Retrograde Time Displays

A retrograde, i.e. reversing, display on a watch is a complication in which a hand, for example for the time or date, moves over a segment of a circle. Instead of turning completely in a circle, the hand jumps back to the starting position in a sudden manner as soon as it reaches the end of the segment scale.

Sea-Gull M171S with retrograde date and day of the week [Source: Sea-Gull] 

Do you need it and is it useful? Not necessarily! Why do you do it then? Because it is possible!

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American Pocket Watch Movements

Movements of American pocket watches differ in many details from their Swiss counterparts. Here we look at some basics about them, without getting lost in the many deviations from the standards. American pocket watches are a topic with a lot of interesting things to discover.

Pocket watch with Hamilton 12 size Model 1 Grade 900
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Victor Anguenot – again watch movements from France

France seems to be a watch country where there is still something to discover. At least, I keep coming across French manufacturers of watch movements that are largely unknown and that I have never heard of before. Victor Anguenot from Villers-le-Lac in the Département Doubs is one of them. The town is located just a few kilometers from Le Locle, one of the most important centers of the Swiss watch industry.

Pocket watch Régulateur Français from V. Anguenot
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Courvoisier – more than 200 years of watchmaking history

Courvoisier? No, this is not about the cognac of the same name, but about a Swiss family of watchmakers that can claim more than 200 years of watchmaking history and yet is hardly known. Don’t worry, we won’t work through the whole family tree here, but focus on a few family members.

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