Six Watches with Unique Power Reserve Displays

There’s a certain tyre manufacturer from Italy that claims “Power is nothing without Control”, and to an extent, that is very true about mechanical watches as well. Sure, you can have the most beautifully constructed watch, but if you don’t harness the energy that’s generated by winding it properly, it’s useless. Luckily, we’ve figured out how to regulate that a long time ago and in some watches, you get a very practical display to keep track of things. This so-called Power Reserve display (or indicator) can take many shapes and forms, some more intuitive than others, but it’s always a very useful element, especially in manually wound watches. For that simple reason, we’re taking a closer look at some of the most original, clever and impressive ways to display power.

Longines Conquest Heritage Power Reserve

Longines has one of the most impressive archives in the business, and it’s a regular source of inspiration for the brand. This Conquest Heritage Power Reserve is a ‘revival’ watch based on the 1959 original. It comes with two discs in the centre of the dial to display the running time. When the watch is wound, the outer disc rotates clockwise to align the black marker on the inner disc up to its maximum power reserve of 64 hours. When running, the inner disc rotates to show the depletion of the power in the barrel over time. Original and quite clever, it retails for CHF 3,560.

For more information, please visit Longines.com.

Quick Facts – 38mm diameter – steel case, brushed & polished – box-shaped sapphire crystal, sapphire crystal caseback – 50m water-resistance – champagne, anthracite or black dial – applied indices – skyscraper hands – central power reserve indicator – calibre L896.5, proprietary automatic – 25,200vph – 72h power reserve – black or grey leather strap with pin buckle – CHF 3,560

Kallinich Claeys Einser Zentralsekunde

We turn to Glashütte, Germany, for the next unique take on the practical power reserve display. The two young men behind Kallinich Claeys have made a big impression with their Einser Zentralsekunde, which cleverly puts the power reserve indicator in the caseband. A special 9-part differential ensures smooth winding and a gradual linear representation of the state of power. The finishing is beyond impressive, and it’s no surprise all current build slots are spoken for. Nevertheless, the Einser Zentralsekunde costs EUR 24,950 before taxes.

For more information, please visit KallinichClaeys.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 11mm – stainless steel case, polished – stepped lugs – sapphire crystal front & back – sapphire crystal in caseband – 30m water-resistant – grey and blue guilloché dial – applied circle with tremblage & KC plaque – calibre KC001.1, in-house – manual winding – German Silver plates & bridges – 18,000vph – 45h power reserve – Haute Horlogerie finishing – dark brown alligator strap with pin buckle – limited to 30 pieces (8 Founders Editions & 22 regular editions) – EUR 24,950

Moritz Grossmann Power Reserve Vintage

Also coming from the East German epicentre for watchmaking is the lovely Moritz Grossmann Power Reserve Vintage. With such a name, you expect something special, and it sure delivers. The dial and all its details are stunning as a whole, yet the eye is subtly caught by the horizontal slot in the upper half. The more colour you see here, the emptier the barrel is, hinting at when winding is needed. Everything is done in the typical style of Moritz Grossmann, so very good! Worn on an alligator leather strap, the Power Reserve Vintage retails for EUR 47,800.

For more information, please visit Grossmann-Uhren.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 11.65mm – white gold case, polished – sapphire crystal front & back – unique Grossmann winder & pusher system – argenté silver-white dial – elongated Roman numerals – hand-annealed blued steel hands – linear power reserve display – calibre 100.2, in-house – manual winding – German Silver plates & bridges – 18,000vph – 42h power reserve – alligator leather strap – EUR 47,800

Hublot Big Bang MP-11

Leave it to Hublot to come up with an incredibly graphic yet intuitive display for the power reserve of the Big Bang MP-11. The transparent water blue sapphire case exposes everything that’s going on inside, which includes the seven serially coupled barrels. Stacked vertically, the unique construction results in a striking in-line rolling power reserve display for the two-week-long running time. The force is regulated through a special transmission system to ensure the torque doesn’t brake the movement. Limited to 50 pieces, it has a price of EUR 178,000.

For more information, please visit Hublot.com.

Quick Facts – 45mm x 14.4mm – water blue sapphire case & bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – openworked dial – rolling power reserve display – calibre HUB9011, in-house – manual winding – 270 parts – 28,800vph – 14-day power reserve – 7 series-coupled barrels – integrated transparent blue structured rubber strap – titanium deployant buckle – 50-piece limited edition – EUR 178,000

De bethune DB28XP Steel Wheels Tourbillon

Looking at the face of the De Bethune DB28XP Steel Wheels Tourbillon is already mesmerizing enough, but to check the remaining energy stored in the barrels, you have to turn it over. A curved arm with a blue triangular tip traverses a segmented scale to indicate its power reserve status. Winding is done through the crown at noon, which, in theory, is needed only once every 5 days to keep it running. The movement itself is regulated by a 30-second tourbillon and set in a polished grade 5 titanium case. The price for the 10-piece L.E. is USD 210,000.

For more information, please visit DeBethune.ch.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 9.1mm – polished grade 5 titanium case – floating lugs – crown at noon – sapphire crystal front & back – mirror-polished titanium base dial – blued titanium elements – polished titanium hands – calibre DB2009V6, in-house – manual winding – 275 parts – 36,600vph – 5-day power reserve – 30-sec tourbillon with blued titanium balance wheel – alligator leather strap with pin buckle – 10-piece limited edition – USD 210,000

Haute-Rive Honoris

Have you ever imagined what you could do in one thousand hours? Well, one thing’s for sure: you would only have to wind the Haute-Rive Honoris once! A 3m long mainspring is sandwiched between the backplate and the movement, which is set in an 18k gold case. The bezel is used to wind the movement, and around the back, a large spoked wheel connects the centre gear to the power reserve display. The very lengthy running time equates to about 41 days, which is staggering! Prices start at CHF 148,000 and it comes in several different iterations.

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