Horlogical complications are valued for their complex engineering and workmanship that provide information far beyond the time and date.

The complexity of the movements and the skill it takes to build them make them highly collectible among enthusiasts, and watchmakers feed this enthusiasm by continuing to push the boundaries of what it is possible to create inside a compact case.

Gilbert Ho, general manager of Breitling in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, says watchmaking is an inherently complex craft. "Innovative complications comprised of hundreds of interrelated, miniscule parts, represent the wonder in human genius that complicated watches have always evoked," he says.

Aviation watches, or more precisely the Navitimer watch, put Breitling on the world map when it debuted in 1952 with a circular slide rule that could perform navigational calculations. Since then it has continually been in production and gained a cult status among flying enthusiasts.

The watchmaker unveiled several additions to the line this year, including the Navitimer 1461, which is limited to 1,000 pieces. The watch combines the aviation slide rule with a leap year calendar that needs correcting only once every four years, or 1,461 days.

A 450-piece movement made by Breitling sits at the heart of this watch and operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour powering a quarter-second chronograph and 30-minute and 12-hour totalisers. Functions are displayed on three sub-dials showing the leap year calendar indicating the date, day, month, and the moon phase via an aperture.

The watch is part of a new trend by Breitling to incorporate the manufacturer's own movements into the Navitimer, which began with the Navitimer Caliber 01 limited edition also released this year.

One of the highlights from Hermès this year and in the category of semi-complicated watches is the watchmaker's Arceau Temps Suspendu - or "Time Suspended" that offers a completely new mechanical complication.

As its name suggests the watch can stop time whenever the wearer wants. Activation of a pusher crown sends the hands scurrying to 12 o'clock where they remain until instructed by another push of the button.

It sounds simple enough, but underneath the dial the movement continues to run, enabling the watch to spring back into the present time on command.

A movement that suspends time required the invention of a new system and Hermès teamed up with master watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht to develop a retrograde complication. Three years and two patents later the team perfected the movement containing three separate retrograde functions and some very complex mechanics.

The whimsical nature of the watch gives the wearer a glimpse of 'Hermès time', where high craftsmanship and technical excellence bring a touch of fun and distraction to daily life, says Le Montre Hermès chief executive Luc Perramond.

"Our customers like having the impression that they are no longer slaves to time and that they can play with it according to their mood or to the time of day," he says. The watch, which is designed for men, is housed in a classic Arceau case in pink gold or stainless steel.

IWC's Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days - named for its power reserve, contains a new complex IWC-made 59210 calibre designed and constructed using state-of-the-art technology.

The calibre has an extra large barrel capable of storing energy for nine days but the addition of a gear stops the movement after eight days. This prevents the torque weakening, thereby ensuring greater accuracy. A power reserve display on the dial alerts the wearer when it is time to wind the watch.

The watch is characteristically Portofino style with a classic round case and strap horns giving an elegant edge in spite of the large diameter. Small seconds, date and power reserve indicators are displayed on the dial and hour and minute hands revolve around gold embossed indices.

Blancpain debuts its first half time-zone watch with an 8-day power reserve in the Villeret collection. The Villeret Demi-Fuseau Horaire 8 Jours contains a 324-part calibre developed by Blancpain with a triple series-coupled barrel system that keeps the watch ticking over eight days. Lightweight titanium is used for the balance to increase energy efficiency and precision.

The second time zone can be adjusted in 30-minute increments.

This year Patek Philippe unveils several new complicated watches, including Reference 5235. This Annual Calendar Regulator is the watchmaker's first wristwatch with a regulator dial and it contains a new 31-260 REG QA calibre with a mini-rotor that displays subsidiary seconds on the dial at 6 o'clock. The calibre was designed from scratch to accommodate components including the balance spring and escape wheel, made from silinvar and derived from silicon.

The 31-260 REG QA is Patek Philippe's first ultra-thin self-winding movement with a mini rotor and sets the benchmark for the watchmaker's future developments.

Following an extensive revamp that refocuses attention back to its heritage, Zenith launches the Captain Winsor Annual Calendar.

This complicated watch is the first collaboration between the watchmaker and the Musée International d'Horlogerie (MIH) and sees Zenith's high-precision El Primero calibre paired with an annual calendar component designed by master watchmaker and curator of the MIH, Ludwig Oechslin.

His simplified mechanism comprises only nine moving parts instead of the usual 30-plus that most calendars require. The addition of "thorns" for 30-day months enables the disc to jump two days.

The annual calendar displays the day, date and month on three concentric discs and requires one adjustment per year. On the dial an outer disc shows the date, the middle disc displays the month and an inner disc shows the day of the week.

The Captain Winsor Annual Calendar comes in two versions: a silver or midnight blue dial with steel case or silver dial with a pink gold case.

Finally, Girard-Perregaux unveils a new 1966 Full Calendar in white gold. As with previous editions the watch contains the GP033MO automatic movement allowing the annual calendar and moon phase indicators to be read on the dial.

The different functions on offer include hour, minute, sweep second, full calendar with date, day, month and moon phase indicators.

Brands mentioned in this article: IWC, Girard-Perregaux, Breitling & Zenith.