1,773 articles found · page 24 of 60
A compact perpetual calendar from a 180-year-old British brand hitting a genuine milestone
The most clever perpetual calendar in the business just got a meaningful upgrade, and it's still only 41 mm
The mechanical calendar that knows leap years automatically through 2100.
36 mm × 8.9 mm, lug 19 mm, Cal. 240 Q
Quill & Pad
The F.P. Journe Octa Perpétuelle was Journe’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch. “First” is a flag that flies forever, and this watch is a potential collection cornerstone on that basis alone.
SJX Watches
A mechanical engineer by trade, Krzysztof Płonka has been making elaborate clocks since the 1990s in his workshop in southern Poland, specialising in regulator-style standing clocks with astronomical complications. One of his most complex creations is the Great Astronomical Skeleton Clock. Requiring a decade to complete – producing the components took six years and assembly a further four years – the clock is unique proposition that combines classical horology with more modern mechanics. Initial thoughts Large standing clocks are a niche of horology far from the mainstream of wristwatch collection. While wrist (and occasionally pocket) watches are well known to enthusiasts, the best clockmakers and their amazing works are mostly neglected. The Great Astronomical Skeleton Clock is a good example of such a hidden horological gem. It’s both curious in construction and comprehensive in terms of complications, a combination that should interest horologists and engineers alike. Built on a precision movement as the base, the clock features a complete perpetual calendar, sunrise and sunset times for a fixed location and even a sun declination indication. The mechanics are presented in a beautiful woodworked cabinet almost 3 m tall, with large glass panels generously showing the inner workings. The clock is stark in its open working, with most of the mechanics within on show from all sides. The movement features both classical horological elements and general mechanical c...
SJX Watches
The upcoming Phillips watch auction in Hong Kong includes the expected offerings from establishment brands and independent watchmakers, but more unusually an impressive line-up of complicated pocket watches – almost all from the same owner. Though the number of pocket watches is small, the selection is particularly notable in terms of quality, complications, and condition. We look at a quartet of impressive pocket watches in the sale, including two important watches that are not Swiss but built on Swiss ebauches: a 1930 L. Leroy grand complication with a four-digit year indicator and the massive, 63 mm Charles Frodsham minute repeating split-seconds chronograph with tourbillon. With the exception of the Audemars Piguet, all the pocket watches were consigned by the same collector, who also owns the unique Patek Philippe ref. 767 grand complication with double-split seconds. The auction takes place on May 24 (lots 801-934) and May 25 (lots 935-1083), and the online catalogue is here. The Frodsham double complication with tourbillon 876 – L. Leroy & Cie. Minute Repeating Perpetual Calendar Chronograph “Leroy” is a storied name in French watchmaker that began with Basile Le Roy (1765-1839), who was a contemporary of Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823). Like Breguet, Le Roy was clockmaker to royalty, including Napoleon. But this Leroy pocket watch was made by the firm of L. Leroy & Cie. founded by Louis Leroy (1859-1934), who was not related to Le Roy but worked for the ...
SJX Watches
One of the most fascinating timepieces in Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong auction is the Patek Philippe grand complication pocket watch ref. 767. Made in 1950 and sold in 1952, this one-of-a-kind pocket watch boasts a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and double split-seconds chronograph. More accurately, it is a mono-pusher, double split-seconds, or even triple-split seconds. This ref. 767 features not two, but three, chronograph seconds hands. As a result, it can simultaneously measure three elapsed times of up to one minute. The complication is possibly unique amongst Patek Philippe watches. A historically significant watch in itself, this ref. 767 also has notable provenance: it once belonged to Seth Atwood, the American industrialist who founded the now-closed Time Museum. According to Philips, this ref. 767 was Atwood’s everyday watch, not surprising since he was a legendary collector of his day with a collection that included the Patek Philippe Graves Supercomplication and the Duc d’Orléans Breguet Sympathique. Three seconds hands, two in blued steel and one in gold Initial thoughts I’ve been impressed by many pocket watches – some that come to include a Patek Philippe observatory tourbillon and the Philippe Dufour Grande Sonnerie – but I’ve rarely been surprised. This ref. 767 was, however, entirely unexpected. When it was first described to me, I was confused and immediately thought of the Lange Double Split. But as it turns out, this is entirely d...
