A deep explanation of how to distinguish a good watch. How to judge a high-quality watch (hands edition)

When you look at watch-related media, including social media and this magazine, you'll always see new and attractive models being featured. However, while news about watches is on the rise, there remains a lack of information about why a particular watch is good. So, what made a particular watch seem good? This time, we'd like to expand on our popular "ABCs of How to Look at a Watch" in this magazine and present some topics that will allow you to look at watches in more depth.

A deep explanation of how to distinguish a good watch. How to judge a high-quality watch <Dial Edition>

http://www.webchronos.net/features/110623/

A deep explanation of how to distinguish a good watch. How to appraise a high-quality watch <Index Edition>

http://www.webchronos.net/features/110788/

What should you look at on the clock?

　The hands are important when looking at a watch. As many consumers have begun to demand that their watches look as good as new, manufacturers have begun to replace the hands every time maintenance is performed. This is one reason why expensive, elaborate hands are no longer seen as they once were. Another reason is that quality suppliers have become monopolized. However, with the watch boom, the number of models with high-quality hands is once again increasing. So what should you look at when it comes to the hands?

Diamond Cut

　Diamond-cut hands, which are pressed and then smoothed with a diamond cutter, became popular in the 1960s. Being able to shape the hands flattened gives the watch a modern look. They also have a perfect mirror finish, making them highly legible even in a small area. They are now "standard equipment" for luxury watch hands, adopted by many manufacturers.

　There are basically two types of hands used on watches: either stamped or machined. However, even stamped hands can be given a finish comparable to machined hands by machining the surface. A good example is diamond-cut finishing. The surface of a stamped part is cut with a diamond cutter to create a flat surface. This technique has been around since the 1930s, but has been popular in the watch industry since the 1960s. It has the advantage of giving the surface a distortion-free mirror finish, making even thin hands highly legible. Grand Seiko has evolved this manufacturing method. While most manufacturers only give diamond cuts on two sides at most, Grand Seiko now applies diamond cuts on multiple sides. However, the more sides there are, the more difficult it is to process. This is why few manufacturers are able to imitate it.

　On the other hand, machined products emphasize three-dimensionality over smoothness. Moritz Grossmann shapes the blanks cut out with a wire EDM by hand. Meanwhile, NAOYA HIDA&Co. processes the needles with a micromachining machine. Again, the finishing is done entirely by hand.

　As a result of improvements in press technology, there has been an increase in hands that are almost machined. One example is the hands of the IWC Portugieser series.

　When assessing the quality of the hands, what's important is the finish on the side, rather than whether they are three-dimensional. Leaving aside inexpensive watches, it is desirable for the hands of higher-priced watches to at least be free of burrs and for cutting marks on the side to be inconspicuous. Also, hands that can withstand repeated reuse have sturdy "bakama" (semi-permanent fasteners) that hold them in place. All of the watches listed here have the highest quality hands.

Cutting out

　The traditional method is to carve the hands out of a blank. This creates an extremely three-dimensional shape, making it a good match for classic watches. However, due to the extremely high cost, only a few manufacturers use this method. While a similar finish can be achieved by pressing, the only way to shape hard steel into a three-dimensional shape is still by carving. The two in the photo are the pinnacle of this method.

Like Grossmann, the NAOYA HIDA & Co. collection features eye-catching hands. The hands are cut using a micromachining machine and then polished and shaped. At first glance, the design is simple, but the three-dimensional effect of the expanded hands can only be achieved by cutting. Of course, the sides are also perfectly finished. Normally, it is difficult to apply a blueing process to such three-dimensional steel hands. However, this model has a uniform blue finish.

