Three cheers
Hours, minutes, seconds. How much more complicated does a watch face need to be? By Ben Oliver
Mountains have been climbed, deep oceans dived and wars fought with only a simple three-handed watch on the wrist. Modern watches cram in any number of functions, but not all of them are useful or indeed ever used. Three interesting new three-handed watches have just launched, all of which might make you wonder if you really need to know the time in Tokyo, or count down with split-second precision to the moment when your roast chicken will be done.
01 I Oris Chronoris Movember Edition £1750
If you’ve ever su ered the social ignominy of growing a ‘mo’ in Movember – sprouting a moustache in November to raise awareness of men’s health issues – reward yourself with this fundraising three-handed Chronoris special edition, complete with the ’tache logo subtly embossed on the strap. oris.ch
02 I Rotary Heritage £299
Rotary has mined its 124-year archive for some celebratory reissues including this one, inspired by the company’s wartime three-hand watches for the British Army. It’s been updated with an automatic movement, scratchproof sapphire glass and a lightweight, non-reactive titanium case. The big Swiss brands would ask 10 times as much for something like this. rotarywatches.com
03 I Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer £720
This reissue of the W10-pattern threehanded watch – mainly supplied to RAF pilots in the ’70s – is getting a lot of watch-geek love, especially for keeping the unfashionably small 33mm case size. As with SUVs, the trend for bigger watches can seem impossible to resist, but here’s a welcome exception. hamiltonwatch.com