Hodinkee
Plus an IWC Perpetual Calendar, and a Grand Seiko GMT.
Teddy Baldassarre
Founded in 1839 in Geneva, Patek Philippe has long been the gold standard of high watchmaking, pioneering complications and design elements that are now found widely throughout the watch industry - from the first keyless winding system in 1845 to the first annual calendar wristwatch in 1996, with many other innovations and historic timepieces in between. Throughout the maison’s long and prestigious history, watches from Patek Philippe have proven to be among the most coveted and valuable on the watch-auction circuit, making up nine of the 10 most expensive watches ever sold and 14 of the top 20. What are these record-breaking Patek Philippe timepieces, what makes them so special, and exactly how much money did they fetch when the hammer came down? Below, we count down the top 10, ending with the most expensive watch ever sold at auction. Patek Philippe Gold Chronograph Ref. 1527 ($5.709 million, 2010, Christie’s) Sold at Christie’s in 2010 and still holding its spot in the top 10 most expensive Patek Philippe watches, this exceedingly rare perpetual calendar chronograph with a yellow-gold tonneau case more than doubled its pre-auction estimate. Its matte silver dial features applied Arabic numerals, a tachymeter scale, and three subdials for chronograph minutes, running seconds, date, and moon-phases. Its movement is stamped with the prestigious Geneva Seal, attesting to its elite level of finishing as well as its chronometric performance. 9. Patek Philippe Titaniu...
Deployant
For 2024, two new Datographs. The base chronograph in white gold and a chronograph perpetual calendar tourbillon in honey coloured gold.
Monochrome
The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” is the indisputable highlight of A. Lange & Söhne’s novelties for Watches and Wonders 2024. Pulling out its big guns at Watches & Wonders, Lange has treated its über-complex flyback chronograph, perpetual calendar, and tourbillon cocktail to an exclusive Honeygold case and, for the cherry on top, a luminous […]
Monochrome
IWC’s Portugieser Eternal Calendar is the undisputed calendar masterpiece of the Schaffhausen-based brand for Watches and Wonders 2024. A colossal technical milestone, the Eternal Calendar marks the brand’s first secular perpetual calendar. Unlike a perpetual calendar that will need a correction in 2100, the Eternal Calendar is fitted with a 400-year gear that overrides the […]
Fratello
One part inside your watch makes one complete rotation every 400 years. Let that sink in. This is the case with the new IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar ref. IW505701. The calendar will run flawlessly until the year 3999. A regular perpetual calendar would need three corrections (in 2100, 2200, and 2300). Only those centurial years […] Visit Hot Take: IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Perhaps the complication most associated with IWC, the perpetual calendar with its distinctive four-digit year display was introduced in 1985 in the Da Vinci. Today IWC takes the “perpetual” concept to its maximum with the Portugieser Eternal Calendar that boasts a supercharged perpetual calendar, otherwise known as a secular calendar, requiring no adjustment for a thousand years. In addition, it is equipped with a moon phase of unprecedented accuracy – a day in 45 million years. Initial thoughts Even though it appears similar to the standard Portugieser Perpetual Calendar – though it is slightly thicker and wider – the Eternal Calendar is an appealing and note-worthy proposition in terms of its technical merits. The rare complication, however, comes at preposterously steep price. Discreetly dressed in the classic Portugieser case, but the Eternal Calendar reveals a modern twist in the form of the glass dial that shows off the calendar works underneath. To accomplish that, the movement employs a sapphire bridge in the calendar module, marking the first time IWC is using the material as a structural element in a calibre. The extensive use of sapphire hints at the impressive technicality of the movement, giving a sense of tangibility to the mechanics within. And the mechanics are certainly worth admiring. An “eternal” or secular calendar complication is appealing, for both the mechanical inclined and even the plain romantic who wants something that will go on...
