What can your watch do? If it can't measure wind speed, host a hand of poker or display an animation of a galloping horse, it's not going to trouble our list of the craziest complications ever made. Imaginative - and incredibly clever - watchmakers have given us dozens of outlandish mechanical creations over the years: in this episode we select our favourites. These are the watches that we think rank above all others for mechanical audacity, engineering complexity and - let's face it -  sheer ludicrousness. Other watches may be more complicated, racking up functions with a joyless one-upmanship, but these watches are the wildest, weirdest and most wonderful things ever to grace a wrist. From brands such as Ulysse Nardin, Konstantin Chaykin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Richard Mille and many more, these watches are a journey through the most exotic outposts of modern watchmaking. 

Watch brands have been collaborating with outside designers - and with each other - for the last decade, and what was once a radical, diverting tactic for developing interest in a product has become Plan A for every mainstream watchmaker. We wanted to ask " If collab culture has become the default way to make a watch interesting, what does it say about mainstream, mass-production watch brands’ ability to create, and to excite us, if to do that they have to look elsewhere for that spark, that injection of energy?”

This episode isn't about judging individual collaborations - although we do actually dwell on a few that we think are pretty good - but rather it's about asking what the whole phenomenon tells us about how watch companies value and respect creativity and those who have it. We look at what happens when brands try to introduce entirely new designs all on their own, and share insights from industry experts like Manuel Emch and James Thompson on why we have arrived at the status quo - and what might change in the next few years. 

Patek Philippe's supremacy among volume watch brands today is almost unarguable, strengthened by its unassailable position in the vintage market. But when were the seeds of this dominance sown? In this episode, Tim Barber advances the argument that of all its 186-year history, one year in particular could be fundamental to its modern-day standing. We delve deep into how Patek Philippe was able to emerge from wartime Europe as the pre-eminent fine watchmaker, considering the social, political and economic context of the age. 

Welcome to the first episode of The Watch Enquiry! Hosted by journalists Timothy Barber and Chris Hall, The Watch Enquiry delves into areas of watch culture and history that are often overlooked, asking questions that promise to inform, entertain and educate.

In this episode, we ask what happened to the futuristic high-tech showcases of the 2000s and 2010s - watches from mainstream, mid-market giants like Cartier and TAG Heuer that promised a glorious future for everyday customers. It was around this time that both of us entered the world of watch journalism, and we were excited by this wave of enthusiasm for redefining what an 'ordinary' watch could look like. Powered by 21st century materials science and manufacturing techniques, these concept watches advertised a future that never really arrived.

Or did it? Watches like the Cartier ID 1 and ID 2, TAG Heuer's Mikro- series of chronographs, and all the many timepieces with 'LAB' somewhere in their name may not have translated into much that you could actually buy, but have some of the ideas they introduced trickled down into the mainstream nonetheless? 

Music by 99Instrumentals and Grand Seiko Kodo Tourbillon

Introducing The Watch Enquiry, a journalistic take on the luxury watch industry. Hosted by Tim Barber and Chris Hall, two experienced writers and editors who love getting stuck in and answering the kinds of questions that really matter. Every episode tackles a new enquiry, be it historical, hypothetical or hard-hitting. Series one will include such questions as: "Has collab culture killed creativity in watch design?" and "What are the true game-changers of the 21st century?" Subscribe now!