strap.
Four time zones, four movements - Diesel Mr. Daddy 2.0
Once upon a time, the Italian company started with jeans, soon became diversified and is now known in the watch world as a manufacturer of brutal models. The brand is sometimes credited with the championship in the category of "the largest wrist watch in the world", declaring as such, the Grand Daddy model (66 mm in diameter). Others refute this, calling the products of other companies "champions", but, be that as it may, the model that we describe here is simply huge - 57 mm. On a truly heroic wrist!
The main "chip", in accordance with our topic, is different, namely the functionality. Few people equip watches with as many as four mechanisms. Or maybe no one at all - except Diesel.
The mechanisms are quartz, one of them is a full-fledged chronograph, another one is a three-hander, the remaining two are simpler, they rotate disks with hour-minute markings. Naturally, each module corresponds to its own time zone. How relevant this is - judge for yourself, but what is cool - one can hardly argue.
IP-coated steel, multi-colour, signature slogan "Only The Brave" (George Kosinski's famous blockbuster).
The color of time - Ziiiro Orbit Gray Magenta
We conclude the review with the exact opposite of “four-engine” “diesels” - in the proposed Chinese model there is only one mechanism (quartz Miyota 1L-26), and functionally the little thing cannot be simpler: just hours and minutes.
But sometimes it’s not “what”, but “how” that is more important. And in this case it is very true. Time is represented by two planets moving in the same orbit: the red disk indicates hours, the white circle indicates minutes. The color play is literally mesmerizing; perhaps, it has the character traits of the ancient refined and mysterious culture of the East ...
An excellent toy made of steel with a partial PVD coating (diameter 41 mm) and silicone (bracelet)!
