Goldsmith & Complications definitely lives up to the second half of the store’s name. In the mechanical watch world, a complication is a technical term for any function that a watch performs in addition to the hours, minutes, and seconds. For example, the date display is the most-popular wristwatch complication today. But that basic calendar function is just the beginning.
Danny Goldsmith, the other half of the boutique’s name, has several complications represented in the extraordinary range of new and pre-owned watches he’s assembled at his store on Atlantic Avenue. “I like complications because they make wearing a watch a more interactive experience. This creates a deeper connection to the timepiece and a greater appreciation for the watchmakers who create these tiny, amazing machines,” he explained.
Measuring Moments
Inside Goldsmith’s colorful boutique, you’ll also find prime examples of other complications, such as the chronograph. It works like a stopwatch, timing two events that start simultaneously but end at different times. A handy tool at the race track, the chronograph has always resonated with a sporty audience that values precision and reliability.
More than 50 years after Zenith introduced the brand’s iconic El Primero model, it remains one of the world’s best-known chronographs. Goldsmith & Complications’ pre-owned collection features a limited-edition version of Zenith’s Chronomaster El Primero powered by a modern incarnation of the celebrated chronograph.
Double Time
A complication especially popular with travelers is the dual time zone, whose purpose is to display two time zones simultaneously. Through the years, watchmakers have developed different ways to do that job. A popular iteration features a secondary hour hand that’s set independently from the main time display. When traveling, you can synchronize the main display to your destination time zone and use the remaining hand for your home time, or vice versa.
Goldsmith & Complications offers an exceptionally intuitive dual time zone watch from Cyrus called the Klepcys GMT Retrograde. Its unconventional design includes a pusher on the left side of the titanium case that advances a hand around the 24-hour counter used for the second time zone.
Rewriting History
Far and away, the boutique’s most complex watch is the one-of-a-kind Escape II that Purnell made exclusively for Goldsmith & Complications. It has two rotating devices on the dial called Spherions, created by virtuoso watchmaker Eric Coudray. They represent a visually stunning reimagining of the tourbillon – one of watchmaking’s most complicated mechanisms.
Conceived more than 200 years ago, the tourbillon is a regulating device initially used to improve time keeping precision in pocket watches by placing the watch’s mechanical heart inside a rotating cage designed to counteract gravity’s negative effect on its timekeeping rate.
Coudray adds a dramatic new dimension to the original concept with the Spherion. The first of its kind, it is the world’s fastest triple-axis tourbillon, with all three cages rotating at different speeds. It’s ingenious how it uses engineering to realize such a playful and animated design.
At Goldsmith & Complications, unraveling the complexities of watchmaking is part of the fun. Visit their website at goldsmithandcomplications.com to view their collection online, or stop in their boutique at 411 E. Atlantic Avenue to marvel at these incredible pieces in person.
This post is sponsored by Goldsmith & Complications
