Beyond Telling Time, The Important Additional Hands on a Mechanical Watch

For those of us over 20 years old who can read an analogue watch (you might be shocked at how many Generation Alpha kids can’t), we all know what the central hour, minute and seconds hands do. A small seconds sub-dial won’t trip us up, either. Different complications bring different hands, however, and some can get a bit complicated (pun intended). Beyond just telling time, additional watch hands can time events, show additional time zones, relay calendar information, display the remaining power in your movement, and so on. Vacheron Constantin’s Berkley Grand Complication, the most complicated watch ever produced (revealed in 2024), has 31 individual hands with a total of 63 complications. So yes, it can get complicated. And in horology, complicated isn’t a bad thing.

To be clear, this new instalment of The ABCs of Time won’t be about watch hand styles (Mercedes, Snowflake, Breguet, Baton, Cathedral, etc.), but rather watch hand functionality, regardless of style. To keep things organised, we’ll talk about what I consider the five different and main watch types and their corresponding extra hands, and not just throw out a bunch of additional hands haphazardly. There will also be a little history behind them, so you’ll understand when and how each one came to be. And keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list, but a nice overview of common hands beyond the time. With that out of the way, let’s start with one of the most common and desirable “extra hand” watches.

Chronographs

Chronographs are stopwatches that can (traditionally) time events up to 12 hours, although up to 30 minutes is also common for general use. There are many types of chronographs with varying amounts of counting sub-dials, and even one with twin central timing hands known as a rattrapante or split-second chronograph. We’ll cover three of the most common types and each additional hand (with an unusual 4^th type that’s an interesting spin on the traditional concept).

Timing and crediting the invention of the chronograph complication is rather complex. As often in ancient watchmaking, things are not black and white, and what we know today as the chronograph or stopwatch is the result of several steps, trials and evolutions. It is often said that the modern chronograph was invented in 1816 by French horologist Louis Moinet with the Compteur de Tierces. It was another French watchmaker in 1821, Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec, who created the first commercially available chronograph to time horse races (a specific request from King Louis XVIII). Almost a century later, in 1915, Swiss watchmaker Gaston Breitling made the first contemporary chronograph with a central seconds hand and 30-minute counter. His son, Willy Breitling (grandson of Breitling’s founder), designed the familiar pusher format at 2 and 4 o’clock that remains an industry standard today.

The Bi-Compax or Two-Register Chronograph

A simple bi-compax chronograph has two sub-dials – one for general small seconds and one counter that’s usually for 30 minutes. It’s not called a bi-compax dial for the two sub-dials (although many label it that way), but for the two stopwatch elements – a central chronograph seconds hand and the sub-dial counter. The chronograph seconds hand is started and stopped by a pusher at 2 o’clock, while a pusher at 4 o’clock resets it back to the 12 o’clock position (we won’t cover monopushers, etc. here). Seconds can be precisely measured for an event, along with accumulating minutes via the additional sub-dial hand within the 30-minute counter. If this was a flyback chronograph, the 4 o’clock pusher could reset and restart the timing functions without having to first stop everything with the 2 o’clock pusher, reset with the 4 o’clock pusher and then restart again with the 2 o’clock pusher. Of course, you could still do that if desired on a flyback chronograph.

Most standard chronographs can time to 1/8^th of a second (due to the common 4Hz frequency of modern movements), but some can go to 1/100^th or even 1/1000^th of a second. 1/8^th or 1/10^th of a second is usually adequate for timing races and other events, and more precise timing can sacrifice the power reserve and limit the total amount of time recorded without rewinding the mainspring. For example, TAG Heuer’s Mikrogirder was a prototype that could time to 1/2000^th of a second (listed as 5/10,000^th of a second) by separating the stopwatch and time regulating elements into separate systems, but that achievement resulted in only four minutes of power reserve for the stopwatch.

