If you've ever wondered what those little dials on your watch actually do, you're not alone. There's a science behind the mechanics of timepieces that is worth understanding for anyone who owns or admires watches. If you're looking to buy one or just want to know more about the ones you own, this guide will help you understand how complications work and why they make watches more valuable than others—they can even be used as a way to date your watch!

Complications that show the time of day (hours, minutes, seconds)

• 24-hour dial: A special type of watch face that displays the time in a format similar to military time (23:59).
• Minute repeater: A complication that chimes the time on demand, typically by pressing a button on its side.
• Second time zone: An additional hour hand that shows another time zone (e.g., if you're traveling from New York City to London).
• Flyback chronograph: A type of chronograph with two buttons on its case--one starts and stops the timer while the other resets it back to zero without having to stop it first (handy for when you want an accurate reading without having to record every single second).
• Grande sonnerie/petite sonnerie: These two terms refer to watches with chiming mechanisms built into them; grande sonneries are louder than petites ones because they have more bells inside them!

Complications that show seconds

You may have noticed a small hand on your watch that moves around the dial once every second. That's the seconds hand, and it can be placed in different positions on your timepiece.

The most common place for a seconds display is at center stage: right in front of you when you look down at your wrist. This setup makes sense because it gives you an easy reference point when checking elapsed time during more complex functions like chronographs or perpetual calendars, which require multiple hands working together to display information like elapsed hours or days since an event occurred (like Christmas).

But some watchmakers prefer placing their second indicators at the bottom edge of their watches' dials--either directly below 12 o'clock or slightly off-center from there--as opposed to centering them above 6 o'clock (which would put them closer to 5 than 4). This gives these watches something unique about their designs compared with mainstream styles; however, because these models don't use standard placement conventions for displaying their second hands (or any others), they might be harder for people who aren't familiar with traditional styling cues used by luxury brands like Rolex or Patek Philippe recognize as high quality pieces immediately upon seeing them."

Complications that measure the current date

• The date display is perhaps the most basic watch complication. It shows you the day of the week, month and year in either a calendar or numerical format.
• The day of week complication tells you which day of the week it is by displaying one numeral from 1 (Sunday) to 7 (Saturday). This can be useful if you need to schedule meetings or appointments during certain days of the week. For example, if your appointment was scheduled for Thursday at 5 pm then this would help confirm that fact as opposed to being unsure whether it was Wednesday or Friday because your watch only showed five o'clock instead of three digits like 12:05 PM would indicate correctly!
• A moonphase display shows how full or new our planet's satellite appears at any given time on earth's surface--and no matter where in space said satellite orbits around us every 27 days (on average).

Complications that measure the day of the week

One of the most common complications is the day-of-the-week indicator. It tells you what day of the week it is, and when you look at your watch to check it out, it's usually displayed in a window on your dial.

For example, Rolex has made an entire line of watches called Oyster Perpetual Day-Date that have this feature--and they're some of their most expensive models!

Complications that measure the month

A complication is any feature on a watch that does not tell the time. These can be very useful in telling you more about your watch, but they also add value to the overall look of your watch.

The most common complications are those that measure the month and day of the week (also known as perpetual calendars). Other common ones include those that measure year, day of month or even hour, minute and second!

Complications that measure the year

You can tell if a watch has a calendar function by looking at the dial. The main hands of the watch will be in relation to a smaller subdial with numbers 1-31, which indicates the days of the month. A moonphase indicator uses both an aperture (a small window) and another hand to show you how much light is in our satellite's path as it orbits around Earth.

A chronograph complication measures time intervals and then displays them on an additional dial on your wristwatch face. This type of complication allows you to use your watch as a stopwatch or timer while also showing timekeeping information like hours, minutes and seconds on its own display area.

The more complicated a watch is, the more valuable it will be.

One thing to keep in mind is that the more complicated a watch is, the more valuable it will be. A simple three-hand watch can be found for under $50; but if you want something more advanced? You're looking at spending several hundred dollars or more.

The reason for this is twofold: firstly, because these watches are harder to repair and maintain than their simpler counterparts; secondly, because they require significantly more effort and skill from both designers and manufacturers (as well as those who assemble them).

We hope this article has helped you understand some of the more complicated features that can be found on a watch. If you're looking for something with an even more advanced feature set, check out our other articles on the topic: Timepieces With GPS, Wearable Technology For Golfers and The Best Smartwatch For Swimmers.