It’s been a very busy week of watches in Geneva, with Only Watch 2019 setting new records, and the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awarding prizes to some of the best watches of the year (which included some upsets). Amidst the clamour and drama of the GPHG, where the pitting of brands head to head can increase the blood pressure of some ardent watch enthusiasts, the focus can sometimes miss the truly impressive feats of technical engineering that are on display. One of these feats is the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar, a watch that not only offers a complex calendar function, but also does it with a power reserve of 65 days. Here’s how more than two months of power reserve is possible. Most mechanical watches are regulated by a single balance spring that oscillates at a set rate (either measured in hertz, which can be converted to vibrations per hour), and the steady in and out breathing of this spring is what keeps the watch running on good time. A slower number of oscillations from the balance spring can make the watch less accurate, but can extend the power reserve, while a faster rate of…
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