PRESTIGE
dian consequently runs. When traveling eastward, the clocks must be set forward, to the west on the other hand, they must be set back. Canada and the US were the first states to introduce this useful world-wide time system. Other countries followed to a greater or lesser extent. Wristwatches with a clever time zone presentation have been around since 1937. A distinction must be made though between models with a world time indicator and those that display only two or three time zones. The former with "heure universelle" usually map all 24 time zones simultaneously, represented by well-known cosmopolitain cities. Frequent flyers, however, prefer models that use two hour hands. The hand responsible for the respective local time should, as far as possible, The one responsible for the respective local time should, as far as possible, adjust itself independently of the minute hand in one-hour increments. It does not matter if the operation is done with the help of a crown or that of pushers. A second hour hand moves around its axis in 24 hours. Ironically, on a trip to distant lands it preserves the respective home time. Primarily bankers and stockbrokers turn to designs with independently adjustable 24-hour hands. Rather the exception than the rule are wristwatches which are able to represent all 37 zone times, including those with half or quarter hour deviations.
backward positioned bearings. Thus, the front bridge was omitted. In the patented “Exo-Tourbillon” by Montblanc, the balance oscillates outside the cage. As a result, it can have a significantly larger diameter, which in turn benefits the accuracy rate. Finally, spherically designed and three-dimensional rotating tourbillons take into account the fact that wristwatches constantly occupy different positions. The effort involved is logically reflected in hefty prices. DO STAY WITH ME! CHRONOGRAPH The desire to be able to hold on to precious time for a while is as old as humanity itself. Chronographers make this desire at least seem to come true. A practical additional mechanism makes it possible to start, stop and reset the mostly centrally positioned chronograph hand using a push button. The basis of this design is a normal movement with an hour, minute and small second hand. Irrespective of the switching status of the stop function, it keeps running. A connection is established between the two modules by a wheel-, friction- or oscillating pin coupling. Stopped time intervals up to one minute can be read from the hand of the chronograph. Minute and (if applicable) hour counters register longer time periods. High-quality versions have a three-dimensional ratchet wheel for controlling the three functions. Simpler ones are satisfied with a flat cam. A cost-effective design does not minimize reliability. “Flyback” calibers allow a direct restart of the chronograph without a time-consuming intermediate stop. By the way, only in 1969 did watchmakers succeed in combining the chronograph with a self-winding function.
THE WRIST ALARM Undoubtedly, the alarm clock was the earliest additional function added to mechanical watches. Although often hated, one can hardly argue against its meaningfulness. The first mechanisms did their noisy job in stationary clocks and thus primarily at home. Otherwise, they rang out from church towers to the citizens of entire communities. Eventually, as of the 16th century mobile alarm clocks became available. Of course, they have very little in common with the current ones for the wrist. The origin of wrist alarms began in the late 1940s and the technology was anything but magic. As a rule, the designers supplemented a normal movement with an additional mechanism for sound, which had its own energy storage. To generate the alarm signal, a small hammer hit a sounding body which could be a bell, a double caseback, the case edge or a chime. In order for the alarm clock to come into action at the desired time, an adjustment device was needed. Of course, at any given time it must also switch off. And with some models, a special indication on the dial signals the respective switching status of the alarm transmitter.
CHRONOGRAPHIC COMPARATIVE The enhanced version, compared to the normal chronograph, is called the “Rattrapante” (Fly-back hand). The complex split- second mechanism allows for additional applications. Simultaneously, two or more processes can be stopped, provided that they start at the same time and have different durations. In addition, it is possible to determine the intermediate times, which is important in races. For this purpose, you can stop the fly-back hand any time while the actual chronograph continues. After reading, the two hands are again synchronized by a simple push of the button. The split-second mechanism calls for a sophisticated clamp mechanism. Watchmakers mount these either over the chronograph on the back or – as in the early years – directly under the dial.
THE ACOUSTIC DIMENSION OF TIME Ironically, one of the most complex additional functions makes little sense. Only after the activation of any kind of triggering mechanism does a repeater watch amaze the audience on a regular basis. Depending on their design, they announce the current time acoustically, in a more or less accurate way. A distinction is made between watches with a quarter-hour, eighth-hour (7½ minutes), 5-minute or minute striking mechanism. The latter lets
TIME FOR THE WORLD In 1884, according to an international agreement during the first meridian conference in Washington DC, time shifts by one full hour every 15 degrees of latitude, analogous to the movement of Mother Earth around the sun. The starting point is the observatory in Greenwich, through which the zero meri-
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