If we think about it, though, back then, this activity probably didn’t even have a name, but that’s not to say that people were never interested in this sort of stuff. The Hodinkee article which “started it all” As the Instagram platform rapidly grew in its early days, so did Watch Spotting. The article in question talked about this Chef that the Hodinkee team had met in Zurich, and how they “spotted” him wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus in the kitchen and restaurant.Īlthough, as we said, this was the precursor to the phenomenon, the whole movement (as we know it today) didn’t really take off until 2012-2013: that’s when we started to see Instagram profiles popping up, dedicated to this activity and content. The activity of Watch Spotting, and, in fact, the first use of the term ( as far as we can see) dates back to a 2011 Hodinkee article.Īt the time, Hodinkee had only been around for 3 years, so, just when they were starting out. The aim of the article is to provide a little bit of context and understanding to those just making a start to their journey into the watch world, or to inform those who are yet to fully grasp the concept of Watch Spotting. Additionally, GMT watches have a rotating bezel that may be used to set to different timezones.In this article, we will explain the role of Watch Spotting: from its beginnings, to its development into the social media phenomenon it is today. In addition to the hour, minute, and second hands, the GMT watch has a fourth hand that rotates separately from the others, around the face once every 24 hours. GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time, and the key feature that differentiates this kind of watch is its extra hand. The original GMT Master was designed for British pilots in the 1950s, to remind them of time back home while they were busy with intercontinental transit. These kinds of watches essentially focus on different timezones, perfect for the frequent traveller. GMT & Multiple timezone watches Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II Given the mechanics that go into it, this complication is a true hallmark of luxury watchmaking. The difference between a Perpetual Calendar watch and an Annual Calendar watch is that the former takes into account years for the rest of eternity, including leap years, while the latter does a year at stretch, and needs to be set once a year. Sounds easy enough, but when you put it in the context of hand assembly, and mechanical / automatic watches, it’s a another level of difficult. These are essentially watches that display day, dates, and months. Patek Philippe Chronograph Annual Calendar
Because of its assembly, it significantly more expensive than quartz. The automatic watch is an offshoot of this variety – the only difference is that it doesn’t need to be manually wound, and the natural movement of the wearer provides the energy. The mainspring would slowly unwind and transfer energy needed for the functioning of the watch, and would need to be wound at regular intervals. This was essentially energy stored in the calibre’s mainspring.
This meant that instead of being battery-powered like in a quartz watch, they would use the energy created by the assembling of many tiny parts inside the watch. Automatic watchesīefore the quartz revolution of the 1970s took over, watches were purely mechanical in nature. If you’re looking to step into this world of watchmaking, you can start by understanding the most popular types of watches and what makes them so. Over the course of the past century, modern watchmaking has branched out to cater to a variety of watchmaking enthusiasts with a goal of suiting their lifestyles, needs, and tastes in design.
Mechanical watches represent one’s indulgences, character, passions, and of course, statements in style. But a high precision mechanical watch goes so much beyond that. To most, a timepiece is a simple instrument of interpreting time. So here’s a quick guide to understanding the most common types of watches we see today. The world of luxury watchmaking can be quite complex, we understand.