Fantastic Yet Distinct Watches With The Same Movements Inside
Could you believe that a deep sea diver share the same movement with a watch with diamonds? With a same movement, a fancy design can lead to 7 times the difference in prices (or 20 times in secondary market)? Do you know that a smart trick in creating a novel dial design is turning the movement by 45 degree (either direction would work)?
It always amazes me that very different looking watches can share the exact same movement. We have to admire the creativity and resourcefulness of watch designers. They have a tiny space to work with and every details are scrutinized by collectors under the loupe. They need to cope with the constraints of movement architecture as well.
For this newsletter, I will list five movements that are behind very different dial designs.
Vacheron Constantin Caliber 4400 AS
The Caliber 4400 from VC is a manual wind movement with hour and minute hands, 65 hours of power reserve and the Geneva Seal. The Caliber 4400 AS was based on 4400 with added seconds hand at 6 o'clock. It is a modern, beautiful caliber introduced in 2008. The VC Patrimony manual wind 1110U/000G-B086 is an example of an elegant dress watch with Caliber 4400 AS. The crown is at the normal 3 o’clock position while the seconds sub-dial is at the 6 o’clock position.
2021 was the 100th anniversary of the iconic American 1921, originally developed by VC for the US market. VC released four models under its Historiques Collection to mark the occasion. These pieces have become instant hits with the collectors. The romantic story of a watch designed for life on the fast lanes is too hard to pass.
These latest American 1921 timepieces are powered by the VC Caliber 4400 AS. Now, let us compare this piece below with the Patrimony above. Apparently, the movement was rotated 45 degree counter-clockwise in American 1921. The crown and the seconds sub-dial were positioned accordingly with the rotation. The interesting decision was to have the 12 hour mark at the position of the crown. With this layout, the driver of an automobile would see the hour marks upright on the wrist holding the steering wheel.
Did the idea of the original design come from trying to rotate the movement behind the dial? We would never know, but it is a good guess, haha.
Miyota 821A
The top independent brand MB&F is at the top of their game. Each piece bearing their brand name costs at least $60K. To thank the collectors and fans, the brand decided to release a CHF 2900 watch, so more people may own their creations. What an intriguing design! The M.A.D.1 Blue and then Red immediately became the talk of watch world! It went on to win the 2022 GPHG Challenge award. I had to admit that I used every family member’s email address, but failed to grab one in the lottery.
To keep the cost low, they needed to use an off-the-shelf movement. The Miyota 821A from Japan was chosen. The movement is actually inverted in this insanely great design, so it can be seen on the dial side.
Now, a neat blue pilot watch from Laco has the the same Miyota 821A movement. It is a type A flieger with a very clean dial. The price is even more reasonable at $410. This could be the most extreme case where the value of the watch is determined by an outlandish yet attractive design, rather than the movement.
Audemars Piguet Caliber 4302
Caliber 4302 is a brand new movement that AP released in 2019. A full deconstruction of this movement can be found here by the Naked Watchmaker. I highly recommend this article if you have 5 minutes. After that, you will see what a marvelous engineering wonder the Caliber 4302 is.
The Royal Oak and Code 11.59 are two main collections in AP’s current catalog. One is an iconic and storied model line that just celebrated the 50th anniversary last year. The other is a new product line that AP determines to turn into an eventual success. Among either collection, the “entry level” of 3-hand self-winding models are the most critical. They are like the foundation pieces where more collectors can afford to acquire them.
Again, the hero behind the dials across the two collections is the same Caliber 4302. Here are a pair of green dialed watches with very different aesthetics.
Lang & Heyne UWD 33.1/33.2
Lang & Heyne is a high-end watchmaker from the Germany State of Saxony, where all other top German brands are based. Please check out my review here for more information about the history of the brand. UWD is a manual wind caliber made by Lang & Heyne for a few watch brands and its own use. UWD 33.1 has a sub-seconds while UWD 33.2 has a center seconds. The movement is beautifully made without a rotor to block the view.
This stunning movement can be admired in the dress watches made by Sinn and J.N. Shapiro, a top independent watchmaker based out of Los Angeles, California. Lang & Heyne itself chose UWD 33.2 for its new line of Sporty watches, the Hektor. The designer adopted the petticoat shape present in the caliber construction for the dial design. We saw the recurring petticoat shapes in the hands, the opening above the 6 o’clock, and even the bracelet.
Rolex Caliber 3235
Caliber 3235 was introduced in 2015 by Rolex, as part of the upgrade to replace the 31x calibers. A more thorough review of this movement can be found here by Quill & Pad. The movement is a real workhorse that powers many of Rolex’s current three-hand with date models.
But I bet many watch lovers may not know that the following two watches share the same movement. The first one is the heavy duty Sea-Dweller Deepsea that is ready to go where no man has gone under the sea. It is a massive 44mm tool watch with waterproof of 3,900 meters or 12,800 feet.
The second watch here, on the other end of the spectrum, is a 36mm Datejust with diamonds. It is a dual-tone watch with a cool grey palm dial. What an elegant timepiece with timeless beauty and class!
Beating inside both watches at 4Hz with -2/+2 sec/day precision is the same Caliber 3235.
F.P. Journe Caliber Octa 1300.3
Octa is the name of F.P. Journe self-winding movements that was first launched in 2001. The current reference number is 1300.3. There are three main attributes of this exceptional movement. First, it offers 120+ hours of power reserve with no change to its timing performance. Secondly, the winding speed is quite high, meaning that it can wind efficiently even the wearers do not move actively.
Thirdly, a unique integrated approach allows additional complications to be added. Note that it is not the same as the common module-based approach. Adding a module creates a thicker movement. One may spot a watch with a base movement and a module by noticing that the crown is not located at the center of the case. With the Octa design, there is a spare space reserved, so additional gears can be added. The medications can be done while keeping the thickness of the movement the same.
Now, let’s look at some examples of totally different looking watches created with the same Caliber 1300.3.
At the first glance, the Automatique Lune and the Divine are totally different watches. The small seconds indication by disc on the Divine is especially rare and amazing. Both watches look elegant, uncluttered and spectacular!
Look closer, we would realize that the date, the power reserve indicator, the moon-phase and the sub seconds dial are all located at the same place on the dial. Of course, they have to be there, as the movements underneath two watches are the same!
Do you wish to own both of these watches, just like me? They are similar in some way, but intriguingly different at the same time. All are so stunning and exquisite! Connecting the dots for us is the Caliber 1300.3.
The LineSport Automatique Reserve is F.P. Journe’s interpretation of what a sporty watch should look like for the weekends and outdoors. The watch is quite light due to the use of titanium for case and bracelet.
Now, let’s look at the positions of the crown at 4h30 and the placement of the big date, power reserve indicator and sub seconds. Comparing to the Divine, we can see that the movement has been rotated by 45 degree clock-wise. Amazing, isn’t it?
Yes, this sports model from Journe is powered by the Caliber 1300.3 as well. There is only one difference - a day/night indicator instead of a moon-phase indicator. A day/night indicator certainly makes more sense for a sports watch and the flexible Octa architecture facilitates such changes. In addition, the movement is made of aluminum alloy with a titanium rotor to further reduce the weight of the watch.
Now you have it - quite a few fantastic yet distinct watches with the exact same movements inside. Do you have any other examples?