For version 2.0 of the Timepieces application the first goal was to round out the total number of clocks in the application to a nice even 50.  Version 1.0 had 44 clocks  as this was the number that Mike Stran had completed for his original implementation of the Very Magnetic Clock Company screen saver which served as the inspiration for the Timepieces iPhone app.  However, 44 is a rather unusual and seemingly arbitrary number of pretty much anything so six new clocks have been added:

Lemania Chronograph is the featured clock within this upgrade.  First in foremost it's colors, contrast, and bold features come out quite well in the photograph making for an excellent looking clock in addition to providing a nice set of advanced timekeeping functions.  The main outer band reads hours and minutes with the seconds displayed on a inset dial on the lower portion of the face.  The chronograph function of this pocket watch can time events of up to 30 minutes in duration down to a tenth of a second accuracy with the minutes portion of the time read from the upper inset dial.  The chronograph also features a split second function operated by a second button to the left of the crown which allows for multiple events to be timed and recorded.

While one can certainly use the Timepieces application in the same manner as a regular watch or clock the fact that the iPhone includes the current time on it's lock screen and on the top status bar within every application means that the application really is not going to be used for on-the-move checking of the time.  It's primary use is really that of a desktop or bedside table clock started by users when the device is sitting in it's charger and when they plan to spend a significant amount of time in the same place.  Personally, I run the application on my 1st generation iPod Touch which I had purchased some months before actually getting an iPhone.  Rather than sitting around un-used when I'm not listening to music it now spends it's time on the top my desk running Timepieces.


A check box added to the clock selection screen allows users to indicate which clocks are their favorites.  This function works in conjunction with the clock rotation feature which can be configured to switch between all clocks in the application or only those that have been marked as a favorite.

Winding strength indicators were often included on clocks for which accurate timekeeping was vital to their intended usage.  This was especially true for railroad clocks where accurate watches were required to keep trains on-schedule and even prevent collisions when shared tracks were traveled.  In the case of a ship's chronometer keeping it properly wound, and therefore accurate, was vital to accurately knowing the position of the ship on the ocean as a slow clock would lead to inaccurate calculations of the ship's longitude. 

Although present and active within version 1.0 these winding strength indicators did not do too much.  A simple countdown was applied to update their position based upon how long the original clock or watch could run before needing to be rewound.  While the indicators would move they did not really impart any useful information.  With release 3.0 of the iPhone operating system Apple exposed methods by which the battery charge status of the iPhone or iPod Touch can be accessed by third party applications.  As such version 2.0 of Timepieces now uses this information to update the position of the winding strength indicators.  They essentially now reflect the modern-day analog of a wound clock spring.  As your device's battery charge is used up the winding strength indicators will move from their full to empty positions.  Instead of showing how soon your watch needs winding they now reflect how soon your device needs charging.

An interesting result is that due to their longer range of movement the winding strength indicators on the Timepieces clocks actually provide a more accurate display of battery status than the actual battery indicator within the iPhone status bar.