The Tri-Compax or Three-Register Chronograph

This type has three sub-dials on the dial, but again is named for the three timing elements, not three sub-dials. In addition to the central chronograph seconds hand and 30-minute counter, there’s traditionally a 12-hour counter within a third sub-dial if a lengthy event needs to be timed. So, the three sub-dials would have a 30-minute counter, a 12-hour counter and a small seconds for general time. Some triathlons can last 12 hours (or more), while endurance car races like the 12 Hours of Sebring can warrant a lengthy chronograph timing as well. Perhaps you just want to smoke ribs for 6 or 7 hours and need to keep track. Of course, a standard three-hand watch can be used to track elapsed time with the central seconds, minutes and hours, but if precision is needed, particularly with seconds, a chronograph remains the gold standard for an analogue watch.

The Rattrapante or Split-Second Chronograph

This type of chronograph has two central chronograph seconds hands, so multiple actions can be timed simultaneously. For example, if you’re timing a track event with laps, you can stop the first seconds hand at lap one, while the additional seconds hand continues to time the event. Once the first lap time is recorded, that stopped hand can be released to again sync with the second central seconds hand (tongue twister), which can be stopped again at lap two and so on. This allows laps and the overall race to be timed together. Here’s how it all works. Both seconds hands run together (overlapped) when you press the main pusher. A second pusher will stop one of the hands (the dedicated rattrapante hand), recording a specific action within an event (like a lap) while the other hand continues uninterrupted. Press that second pusher again and the stopped rattrapante hand will quickly sync back up with the running hand, and can be stopped to time another lap or action while the overall event continues to be timed. Two stop watches on one dial.

The split-second function was officially developed in 1844 by Swiss watchmaker Adolphe Nicole, and he received a patent, but others had worked on the complication before this. For example, Austrian watchmaker Joseph Thaddäus Winnerl produced a functioning split-second mechanism in a pocket watch in 1831. The complication truly went mainstream in 1923 when Patek Philippe produced the first commercially available split-second chronograph wristwatch, and to a very high standard.

The Unusual Chronograph

Although uncommon, another chronograph type does away with sub-dials altogether and combines the familiar central chrono seconds hand with an additional central minute counter (the latter resembles a GMT hand). It works similarly to a standard bi-compax chronograph setup with pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock, but the central minute counting hand replaces the 30-minute sub-dial. This can track 60 minutes for additional length, and brands like Sinn and Damasko offer this type of simple yet effective Chronograph.

GMT Watches

A standard GMT watch has a fourth central hand (assuming there are central hour, minute and seconds hands) that can track a second time zone via a 24-hour outer ring, which is usually a 24-hour bezel. One of the best known is Rolex’s GMT Master II with a triangular tip on the GMT hand and a rotating 24-hour bezel. By lining up the GMT hand with a second time on the bezel, two time zones can be tracked (local time on the dial and second time via the GMT hand and bezel, or vice versa if you wish). There are two types of GMT watches. First is a traveller’s or true GMT can move the central hour hand independently of all other hands to quickly change your local time at a new destination, while the GMT hand displays the time at home.

A caller or office GMT sets the GMT hand independently for a second time zone, which is a bit less useful for travellers, as it’s best for someone at home tracking another time zone. For example, if you work in Los Angeles (in the “office”) and need to know the time in London or Switzerland for clients, the GMT hand will track that for you at a glance. Either type can be used for travelling or the office, but each excels at one or the other. With a rotating bezel like on the GMT Master II, a third time zone can be tracked, but only two at a glance at a time unless a second 24-hour ring is printed on the perimeter of the dial. That said, it’s most practical to use two time zones at a time for a GMT watch.

Dual time zone watches were around in the 1800s (many simply with two separate time dials on the main dial), but it wasn’t until commercial jet travel became mainstream that GMT watches really materialised. Going back to the Rolex GMT Master, it was one of the first widespread GMT models that launched in 1954 for Pan-American airline pilots who frequently travelled through time zones. Prior to this in 1953, Glycine’s Airman became popular with military pilots, although it wasn’t a proper GMT watch. It had a 24-hour dial with the hour hand making just one rotation per day instead of two. The rotating 24-hour bezel allowed a second time zone to be tracked. And way before all of these watches, in 1925, Longines introduced the Zulu Time, which already featured an additional hour hand and a 24h scale on its dial, and was thus one of the earliest known wristwatches with a dual time indication.