NAOYA HIDA & Co. “NH TYPE 1D”
A classic design inspired by vintage watches is recreated with a modern size and the latest technology. The German silver dial is combined with hand-engraved Breguet numeral indexes, three-dimensional leaf hands, and separate subdials. The movement is equipped with a retractable click, allowing for a smooth winding. The photo shows a watch manufactured in 2022. Manual winding (Cal. 3019SS). 18 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 48 hours. Stainless steel case (diameter 37mm, thickness 9.8mm). Water resistant to 5 bar. Estimated price 2,365,000 yen (tax included). (Inquiries) NH WATCH https://naoyahidawatch.com

Blue print

　When steel is heated, an oxide film forms on the surface. This is the principle behind tempered blue hands. Originally, this technique was used to prevent the hands from rusting, but it also improved aesthetics and legibility, so it came to be used in many pocket watches. It fell out of fashion with the spread of plated brass hands, but is now making a comeback as a detail in luxury watches.

　Generally, the materials used for hands are brass or steel, and they are only manufactured by pressing or cutting. They are finished with plating. However, there are other types of hands as well. The most popular of these is the so-called "blued hand," which is made by heating a steel hand and applying a blue oxide coating.

　Breguet is by far the brand that continues to combine quality and quantity. It is manufactured by Universo, which is also part of the Swatch Group. Giving the various types of hands a uniform blue color requires extraordinary know-how. While it is easy to give a few hands the same blue color, it is extremely difficult to do so for all hands. Incidentally, tempered blue hands are also used by Cartier, Grand Seiko, and Nomos Glashütte. The hands of these manufacturers also achieve a high level of balance between quality and quantity.

　Furthermore, tempered blued steel hands are less likely to retain their color and may become magnetic. This is why Breguet adopted a silicon balance spring, which is resistant to magnetism. In contrast, some manufacturers have chosen to use non-blued hands. A good example is IWC. The company consistently uses brass PVD-coated hands rather than steel. The reason is not cost, but stable quality and protection against magnetism. In the past, tempered blued hands had a distinctly different nuance from blued hands, but recent models, as the photo shows, have a texture that is comparable to blued hands.

　Finally, there are hands made of precious metals. These are often used in luxury watches, but in recent years, taking advantage of the ease of molding, unique shapes have been increasingly used. The Lang & Heyne example shown in the photo is one of the most ambitious examples.

PVD

　While not particularly popular among watch enthusiasts, blue-painted hands, including those made with PVD, deserve a reevaluation for their practicality. They are primarily made of brass, not iron. This makes it easier to evenly distribute the color and eliminates the risk of magnetic attraction. While in the past they were perceived as clearly not blued, in recent years, some finishes have emerged that rival blued watches.

This model deliberately uses PVD hands to create a sense of unity with the indices. The PVD-treated applied indices and the PVD-treated hands are a perfect match. Chronograph hands are generally replaced every time a watch is serviced. PVD hands, which have a consistent color regardless of the lot, are ideal for chronographs.

IWC Portuguese Chronograph
With its symmetrical in-dial arrangement and elegant silver dial, paired with blue hands and indexes, this model is packed with the essence of the Portugieser. Its size, which inherits its origins as a watch equipped with a large movement in response to orders for high-precision watches, is also noteworthy. Automatic (Cal. 69355). 27 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 46 hours. Stainless steel case (diameter 41mm, thickness 13mm). Water resistant to 3 bar. 1,072,500 yen (tax included). (Inquiries) IWC Tel. 0120-05-1868

pure gold

　Many luxury watches use solid gold hands. By using them together with the indexes, not only does it give the watch a sense of unity, but it also gives the watch a taut surface that is difficult to achieve with hands that are plated on brass. Another advantage is that it is easy to mold, making it easy to create three-dimensional shapes. In recent years, complex shapes reminiscent of old pocket watches have become more common.

Taking advantage of the strength of small-scale production, LANG & HEYNE uses unique hands. Louis XV hands and cathedral hands are details rarely seen in current models. This model also draws attention with its highly three-dimensional hands, featuring engraved sun and moon. The material is 18K gold. The dial is also champlevé-finished, with the surface completely polished after enamel is poured in.

