"Is that a moon-phase??/p>
After the sold-out New York City premiere of David Armstrong's documentary The Watchmaker's Apprentice, a group of watch enthusiasts gathered at Distilled in TriBeCa. A fellow collector grabbed my wrist. She turned it around to look at the dial of my watch.
"I thought you were wearing a moon-phase,?she said.
I was not. It was a 1949 Bulova Walton, with a small seconds subsidiary dial at 6 o'clock, easily mistaken for a moon-phase in the low light of the bar. But her assumption that it was a moon-phase only proves how familiar ladies' complicated replica watches are becoming.
We're in the age of the smartwatch. Yet complex mechanical replica watches still hold an enduring allure, as evinced by the gathering of enthusiasts at the premiere. Additionally, this marks a golden age of complicated tag heuer replica for women, as watch companies recognize the changing needs and tastes of their female clientele.
Despite their increasing popularity in the past ten years, the history of ladies' complicated replica watches is much older. In 1916 Patek Philippe broke new ground by introducing a ladies Five Minute Repeater. Gallet introduced the MultiChron Petite in 1936, the first ladies' watch to feature a chronograph. Indeed, Gallet developed the MultiChron Petite in response to demands by enlisted women and nurses in the French armed forces, who required a chronograph to do their jobs but bristled at having to wear bulky men's watches.
However, the trend lapsed over the years, and complications in women's replica watches were all but unheard of until their resurgence in the past decade. Currently, Patek Philippe is at the forefront of the development of complicated replica watches for ladies. The brand introduced a lady's version of all of their complicated replica watches in 2011, including the Ladies First Minute Repeater (ref. 7000). Belied by the size of the dainty 33.7 mm case in rose gold, the watch is powered by an automatic-winding caliber R 27 PS movement with a forty-eight hour power reserve. Additionally, out of all of their ladies' complicated replica watches on offer, the ref. 7000 lacks diamonds on the case, perhaps a nod to the recent preference for functionality over adornment in ladies' watches.
© Patek Philippe
But why are there still so few ladies' complicated watches? Short answer: size matters. At so small a scale, some specifications must be compromised, like accuracy and power reserve. Parts must be exceptionally small to fit in the miniscule cases of ladies' watches. This makes them more susceptible to the shocks and stress that accompany daily wear, causing them to falter more often.
Also, there's the fact that a smaller barrel will have a shorter power reserve. To compensate ?that is, to achieve a power reserve similar to that of a man's watch ?the barrel in a ladies' watch must be larger, otherwise the power reserve of a ladies' watch would last less than a day. Therefore, with a larger barrel, the rest of the movement must be made smaller, thus decreasing precision overall. Even with a longer mainspring giving much-needed power to the movement, it's still not enough to counteract the hindrance it puts on the rest of the watch. To put it plainly: in terms of accuracy and precision, ladies' replica watches of today perform like men's replica watches of twenty years ago.
However, advances in modern manufacturing have narrowed the gap between performance and aesthetics. Many brands have introduced silicon into their movements, primarily in escapements and hairsprings. Silicon is antimagnetic, extremely precise, and easy to manufacture. Escapements benefit from the precise manufacturing and anti-magnetic properties of silicon, reducing errors and issues previously seen in traditionally-manufactured escapements. Hairsprings primarily benefit from silicon's shock-resistance, although its anti-magnetic properties do help a great deal as well.
© Breguet
So, with the anti-magnetism and shock resistance, the watch is able to perform better under extreme stress. With these innovations, ladies' replica watches are now able to achieve performance similar to that of men's replica watches that use traditional manufacturing methods. One example of this integration of modern manufacturing innovations is the Breguet Reine de Naples Jour/Nuit (ref. 8999BB/8D/874/D00D). The case, a fine specimen of haute joaillerie, boasts 73 brilliant-cut diamonds on the flange and 147 brilliant-cut diamonds on the dial. A beautiful piece, to be sure, but thanks in part to the silicon balance spring ?which allows the watch to maintain consistent timing after being subjected to shocks and magnetism ?this watch can more easily achieve a power reserve of 57 hours.
© Breguet
The Richard Mille Tourbillon Fleur (RM 19-02), encrusted with diamonds, nevertheless incorporates a base plate and bridges in grade 5 titanium. Titanium ?rigid and resistant to corrosion ?makes an ideal choice of material for these parts, as does the Nivarox balance spring. The flying tourbillon, assembled without an upper bridge, offers increased visibility of the tourbillon itself.
One can only hope that these advances in manufacturing will allow for an even greater popularity of ladies' complicated replica watches ?because, clearly, an appreciation for fine horology is for both sexes.
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