SJX Watches
For IWC, 2024 is the year of the Portugieser. The collection receives a full refresh that covers the Portugieser Automatic 40, Portugieser Automatic 42 (previously known as the 7 Days), Portugieser Chronograph, and Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44. In addition, IWC has introduced an all-new model, the Portugieser Hand Wound Tourbillon Day & Night with a flying (and hacking) tourbillon. The standout debut, however, is without question the Portugieser Eternal Calendar – which we cover in a separate story. With the facelift, IWC has refined its core collection with subtle nips and tucks, including slimmer cases, while retaining the familiar design. The revamp includes new liveries including metallic finish dials in baby blue and champagne. The champagne finish, known as “Dune” Initial thoughts I’ve always enjoyed the aesthetic of the Portugieser collection, which is perhaps the only collection of dress watches of any brand where the (over)sizing is a feature rather than a drawback. The new collection is no exception; each piece is attractive and several models have received thoughtful technical upgrades, including an escapement with enhanced magnetism resistance. And the dials are not merely new colours, but sport detailed finishing and thoughtful details. Of course, there’s little in the way of true novelty in the collection outside of the Eternal Calendar that is a rare complication executed smartly but for an hard-to-believe six-figure price. Even the Tourbillo...
Quill & Pad
Chris Malburg highlights some of the finest examples of perpetual calendar watches today and dives into their history.
Deployant
Blancpain releases their perpetual calendar in a new green dial. Here is the new Quantième Perpétuel with the intense green dial in a red gold case.
Quill & Pad
In 2015 with the launch of LM Perpetual. Irish watchmaker and movement designer extraordinaire Stephen McDonnell reinvented the previously breakage-prone perpetual calendar complication and LM Perpetual transformed MB&F; from a serious design-led boutique brand into a very serious horological brand. Now MB&F; has introduced LM Perpetual EVO BLUE, in titanium with light blue dial plate.
Hodinkee
It's time to make sure your perpetual calendar is finally set, because this is one of the few times it gets to flex its muscles.
Worn & Wound
Once again, Leap Day is upon us. This is an important day for watch lovers, particularly those of us who admire complicated watches, as it gives those lucky enough to own a perpetual calendar an opportunity to observe them doing the thing they’re meant to do. Unlike the vast majority of watches with any kind of calendar complication, a perpetual calendar has already identified 2024 as a leap year, and will summarily display the first day of March without the need to advance the date. This, of course, is quite a mechanical feat, and one that only comes every four years, so it’s absolutely worth celebrating an event that is as rare as the Summer Olympics, a United States presidential election, and a new Bad Boys movie, all of which, for better or worse, we’re getting this year. This Leap Day, we celebrate the perpetual calendar by selecting a few of our absolute favorites. Our selections below represent many different approaches to the perpetual, from rigorously simple to intentionally complex, formal to sporty, and many places in between. The perpetual calendar might not be the most accessible of complications, but we can still appreciate them, particularly when they’re having their big, quadrennial moment. Zach Weiss I feel very strongly about perpetual calendars. I fawn over them. I look them up late at night when I can’t sleep and drool about the possibilities of knowing not just the day, or the date, or the month, or the phase of the moon, but knowing al...
Monochrome
If you’re one of the lucky few to own a perpetual calendar watch (or even rarer, a secular calendar watch), this is the day you have to wear this watch. It’s not even an option, it’s an order. Why? Because your movement is going to perform a mechanical ballet that only occurs every four years […]
SJX Watches
Five years since opening its first concept store in London, Phillips has now officially launched Phillips Perpetual in Hong Kong. Conceived as a conduit for collectors to buy and sell watches between the biannual auction seasons, Perpetual is located in Pedder Building, a 1920s Beaux-Arts style located in the Central business district. Established in 2019 with a showroom in London and led by James Marks, Perpetual is the private-sale arm of the auction house that allows clients to buy and sell anytime, instead of during the traditional May and November auctions. Perpetual operates physical stores in London and Hong Kong, along with a seasonal pop-up in Gstaad, as well as its e-commerce platform. The Hong Kong outpost strengthens its foothold in Asia, home to many of Phillips’ important clients. Something for everyone As with its London store, the Hong Kong boutique’s offerings will continually evolve. At opening, however, Perpetual in Hong Kong showcases diversity in terms of brands, complications, and styles. The flagship offering is a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300G-010, the brand’s most complicated wristwatch boasting a grande and petite sonnerie, alarm, date repeater, second time zone, and an instantaneous perpetual calendar. Another highlight is the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon “Homage to F.A. Lange” in Honey Gold launched in 2010 to mark the 165th birthday of its founder. Setting it apart from the earlier Lange 1 Tourbillon is a larger a...
