Fratello Talks: Contemplating Complications
Simply put, not all complications are created equal. In today’s episode of Fratello Talks, we discuss many of these horological elements adjacent to a watch’s most essential time-telling function. Nacho, Thomas, and Lex begin by defining terms before listing their favorite complications and ending up with some they don’t like so much. They also discuss the fact that some complications play more of an active role, such as a chronograph or GMT, whereas others are not as interactive, like a perpetual calendar or moonphase. Regardless, we encourage you to read up on all complications beyond those discussed today. The journey from their functional inception to their development and combination has resulted in some of the world’s most impressive watches. Speaking of complications, let’s see which watches the guys are wearing this week.
Wrist check
Straight off the block, Lex is complicating things with the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Worldtimer in Deep Black ceramic on his wrist. As is readily apparent at first glance, this is a complicated watch. It features both a humble date and a less common world-time complication.
Thomas, on the other hand, is enjoying the simple life with his time-only VPC Type 37HW. As far as watches go, this is just about as uncomplicated as it gets. But will the next chapter in the VPC book be a slightly more complicated one? Only time will tell if it will only tell time or not.
Having worn his Hamilton Khaki Field Auto to the office today (a watch with a respectable date complication), Nacho decided to complicate things. A quick look in the Fratello safe revealed a perfect watch for today’s podcast — the Nivada Grenchen Antarctic GMT. This vintage-styled travel watch is full of ’70s charm, and not only does it have a date complication, but it also offers a GMT hand and an internal rotating 24-hour bezel. You can read all about this multifunctional timepiece here.
Fratello Talks: Contemplating Complications
Nowadays, we all have a smartphone in our pocket that can do just about anything. But these almost dangerously convenient devices haven’t always been around, and some of the tasks these gorilla glass rectangles now handle were left to mechanical watches, from knowing the time and date to timing tasks and setting a handy alarm. Learning more about the achievements of skilled watchmakers and the mechanical contraptions they have created is one of the most fascinating aspects of watch enthusiasm. Today, we take a look at a handful of complications, pick favorites, and discuss how useful (or “useless”) some of them are.
What’s your take on complications? Do you have a favorite? Are there any that you don’t care for? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments section below, and tune in next week for another episode of Fratello Talks.
