Five Watches with Small Seconds and Separate Seconds Displays That Are Worth Watching

The second hand of a watch is usually placed in the center as the third hand after the hour and minute hands. Here, we will introduce five masterpieces that have a small seconds hand that displays the seconds away from the center, giving them their own unique brilliance.

Patek Philippe "Calatrava"

　Patek Philippe has added a vintage touch to its flagship dress watch collection, the Calatrava, with the introduction of the Reference 6119. The 39mm rose gold case features a softly rounded bezel adorned with a Clous de Paris guilloched pattern. The grained silver dial features faceted rose gold applied indexes, Dauphine-style hour and minute hands, and a small seconds subdial divided into four sections by a cross at 6 o'clock. The slim 8.08mm case houses the Patek Philippe Seal-certified in-house manual-winding caliber 30-255 PS, boasting a power reserve of approximately 65 hours and an accuracy of -3 to +2 seconds per day. The bridges are hand-chamfered and feature Geneva stripes.

IWC Portugieser Automatic 40

　Launched in 1939 and created exclusively for a Portuguese client, the Portugieser is one of IWC's timeless collections and arguably its most classically elegant watches. Its 40mm 18K red gold case and silver-plated dial, featuring gold Arabic numerals, leaf-shaped gold hands, a vintage-style railroad minute track, and a small seconds subdual at 6 o'clock, express the brand's distinctive character in a subtly powerful yet powerful manner. The sapphire crystal case back houses the in-house automatic caliber 82200, featuring the brand's signature Pellaton automatic winding system and wear-resistant ceramic components, such as the pawls and heart cam. The movement boasts a power reserve of approximately 60 hours and features circular graining and Côtes de Genève finishes on the plate and bridges.

Grand Seiko "Elegance Collection"

　This is Grand Seiko's first model to feature a small seconds and power reserve indicator. The 39mm stainless steel case is powered by the in-house manual-winding caliber 9S63. The small seconds, located at the 9 o'clock position on the domed dial, is slightly tilted to emphasize the case's thinness. Contrasting with the seconds display is a power reserve indicator at 3 o'clock, showing the movement's remaining power for approximately 72 hours. The subdued dial, characteristic of Grand Seiko, features elegantly faceted applied hour markers and wide, easy-to-read hour and minute hands. The movement is assembled at Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture and ticks within an accuracy of ±5 to -3 seconds per day, visible through a transparent case back adorned with the Grand Seiko lion emblem.

Glashütte Original "PanoReserve"

　Known for its asymmetrical design, the German brand Glashütte Original's PanoReserve combines off-center hour and minute displays, a separate seconds subdial, the brand's signature "panoramic" date display, and a clever metronome-style power reserve indicator with baton hands (the latter two features give the watch its name). The 40mm 18K rose gold case houses a galvanized matte black dial with applied indexes and white-printed graduations, and the transparent caseback reveals the manual-winding caliber 65-01 movement. The movement boasts a power reserve of approximately 42 hours and features Glashütte's traditional three-quarter plate, hand-engraved balance cock, regulator, tempered blued screws, and screw-mounted gold chatons.

Blancpain Villeret Day Date

　Blancpain was founded in Villeret, Switzerland in 1735. The Villeret collection, named after the village, offers a classic lineup. The 40mm stainless steel Villeret Day-Date model features all of the Villeret collection's key aesthetic codes, including a double-step bezel, applied Roman numerals on a white dial, and openworked sage leaf-shaped hands. It features an open-circuit small seconds at 6 o'clock and a day and date display window at 3 o'clock. This timepiece is powered by the in-house automatic caliber 1160DD, equipped with a silicon balance spring, a 4Hz frequency, and a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. Visible through the transparent case back is a gold rotor adorned with a honeycomb guilloched motif.