Round-UpThe Calendar Watch – Decoded With Our Top 5 Calendar Watches

“I have a watch which always has this issue of showing the last date of the month wrong. Like during April, there are only 30 days but my watch has to show the 31st. Is there any way the watch can automatically adjust itself according to the month?”  –  Asked on Quora

This is an interesting problem since the Flintstones wore sundials on their wrists. It’s no one’s fault really! Some months have 30 days and other months have 31 days and every once in a while February has 29 days. Very little can be done about this (obviously). But this very problem of having to set the date manually was solved years ago by our very own Swiss watchmakers. That’s right, mechanical timepieces did the math way before the idea of smartwatches was even born.

Now picture this: a mechanical watch, not remotely connected to the internet or any device for that matter, sets the date (even tells you the correct day) just by the precise addition of some screws, gears, and linkages. This mechanism is so accurate that you don’t need to touch or change the date on your watch (including leap years). And though the world today is raving over Android wears and Apple watches, the reality is that annual and perpetual calendar watches are the original ‘smart watches’.

“A calendar watch is not only a mechanical computer but also an artistic representation of the passing of time. Layers of mechanical artistry must work in perfect harmony to present a seemingly simple result: what day it is.”

What’s in the name? (Annual vs Perpetual Calendar)

Like their names, Annual and Perpetual calendar watches serve different purposes. But before we go into the differences, let’s discuss the similarities of these complications: both display the hour, day, date, month and moon phase. The day, date, month and moon phase functions are based on the Gregorian calendar.

The difference is self-explanatory: Annual calendar watches need to be adjusted once annually in a year, i.e., the first day of March, because they don’t recognise leap years. Once that’s set, the annual calendar watch automatically adjusts itself and follows every month with 30 or 31 days (without manual adjustment), which means an annual calendar has got you covered for 11 out of 12 months of the year, as long as you keep it wound.

A perpetual calendar or quantième complet watch, however, doesn’t need any kind of manual setting. With a combination of different levers, a perpetual calendar watch has the ability to automatically change to the correct date, including all leap years. That means, you would never have to adjust the date of your watch.

There is one shortcoming of the quantième complet, however. The 1st of March, 2100 will not be a leap year in accordance with the “Great Pope Gregory’s” ancient calendar, which says that three centuries out of four are not to be leap years (blame the Romans for this). So if you’re lucky enough to ever own a perpetual calendar in your life, leave your grandson a note.

Otherwise, there is no known limitation of these complications. But, because these watches are more complicated than a usual watch, calendar watches come at a premium versus a simple watch. And for connoisseurs, even an annual calendar watch isn’t enough to impress, which is why the perpetual calendar watch (usually made in limited quantities) is significantly more expensive than an annual calendar (which is why I said before, “if you’re ever lucky enough”).

Nevertheless, while you adjust the date on your watch, here’s a bucket list of Annual & Perpetual calendar watches that will always keep you on schedule:

1. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Calendar Meteorite (Annual Calendar)

Masters of calendar watches

JLC, around the world are known for their catalogue of super luxurious in-house movements, many of which have even been used by competitive brands! It’s a fact, nobody does complications like Jaeger, and the Master Calendar Meteorite is an example of that. With a separate crescent moon-date hand to tell the date, and keeping the overall thickness to less than 11mm despite having an annual calendar complication is a feat! But what makes this watch even more special is that the dial is made from the sliver of a meteorite that crashed into a Swedish glacier centuries ago. We’re not sure why this watch is still available. It should have been sold out by now!

2. Baume & Mercier Clifton (Annual Calendar)

Accessible high-end watchmaking

Baume & Mercier is indubitably, the king of accessible high-end watchmaking. The Clifton collection from Baume is one that has seen complications you would find in one of the uber-luxurious watches by the heavyweights of the industry, but comes in at about half the price. The Clifton Annual Calendar is one that rose to the occasion at SIHH 2016 thanks to its refined movement, great looks and variety of strap+dial options. But at the end of it all, it’s an annual calendar watch of the highest caliber, for half of what it’s worth.

It’s also a watch your son will willingly accept as and when you decide to pass it down.

3. Longines Master Collection (Annual Calendar)

The affordable annual calendar

For those who are familiar with Longines, know that back in the day if one couldn’t afford the likes of Breguet or Blancpain, they would buy a Longines. But with the likes of Tissot and Movado coming in their way, the brand Longines was lost in its history. But long time loyalists will be happy to know that the brand still makes a genuine effort to produce timepieces befitting its heritage. The Longines Master Calendar sticks to the classic norms of its heritage collection with a minimalist approach to displaying the calendar, using an offset arc-shaped hand to display the date. And in addition to being one of the most reliable annual calendar watches out there, it’s also the most affordable one!

4. Carl F.Bucherer Manero Chrono Perpetual (Perpetual Calendar)

The most luxurious perpetual calendar one can own

From the most affordable to the most luxurious one. Driven by one of the most advanced in-house perpetual calendar movements, the Manero Chrono Perpetual is for those who want to take the calendar watch game to the next level, because not only does the watch have a perpetual calendar complication, but has a flyback chronograph as well! Crafted in pure 18-carat rose gold, even the crown and polished chronograph push-pieces are done in 18K gold! But, of course, this one is not for everyone because Bucherer has produced only 100 of these beauties.

5. IWC Pilot’s (Perpetual Calendar)

Built to last generations

IWC paid a tribute to the Pilot’s collection on its 80^th anniversary back in 2016, with the Pilot’s Perpetual Calendar – a Pilot’s watch which was the most complex of them all – and a highly attractive one to be honest. The movement, developed in-house in Schaffhausen, has a full seven-day power reserve and even has a year display that has an interesting tale behind it.

The century slides of the year display bear 20, 21 and 22 which means, the watch will technically end its service on 31 December 2299; but the interesting bit is that IWC will supply the 23 and 24-century slides too (in case you need them) for the years 2300 to 2499. This one should last you a couple of generations, if not more.

All the above-featured watches are available at Ethos Watch Boutiques.

Would you ever invest in a calendar watch? Let us know in the comments section below!