World's third most 'complicated' watch on display in UAE

Dubai: "We wanted to show to the world what Patek Philippe is able to do," Thierry Stern, co-owner and President of Patek Philippe, told Gulf News on Tuesday, the opening day of the Watch Art Grand Exhibition.

The first-of-its-kind museum exhibition of luxury watches showcases 400 timepieces by the brand, including one of the top three most complicated timepieces in the world, and live demonstrations by a watch restorer.

The watch that Stern spoke about is the Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 - a double-faced pocket watch that tool nine years of research, ranked third among the world's most complicated timepieces.

It is composed of 1,118 parts - 336 screws, 292 pins, 172 mechanical components, 135 wheels, 73 springs, 54 jewels, 33 bridges, 11 hands, 8 discs, 3 ball bearings and 1 dial, not including the watch's exterior.

It displays time; perpetual calendar; sunrise and sunset times; progression of the seasons; and movements of the lunar orbit and phases of the moon, among other ‘complications'.

When asked to explain the term complication in watch terminology, Stern said, "We refer to a watch's function, apart from display of time. Each function by itself can be easily done. But when you have to set them all together in one watch, that's another story. The Caliber 2000 has 21 complications"

The top two complicated watches are also by Patek Philippe, he said. "We produced an ultra-complicated pocket-watch with 24 functions for Henry Graves, Jr [prominent American banker] and an anniversary edition Calibre 89 with 39 complications."

The Star Caliber 2000 is not for sale, and will return to the Patek Philippe museum in Geneva, Switzerland.