Watch Out in Central Park

If I were to be asked the question, perhaps only once in my lifetime, of "what is the most important watch in the world?" I would not hesitate to say "the one on my wrist at the time".

This appears to be a reasonable answer to me but after the events of today, specifically the Sotherby Auction House sale of the Henry Graves Super Complication I would be very much mistaken.

The Super Complication is held to be the most advanced example of horological techniques ever undertaken and of more significance is the fact that it was crafted before the age of design and manufacturing by computers.

In 1925 the very wealthy American banker, Henry Graves sought to outdo his arch rival, James Packard of the automobile empire of that name, for ownership of the most complicated watch in the world.

Complicated in this context relates to the number of functions operated.

Graves commissioned his customised watch from the renowned Swiss maker Patek Phillipe in 1925 taking delivery of the strikingly handsome fob timepiece some 8 years later.

The cost for this ultimately skilled watch was 60,000 Swiss Francs , being many more times that paid by Packard for his own.

The Certificate of Origin from Patek Phillipe number 198385 lists the watch as a stemwinder lever escapement compensated balance with 70 jewels and of course the 24 complications.

Specific to Henry Graves was the double faced dial with one side having an aperture showing the night time sky above Central Park, New York City and an equation dial making a delicate calibration to his own home just close by.

A further aperture allows sight of the oscillating balance.

In addition to displays of the day and month the watch acts as a perpetual calendar and has the phases of the sun and moon. Sub dials provide further functions, many not before acheived with such precision and style in watch making then or since.

An alarm function has Westminster chimes and a chronograph or stopwatch allows timing of two simultaneous events.

Functional it may be but it is also a beautiful work of art with the dials enamelled and gold silvered.

The important work was sold at auction today in Geneva for the figure of £13.4 million.

Holding that thought my first reaction is to slowly and discreetly pull my shirt cuff down over my water resistant to 10 metres Casio Digital watch but what the hell....it is still the most important watch in the world, at least to me.