When confronted with a new and mysterious timepiece, most watch experts flip the watch over to see whether an exhibition case is showing off the movement.
There are several reasons for this. First, you can quickly spot a mass-produced ETA or Selitta movement.
Secondly, you can examine the quality of finishing on the back of a movement.
If a watchmaker is putting effort into the underside of a timepiece, it is likely the whole watch will be of high quality.
Thirdly, you can instantly tell if it is an automatic or a manually wound watch because every automatic needs an oscillating weight to wind energy into its mainspring.
A new LAB Peripheral 3-Hands & Date from Perrelet is well worth examining from the underside, although it does provide one misleading sign.
The manufacture Perrelet P-411 caliber, presented through a crystal sapphire case back, is beautifully finished.
It has rhodium-plated bridges with Côtes de Genève finishing, gold-lined engravings and an exposed balance wheel.
However, a lack of visible rotor is not because this is a hand wound movement, it is because a peripheral rotor has been used as a point of interest on the dial side of the watch where it swings back and forth behind hour markers on the edge of a silver or black face.
The LAB Peripheral 3-Hands & Date comes in a 42mm cushion-shaped case with grey PVD coating and is worn on a black leather strap.
It goes on sale with a recommended retail prices of €3,980.