LANG & HEYNE "Glashütte Tower Clock"
This piece pays homage to a tower clock from Glashütte that LANG & HEYNE helped restore. The hour and minute hands are hand-engraved by artisans with a sun and moon motif, and the blue dial, crafted from champlevé enamel, features Roman numerals with a distinctive "X" shape. Manual winding (Cal. VI). 19 jewels. 18,000 vph. Power reserve of approximately 55 hours. 18KRG case (diameter 39.2mm, thickness 10.5mm). Water resistant to 3 bar. Limited to 5 pieces worldwide. Price upon request. (Inquiries) German Watch Tel. 03-6277-4139

Hand-to-dial clearance

　When looking at a watch, one thing that people often notice is the gap between the dial and the hands. If it's too wide, it gives the impression that the hands are sticking out from the dial. As a result, many so-called luxury watches have begun to reduce the clearance between the two. This was once a detail unique to thin watches, but recently it has also been seen in diver's watches.

　Generally speaking, many luxury watches tend to have a small gap between the hands and the dial. One reason is that the watches themselves are thin to begin with. Another reason is that they offer excellent legibility when viewed from an angle. If anything, it's also because they employ skilled craftsmen. When the gap between the dial and the hands is small, attaching and removing them becomes quite difficult. This is all the more true for fragile enamel dials and the elaborately finished dials that have become more common recently.

　However, in recent years, more and more practical watches have narrowed the gap between the hands and the dial. A good example is the Tudor Pelagos. This model is a professional diver's watch with a water resistance of 500m and a helium escape valve. Despite this, the gap between the hands and the dial is extremely narrow.

A watch that is used roughly should have a gap between the hands and the dial. The Pelagos overturns this common sense. The in-house (Kenissi) movement has low hands, which is unusual for a practical watch. For this reason, the Pelagos diver's watch also has a cleverly narrowed clearance between the hands and the dial. If the hands bend, they are more likely to hit the dial, but to ensure rigidity, the hands are thick. This is typical of Tudor, with careful consideration.

Tudor Pelagos 39
Not only the Pelagos, but also the 200m water-resistant Pelagos 39 has a tight clearance between the hands and the dial. It features monoblock luminous ceramic indexes that glow for a long time in the dark, and the clasp is equipped with a "T-fit" system that allows for easy fine-tuning of the length, among other updates. Automatic movement (Cal. MT5400). 27 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 70 hours. Ti case (39mm diameter). Water-resistant to 200m. Price: 657,800 yen (tax included). (Inquiries) Rolex Japan/Tudor Tel. 0120-929-570

　Tudor doesn't say why, but it's likely to improve visibility underwater. It used to be considered desirable for a practical watch, which would be handled roughly, to have a large gap between the hands and the dial. However, it seems this perception is becoming a thing of the past.

　There are also examples of watches that use generic movements but have reduced hand height. Hublot has consistently been the leader in this field. The Classic Fusion Original has succeeded in reducing the high hand height that is common in generic movements by raising the position of the dial. Proof of this is the position of the date display disc, which is slightly recessed.

　However, the closer the hands are, the better. What's important is whether the watch has the appropriate clearance.

オーデマ ピゲ「Royal オーク “ジャンボ” キシトラシン」
It is one of the icons that has had the greatest influence on modern watch design, fusing seemingly contradictory elements of sportiness, elegance, and luxury at an extremely high level. Its 8.1mm thinness is also a key factor in its elegance. Automatic winding (Cal. 2121). 36 jewels. 19,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel case (diameter 39mm, thickness 8.1mm). Water resistant to 5 bar. Reference product. (Inquiries) Audemars Piguet Japan Tel. 03-6830-0000

Hublot "Classic Fusion Original"
This is a reissue of the "Classic Original," which combined a gold case with a rubber strap and had a major influence on subsequent watch design. This model was central to the brand's "Art of Fusion" concept, and its revival is extremely significant. Automatic (Cal. HUB1110). 25 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 42 hours. 18K yellow gold case (42mm diameter, 10mm thick). Water resistant to 50m. Price: 3,091,000 yen (tax included). For inquiries, please contact LVMH Watch & Jewelry Japan Hublot at 03-5635-7055.