Five Exceptional Watches with Super-Lengthy Power Reserves

Whether you like watches with manual or automatic wound movements, one of the key attributes of a mechanical watch is its power reserve. We regularly see comments on the power reserve of a movement being too short, as most watches hover around the 38 to 50-hour mark. Movements like the Powermatic 80 sort that for most people, thanks to its reduced frequency and improved mainspring and barrel providing 80 hours of running time. But what if you want something with a bit more autonomy, like a couple of weeks, a month or longer, for instance? Well, you’re in luck, as there are plenty of complex and admittedly rather pricey watches around that do just that! With that in mind, today’s Buying Guide focuses on watches with a power reserve of 31 days and up.

A. Lange & Söhne lange 31 – 31 days

The Lange 31 by A. Lange & Söhne starts us off with a month-long power reserve. This exceptional piece was introduced in 2017 and is still part of the collection (albeit as a very limited boutique edition of 100 pieces). Based on the iconic Lange 1, the Lange 31 uses a single barrel with two very strong springs inside. At a combined length of 370cm, it provides a running time of 744 hours in total, which equates to 31 days. You’re given a special tool to wind the watch through the caseback, as the strength of the springs makes it impossible to use the crown. The barrel can be seen poking out from underneath the German silver three-quarter bridge. The price for this exercise in miniature engineering is upon request.

For more information, please visit ALange-Soehne.com.

Quick Facts – 45.9mm x 15.9mm – 18k white gold case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – solid gold dial with grey finish – polished hands & indices – 30m water-resistant – calibre L034.1, manually wound with special tool – in-house – 21,600vph – constant force mechanism – 744h (31 days) power reserve – hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve, outsize date – chocolate brown alligator leather strap – boutique exclusive limited edition – price upon request

Haute-Rive Honoris – 41 days

The Haute-Rive Honoris, presented during Geneva Watch Days 2023, is what drove us to this topic. The Honoris, developed by veteran watchmaker Stéphane von Gunten, uses an extremely long mainspring that covers almost the entire backside of the movement. At 3m in length, about ten times longer than a standard mainspring (25-30cm), it can store up to 1,000 hours or roughly 41 days of power. Winding is done by turning the knurled bezel, and on the back, there’s a practical power reserve indicator. But that’s not all, as it also has a tourbillon escapement, movement function selector, and a champlevé grand feu enamel dial. Only 10 pieces are made per year at a price of CHF 148,000.

For more information, please visit Haute-Rive.com.

Quick Facts – 42.5mm x 11.95mm – yellow or white gold case – fluted rotating (winding) bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – champlevé grand feu enamel dial, white or black – gold or blued steel hands – calibre HR01, proprietary – manual winding – 2.5Hz frequency – 288 parts – 3m long mainspring for 1,000 hours power reserve – tourbillon escapement – function selector – 360° power reserve indicator (backside) – leather strap with gold pin buckle – limited to 10 pieces per year – CHF 148,000

Hublot MP05 LaFerrari – 50 days

Back in 2013, and thanks to its then partnership with Ferrari, Hublot introduced the complex MP-05 LaFerrari watch with an almighty 50-day power reserve. The shaped case, made of titanium and carbon fibre, housed the calibre HUB9005, which set an industry record of 1,200 hours of running time thanks to eleven stacked barrels in the centre. The movement also comes with a vertically mounted tourbillon escapement and can be wound with the provided power tool you can see below. Vertical rollers on either side of the barrels indicate the time and the power reserve. This limited edition of 50 pieces is no longer part of the collection but can’t be ignored. Back when it was launched, it had a price of approximately CHF 300,000.

For more information, please visit Hublot.com.

Quick Facts – 51.1mm x 59.6mm x 19.9mm – black PVD-coated titanium case – sapphire crystal front & back – winding crown at noon – 30m water-resistant – hours and minutes on black & red vertical rollers – calibre HUB9005, manually wound with special tool – 637 components – 11 barrels for 1,200 hours of power reserve – 21,600vph – vertically mounted tourbillon escapement – power reserve on vertical cylinders – integrated black rubber strap – limited to 50 pieces, no longer available – approx. CHF 300,000 (when launched)

Rebellion T2M zenvo – 58 days

In collaboration with Zenvo, a Danish manufacturer of extreme hypercars, Rebellion offers the T2M. Based on the same principle as the T1000, the T2M has a power reserve of 1,400 hours or 5 days. The rose gold case is fitted with a large integrated crank that hinges on the bottom section. Cranking this will wind the 8 vertically mounted barrels at once through a system of gears. Time is indicated on two vertical rollers in the centre, with an inclined balance wheel regulating everything at 6′. This watch was presented in 2019 and is limited to 10 pieces only, costing CHF 181,500 before taxes.

For more information, please visit Rebellion-Timepieces.com.

Quick Facts – 58.75mm x 53.10mm x 22.32mm – rose gold case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – 10m water-resistance – hours and minutes in vertical rollers – REB T2M, proprietary manually wound movement – 420 components – inclined balance wheel – 28,800vph – 8 barrels for 1,400 hours of power reserve (58 days) – black ostrich leather strap with rose gold folding buckle – limited to 10 pieces – CHF 181,500 (before taxes)

Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Twin beat Perpetual Calendar – 65 days

The Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar rounds off the list of extended power reserve watches but does it in a very different way. It incorporates a standby mode, which basically stretches the power reserve to about two months. It uses two separate gear trains with two escapements running at different frequencies, connected to one very large barrel. The pusher lets you switch between the high (5Hz, 36,000vph) and low-frequency (1.2Hz, 8.640vph) gear train, which affects the speed of the unwinding of the mainspring. A differential translates the correct speed to the hands. This means the watch will keep the correct time and indications, which is, of course, essential in a QP watch! The price is upon request.

For more information, please visit Vacheron-Constantin.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 12.3mm – platinum case, polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistance – semi-openworked dial construction with slate coloured guilloché decorated top half – indications for hours, minutes, perpetual calendar, power reserve and frequency mode – calibre 3610 QP, manually wound – 5Hz (36,000vph) or 1.2Hz (8,640vph) – 480 components – Hallmark of Geneva – grey alligator leather strap with platinum pin buckle – very limited annual production – EUR 520,000 (when launched in 2019, now on request)