What is your favorite unconventional complication?
What constitutes unconventional, up to you.
For me it's the IWC's Timezoner for its highly elegant and sophisticated mechanism (and the consequent heft).
GMT's work like a gem but hard to keep multiple timezones. Worldtimers are nice to have but can be convoluted. Timezoner is the best way to quickly keep track of multiple timezones without having to memorize UTC offsets and turn bezels or wind your crown 100 times.
Picture is from an IWC boutique some years ago, and behind the camera is me crying over the inaccessible size and price of the magnificent piece.
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Wristwatch Explorer
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AM/PM or Day/Night. Tremendously helpful when setting the time with a watch that has a date.
My Casio Edifice EF-527D. Pilot watch. With slide rule. I am not a pilot and I have tried to learn how to use it. I love the watch as it gives me that Breitling feel. Makes me questioning at times about keeping it in my collection.
Tides. This one does temperature and has a compass too:
Here's my Spitfire UTC, which looks like it was the spiritual design predecessor to the Timezoner. I really like the UTC time presented in a separate window, rather than the conventional fourth hand found on most GMTs. It keeps the dial clean by avoiding both the extra GMT hand as well as the 24h scale.
Cool complication. I kind of like a pointer date, though I don’t own any watches that have one (might have to fix that). Not sure it’s unconventional, but it is not too common.
Elliott Brown Beachmaster NIVO
GMT? ✅
Countdown Bezel? ✅
Bi-color lume? ✅
Non screw down, sealed crown at 2 o'clock for tracking time till zero hour/mission start, then hours past zero hour? ✅
Here's my Spitfire UTC, which looks like it was the spiritual design predecessor to the Timezoner. I really like the UTC time presented in a separate window, rather than the conventional fourth hand found on most GMTs. It keeps the dial clean by avoiding both the extra GMT hand as well as the 24h scale.
Very cool. 😎
Compass and Temperature. Sapphire crystal to boot. Gorgeous watch!
Explorer u found a gem there!
I don't own one but I'm really wanting an annual calendar. The IWC big pilot would be very nice. In the meantime the Casioak will have to do.
AM/PM or Day/Night. Tremendously helpful when setting the time with a watch that has a date.
Of course. The agony of not knowing whether my watch is in danger zone!
My Casio Edifice EF-527D. Pilot watch. With slide rule. I am not a pilot and I have tried to learn how to use it. I love the watch as it gives me that Breitling feel. Makes me questioning at times about keeping it in my collection.
Why? Because in the end you're going to buy Breitling?
Tides. This one does temperature and has a compass too:
Wow. That is so cool. Simple yet elegant addition to a diver's theme. Come to think of it, can't believe it's not more widely used. A perfect complication for the desk diver that is me. Being a few hundred miles away from the coast in some dark corners of the office, I definitely want to know whether it is high tides about
Why? Because in the end you're going to buy Breitling?
No, I just don't wear it as much as I use to.
Here's my Spitfire UTC, which looks like it was the spiritual design predecessor to the Timezoner. I really like the UTC time presented in a separate window, rather than the conventional fourth hand found on most GMTs. It keeps the dial clean by avoiding both the extra GMT hand as well as the 24h scale.
I think you are absolutely right. Hats off to IWC for using UTC (personally think all "GMT" naming should change to UTC). As a fellow Spitfire owner (current Chronograph), I have nothing but praise for yours. 100% agree on your take on the UTC time window for this type of watches. I think IWC chose the right path by not following Rolex GMT Master style.
Cool complication. I kind of like a pointer date, though I don’t own any watches that have one (might have to fix that). Not sure it’s unconventional, but it is not too common.
I like pointer dates more than date windows. Probably not too common because it's hard to design hands and dial.
Elliott Brown Beachmaster NIVO
GMT? ✅
Countdown Bezel? ✅
Bi-color lume? ✅
Non screw down, sealed crown at 2 o'clock for tracking time till zero hour/mission start, then hours past zero hour? ✅
True definition of all-in-one! 👍
Compass and Temperature. Sapphire crystal to boot. Gorgeous watch!
Lovely orange rubber and matching second hand. I too love those little tools on the strap. My favorite is the compass on a NATO on a field watch.
Explorer u found a gem there!
Indeed! Only if my wrist was slightly larger and I didn't spend so much on other watches 😂
I don't own one but I'm really wanting an annual calendar. The IWC big pilot would be very nice. In the meantime the Casioak will have to do.
Some day, some day you shall get the annual calendar on the Big Pilot.