Until someone came up with the idea to create a battery for the movement many watchmakers tried to invent the movement for a wristwatch that would guarantee several days of power reserve. It should be said that appearance of battery didn’t eliminate this task. Although now it belongs to the sphere of the sophisticated: the watchmakers still wonder continue to find a new solution to combine mechanics with convenience.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Eight Days Perpetual SQ
This is a really unique model as it is not only a complete perpetual calendar with the moon phase indication – it boasts 8 days of power reserve! By the way for the perpetual calendar watches the problem of power reserve is especially acute: if the movement ceases to work and later manually corrected the complicated system of days, dates, months and years can fail to work properly.
In case when perpetual calendar module is integrated into an automatic calibre the watch should be kept in the auto-winding box. But Master watch features a manually-wound calibre and that’s why the owner can wind the watch only once a week. The necessity to restore the energy is indicated by the power reserve indicator placed on the left of 12 o’clock. On the right there is day and night indicator.
Ulysse Nardin Freak Blue Phantom
Some time ago Freak Blue Phantom watch has been among the most discussable timepieces: everyone admired the creative solution of designers from Ulysse Nardin for the dial, wheels and main plate of the movement.
But beautiful original design is not the only peculiarity of the timepiece. The Freak features 7-days power reserve. The legendary Ulysse Dual Escapement receives the impulse from the big spring whose barrel occupies practically all the space under the case back. The spring is wound by rotating the case back. The hands are adjusted with the help of the rant.
IWC Portuguese Tourbillon
For the watchmaker IWC power reserve of 7 days has become a traditional feature after the launch of the calibre 5000 for which a long and powerful spring was specially created.
In fact the watch can work for full 8 days, but the designers say that the spring inside the watch should not be unwound to extremes as it is not good for it. As such a spring occupies quite a lot space all the calibres from the 5000 series are made on the basis of movements for pocket watches. So in the Portuguese watch practically all the space inside a 44.2-mm case is occupied by the movement calibre 50900 comprising parts. The movement is additionally equipped with a tourbillon and a Pellaton auto-winding system.
It’s common knowledge that a tourbillon module consumes a lot of energy and that’s why creation of such a calibre that can work for a week is the sign of the highest class of the manufactory.
Officine Panerai Radiomir 10 Days GMT
As we all know Panerai was the first to come up with the idea to create a diver’s watch with 7-days power reserve. The first models made by Panerai during the World War II for the special military unit Gamma Force had a usual screw-in crown and due to this fact the system of water resistance was quite vulnerable.
Later the company designed a new system with a protection lever that in its turn has become a proprietary feature of the Radiomir series. Additionally the movement was equipped with two barrels that provide 8-days power reserve.
The modern version of the Radiomir watch with GMT indication based on the in-house calibre P.2003 is equipped with three barrels that guarantee stable work of the watch for 10 days. Thje watch is also equipped with a linear power reserve indicator.
Breguet Classique
Traditionally there are few multi-barrel timepieces in the collection of the most classical of all Swiss brands. But still the Breguet Classique series includes the model that in spite of quite thin proportions boasts a serious power reserve and date indication.
The timepiece features 3-days power reserve which is provided by a spring of the miniature Manufacture Breguet movement. The spring was specially designed and crafted from a patented alloy at Nivarox FAR.
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