It’s Complicated

Life’s complicated, but you know that already. It’s decisions, decisions, every single day, like whether to spend that extra 5 minutes in bed, or if that new diet’s right for you. It’s no irony then, that watch complications are just as complex. To begin with, a watch complication is any function on top of basic time telling on a timepiece.

Today, your good folks at H2 Hub present 3 popular watch complications in a handy guide that’ll have you well on your way to being a timepiece connoisseur. In no order or preference, these are the date, chronograph and moon phase – commonly seen, but not understood.

Date

The most basic complication, this refers to the date being displayed on the watch, with the more advanced Day-Date version also showing the day of the week. This must be adjusted by hand at the end of 30-day months and the month of February for consistent accuracy.

Nixon Jane A954510 Women's Watch

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Claude Bernard Classic Sub-second CB64005-37R-AIR Men's Watch

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Chronograph

The chronograph complication allows for manual time recording, or what we know as a stopwatch. Typically, it features accuracy from 1/100 of a second up to 12 hours and can be sub-divided into three distinctive types: simple chronograph, flyback chronograph, and rattrapante chronograph.

The flyback chronograph enables the quick restarting of the timer function while the chronograph is running, whereas the rattrapante chronograph goes a step further, with an additional split-second complication superimposed on the chronograph hand for simultaneous recording of multiple events.

Casio Edifice Chronograph EFR-546SG-1AVUDF Men's Watch

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Emporio Armani Chronograph AR1970 Men's Watch

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Moon Phase

Perhaps the most enchanting of all complications, is the exquisite moon phase. Coveted for its beauty and mechanical finesse, this complication tracks the current phase of the moon in the lunar cycle, by way of a rotating disk and intricate moon phase indicator.