It sometimes feels as though there aren’t enough hours in the day. Which is appropriate, as there are sometimes more than 24 hours in a day and sometimes less, as the amount changes throughout the year.
“Mean solar time” is the neat, non-fluctuating man-made construct by which we organise and live our lives. But “true solar time”, that of nature, is measured by the length of time it takes for the Earth to make one full revolution on its axis, between one true noon (when the sun is at its highest) and the next – which is not always 24 hours.
An “equation of time” complication on a watch displays the difference between solar and mean time. It is one of the oldest and most revered complications in horology and is generally coupled with a perpetual calendar complication, as both take into account variations over the course of the year.
While the perpetual calendar tracks the varying length of months, the equation of time marks the changes in the length of the solar day and also shows the seasons, solstices and equinoxes via two superimposed transparent discs.
Now Greubel Forsey, a Swiss brand based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, has combined three complications in one watch – a perpetual calendar, tourbillon and the equation of time. The Greubel Forsey QP à Équation was launched at this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva and will retail for Dh2.8 million.
While it is unimportant to know how many more, or less, natural minutes as opposed to constructed minutes there are in a day, Greubel Forsey has placed the equation of time on the underside of its superlative watch, allowing for the hallowed appeal of the complication to connoisseurs and horologists.
The front of the watch combines the perpetual calendar and a 24-second tourbillon inclined at 25 degrees. Greubel Forsey has impressed watch fanatics with the simplicity of this perpetual calendar. The complication normally requires adjustment and operation via a special stylus tool, but Greubel Forsey has made the perpetual calendar easier to set by using a bidirectional winding crown. Now, rather than needing an instruction manual or tools, you can use the crown as simply as on a date display watch.
Simple to use and elegantly legible, this ultra-complicated timepiece comes in a 43.5mm white gold case, measures 16mm in height, and is powered by a mechanical hand-wound Calibre GF07 with a 72-hour power reserve. The watch comprises 570 components, including 65 jewels, and has four patents to safeguard its innovative mastery.
q&a being exact as time goes by
Emmanuel Vuilles, the chief executive of Greubel Forsey, on his brand’s attention to detail.
How many of the QP à Équation will be made?
Our QP à Équation is limited on the basis of a Millesime [vintage] collection. Every year we will have a special Millesime edition available and limited to a certain number of timepieces. This year’s edition is five timepieces.
Can anybody buy one?
Greubel Forsey has a network of about 30 of the best points of sales worldwide. It is only through this network that a Greubel Forsey timepiece can be purchased.
How long does it take to deliver the watch?
For our QP à Équation, the earliest delivery timing will be end of 2014/beginning of 2015.
What kind of after-sales service do you offer?
The preservation of the quality of our timepieces is essential and is our highest aim towards our collectors. We sometimes even travel around the world just to make a statement.
Tell me more about the difference between solar and mean time.
Essentially, the Earth travels at variable rates, and this causes disparities within our fixed 24 hours. On February 11, for example, there are 24 hours, 14 minutes and 22 seconds in the day, while on November 4 there are 16 minutes and 23 seconds less. True solar time and mean time coincide just four times a year: April 15, June 14, September 1 and December 24 – the rest of the time there is this 30-minute differentiation.
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
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- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
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Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah
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Favourite colour: White
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First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
