Patek Philippe, Creator Of The World's Most Complicated Watch

In the world of watch making, a complication is any function that is included in the watch other than simply keeping time. For instance, the addition of a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, stopwatch functionality, split second hands, etc. Are considered complications. Today, one Swiss watchmaker, Patek Philippe holds the record for creating the world's most complicated watch.

1989 marked the 150th anniversary of the Patek Philippe company. In honor of the occasion, a new series of pocket watches was introduced, the caliber 89. Only 4 of these watches were built following 5 hard years of research and 4 years of production.

They can be told apart by their casings. One was done in yellow gold, one in white gold, one in rose gold, and one in platinum. The estimated value of any one of these watches is currently 6 million USD.

Aside from their rarity, the thing that sets these watches apart from all others is the fact that they are the most complicated watches in existence. Each one contains 1728 components, features 24 different hands, and keeps track of much more than the time. They also track the day of the month, day of the week, moon phase, century, decade, and year as well as temperature and many more features. All told, there are 33 complications, or additional functions, in these watches.