LONG-WINDED EXTENDED-RESERVE WATCHES OFFER LUXURIOUS RUN TIMES.

ENDURANCE APPLIES TO watches in many ways.

- BY MATT FARAH

Even gearheads understand that stories of endurance are verified by a timekeeping device. That’s one reason why Rolex attaches itself to that race on an oval infield in Florida every January.

This selection covers a different type of endurance, one that’s even more on the nose: the long power reserve. With self-winding automatic movements, even mechanical watches don’t have much need for a long power reserve. If worn at least every couple of days, the watch will keep time indefinitely. But there’s still something special about hand-wound watches. They also tend to have slimmer cases, with movements fully revealed thanks to the absence of a winding rotor. It’s just that winding a watch every morning like it’s 1878 doesn’t feel . . . luxurious. As such, modern watchmaking innovation has extended the work that a wound tiny spring can do.

Here are four watches that will endure for a week or more on a single wind. That’s plenty of time to ensure you won't need to twist the crown in the middle of a 24-hour competition.

IWC Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar