When pocket watches were first invented in the 16th century, they were products strictly for the wealthy and privileged. The first truly mobile, mechanical means of telling time, initial watches were worn around the neck, and they could be off by more than an hour due to the inaccuracies of early mechanisms. It wasn't until spiral springs (the height of technology in the year 1675) were invented that accurate pocket watches could even be made.

Once this technology was discovered, watches became (slightly) less expensive as well as significantly more accurate. Not only that, but having a timepiece meant you were a person of means; someone for whom time was a valuable commodity. It even led to an entire etiquette system regarding how to wear one's watch, chain, and fobs (as any status symbol will be accessorized just to prove your status is slightly higher than the next person's). In fact, it was this idea of the pocket watch as a status symbol that gave birth to one of the most complex pocket watches ever designed; the device known as the Supercomplication.

The History of The Supercomplication

So much trouble, over so small a thing...

In the 1920s, there was a competition going on in New York City between a banker and a car manufacturer as to who was top dog in the pocket watch game and, by extension, who was truly the wealthier and more sophisticated gentleman. James Packard, of the Packard car company, was one half of this competition, while the other half was banker Henry Graves Jr. The goal was to see which of them could own the more complex, complicated timepiece, and they went to frankly absurd lengths to achieve this goal.

In exchange for this ultimate status symbol, both men offered huge sums of money for watches that could be designed with Complications, a term that refers to any feature of a timepiece aside from the hands that tell the seconds, minutes, and hours. While both men consulted with several different companies and artisans, it was Henry Graves who took the lead when he sought help from pocket watch powerhouse Patek Philippe, located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Patek Philippe accepted a commission from Graves that was five years in the making; two years for planning and designing the watch, and another three to actually have it assembled in all its glory. This one-of-a-kind accessory (made up of over 900 separate parts and pieces) was named the Supercomplication, and it was completed in the year 1933. It came with all the bells and whistles, both literally and metaphorically. Some of the complications that this watch boasted included: a minute repeater that played the chimes of London's Big Ben, an automatic correction for leap years, the exact time of sunrise and sunset in New York City, and an astronomical sky map of the firmament above Graves's New York home. All told, the watch possessed 24 separate complications, all wrapped up in an 18 karat gold case with enameled and silvered gold dials.

Needless to say, it was the finest timepiece in all the land.

What Happened to The Supercomplication?

Trade Secret

This pocket timepiece is the most complicated in history to ever have been designed without the aid of a computer, according to New Atlas, and it took until 1989 for a watch to surpass the sheer number of extra functions presented by the Supercomplication. Incidentally, the timepiece that broke the record was another project of Patek Philippe, who decided to outdo themselves for their 150th anniversary by building a watch with 30 complications. The Supercomplication held another record for many years though: the most expensive watch ever sold.

The Supercomplication was sold in 1999 at Southeby's for a record setting $11 million, which was over three times the previous record ever paid for a pocket time keeper. It was sold again in 2014 for a record $23 million, and change. In fact, it took the sale of a pocket watch practically made out of diamonds, the 201 karat Chopard watch, which sold for $25 million, to keep the Supercomplication out of the top spot. Today it exists in the private collection of the anonymous buyer, who would understandably not want to brag about owning such a coveted piece of watch making art and history.

Looking for More Steampunk Fodder?

There's always more.

If you're a fan of late 19h and early 20th century trends, then you might want to check out another of my Vocal articles, Bartitsu: The Original Mixed Martial Art.

Lastly, if you enjoy steampunk fiction where tales of bizarre and unusual Complications lead to mystery and intrigue, then you need to read "The Watchmaker's Daughter," a short story in the steampunk noir collection New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam. The first few stories are free in the preview, so go take a look!