Pointer Date Watches

An alternative for the traditional date window on a dial is the pointer date, which uses a dedicated hand to point to the date (usually) printed at the perimeter of the dial. It was first introduced on a wristwatch in 1915 by A. Hammerly (who received a patent for the design), which was the same year Movado brought the first wristwatch date window. The pointer date became popular in the 1930s and 1940s and was often combined with additional calendar complications, although the date window dominated as the more popular feature, particularly after the Rolex Datejust debuted in 1945.

The best-known brand for pointer dates today is Oris, which first embraced the complication in 1938. The Oris Big Crown Pointer Date remains one of the brand’s signature collections and now includes in-house calibres like the 403 automatic and hand-wound 473. The pointer hand itself could be mistaken for a GMT counterpart at first glance, as it usually has a triangular tip with a distinctive colour. Visually, the concept is very simple, with the hand pointing to one of 31 numbers printed on the dial’s perimeter.

A rare variant of the pointer date is the sub-dial pointer date, which brings the dedicated hand into a sub-dial with 31 numerals printed on its perimeter. This is less popular as it’s more difficult to read at a glance in the crowded space. A good example of this is found on the Rolex Cellini Date, and you’ll also see it on many triple calendar dials.

Triple, Complete, Perpetual Calendars

A triple calendar watch includes the day of the week, month and date, and if it also includes a moonphase complication, it’s considered a complete calendar watch. These are traditionally expensive, particularly if it’s a perpetual calendar, but an excellent example of an affordable Swiss piece is the Longines Master Collection Chrono Moonphase, which combines much of what’s been talked about thus far in this article. There’s a chronograph with a central chrono seconds hand and 30-minute sub-dial hand, a 12-hour sub-dial hand (sharing the moonphase sub-dial), a central pointer date hand, a day/night indicator (which has a sub-dial hand surrounded by 24-hour time that’s synced with the central hour hand, so 10pm would show 22 on the sub-dial for night) and small seconds that share the 24-hour sub-dial. The day of the week and month are in dedicated windows, displayed via printed wheels under the dial. It’s a complicated piece for sure and really shows the use of additional hands beyond primary time, but it’s easy to navigate and relays a lot of information.

Another example is the Perpetual Calendar Manufacture from Frederique Constant, which strictly uses hands for all complications (no windows with printed wheels). Unlike the Longines piece, the pointer date is within a sub-dial, while the days of the week and months of the year have their own sub-dials and hands. However, a hand within the months sub-dial indicates leap years. As a perpetual calendar, no adjustments need to be made for 30 or 31 days of the month, February’s shorter month or leap years, assuming it’s always in a wound and running state.

The perpetual calendar, believe it or not, was invented way back in 1762 by English watchmaker Thomas Mudge. However, it wouldn’t be until 1925 that the first perpetual calendar wristwatch was introduced by Patek Philippe. Triple calendar pocket watches (and complete calendars) appeared in the second half of the 1800s, and pioneers of triple calendar wristwatches were Rolex and Vacheron Constantin in the early 20^th century.

Power Reserve Indicator

This last hand on the list is a simple one, as it acts as the gas gauge for a watch. The winding state of the mainspring is displayed via a hand along a scale that has full and empty indicators with varying information in between (like the number of days/hours left, percentage available and so on). Most power reserve indicators are on the dial, but some are on the back of the watch on the exposed movement.

Breguet introduced the first wristwatch power reserve indicator in 1933, but it was an unreleased prototype. However, clocks from Breguet from the late 1700s had power reserve indicators, along with early marine chronometers on ships (very accurate portable clocks for longitudinal positioning). It was Jaeger-LeCoultre that was first with a commercially available wristwatch in 1948.

The Digital Age

Mechanical complications with hands are, for the most part, obsolete today as an inexpensive digital Casio provides all of this information with exacting quartz accuracy to boot. Same with a smart watch, smartphone, tablet and maybe even your car’s dashboard display. Complicated mechanical watches are more than just the necessary tools of a bygone era, however, as they’re works of wrist-worn art, beating autonomously without electricity and computer chips. They still provide vital information at a glance (so they’re always useful) and represent extraordinary inventions and mechanical genius throughout the centuries. I’ll take those extra hands over an Apple Watch anytime, and I suspect many of you would do the same. So, to all of us watch geeks, we ride at dawn.