In today’s world of watchmaking, the majority of timepieces have two or three hands. Occasionally, we see timepieces like the Vacheron Constantin 57260, a masterpiece with 31 hands. Yet, there was a time where timepieces only had one hand, this was the case for most of the first time pieces pre 1700’s. These watches are called single hand/monohand watches.
What Are Single Hand Watches?
Single hand, One hand or Mono-hand watches. Whatever name you hear, they all mean the same thing. They simply refer to watches that tell the time with one hand. This type of watch is very rare but there are still brands which create it.
How do you tell the time?
Most single hand watches will have three distinct types of markers. The hour maker is the longest and boldest which is usually seen on most watches. the second last marker marks every 15 minutes with with three between each marker (15, 30, 45). The shortest marker
Luxury examples of single hand watches
MeisterSinger are one of the largest manufacturers of single hand watches exclusively produce this type of watch. An entry level model costs around $1000 with models at the top of the range selling for around $5000.
When it comes to luxury watch brands, most modern day brands have not ventured into the realm of monohand watches. However one luxury example is Audemars Piguet Millenary Frosted Gold Philosophique. This watch is one of the few examples of a luxury watch brand creating a one hand dial. However this is not a great example as it doesn’t feature minute markers so cannot be used to read time accurately.
Another example is the custom Rolex watch created by Artisans De Genève for Gianluigi Buffon. It features a beautiful skeleton dial with 5 minute markers and monohand dial.
Although this is a beautiful watch, it is not an original watch produced by Rolex. In recent times, we have seen Rolex exploring alternative designs with models such as the puzzle dial day date and the left handed GMT. Maybe one day we will see them produce an original watch with one hand…