SJX Watches
As we approach the leap day of February 29, the unofficial day of commemoration for perpetual calendar owners, it’s worth considering the technical advances in perpetual calendar movements of the past 20 years. The perpetual calendar is, and has always been, a staple of haute horlogerie. But for most of its history, the technology remained largely stagnant. It wasn’t until the beginning of the modern era, in the 1980s when Swiss watchmaking was regrouping after the Quartz Crisis, that a new generation of watchmakers revisited this complication in earnest. In particular, they sought to address fundamental weaknesses in the way traditional perpetual calendar designs switch from one date to the next. The quintessential perpetual calendar layout, here in the first serially-produced perpetual calendar wristwatch with a leap year indicator, the Audemars Piguet ref. 5516, which was produced in the late 1950s One of the more recent – and most notable – efforts at reimagining the complication came from Stephen McDonnell, who developed the MB&F; Legacy Machine Perpetual. According to Mr McDonnell, the traditional approach to the perpetual calendar was a flawed premise. “For decades in the Swiss watch industry, and even until the present day, it has been accepted and expected that [perpetual calendar] watches would often be damaged by owners while trying to correct them,” explains Mr McDonnell, “This was seen simply as an unavoidable factor of [perpetual calendar] owner...
Monochrome
Max Büsser might have a fervent imagination, capable of dreaming up spaceships to relay time in the most unusual way to his fellow earthlings, but he also has his feet firmly on the ground. Following the buzz surrounding the launch of the brand’s first perpetual calendar in 2015, a groundbreaking movement with a mechanical processor […]
Time+Tide
The sporty perpetual calendar gets a new dial colour, but stays just as awesome.The post MB&F; give Stephen McDonnell’s LM Perpetual EVO a baby blue makeover appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
One of the real pleasures of being involved in this hobby is being surprised when a brand you thought you had a good understanding of completely subverts expectations. I like it when watch brands genuinely seek to try something different and new (even if it doesn’t work). It’s so easy, especially once you’ve tasted success, to keep doing the same thing over and over, repeating a successful formula. But a brand that takes risks is inherently more interesting, and I always find myself drawn to those outlier watches – it’s almost as if they have something to prove, and I find that endearing. Baltic’s latest, the Prismic, falls into that category for me. And that’s not to say that Baltic hasn’t surprised us before by taking a left turn unexpectedly. I don’t think anyone expected them to unveil a perpetual calendar for Only Watch, for example. But I don’t think even the most forward thinking watch enthusiasts had something like the Prismic on their bingo card. Baltic, a brand known primarily for their interpretations of a classic sports watch aesthetic, has gone and made something that nods more to jewelry than the divers and racing chronographs they’ve made to this point. According to Baltic, the Prismic is a watch inspired by geometric shapes and how light refracts through a prism. The end result is a dress watch with quite a bit more bling than we’re accustomed to seeing from Baltic. This is a watch that’s designed with an aesthetics rather th...
Worn & Wound
For years we’ve been calling for watch brands in every category to embrace color, and to give us more than the standard array of white/black/blue when it comes to dial variants. And for the most part, we’ve reached a point where most watchmakers are providing consumers with a healthy choice of dial variants beyond the standard. A new release from Maurice Lacroix, however, has me wondering if case color is the next frontier. The new Aikon PVD collection, a small series of just two watches, has the brand’s popular contemporary sports watch getting a PVD coating. One in gunmetal gray (admittedly, not super uncommon) and the other in a metallic shade of dark blue. The Aikon so often spoken about as a far less expensive alternative to the Royal Oak that it’s hard not to think of AP’s Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in blue ceramic when considering the blue PVD Aikon. Obviously there are enormous differences. The aforementioned Royal Oak QP is, by all accounts, one of the most sought after watches in the world, full stop. The Aikon has a cult following, but it’s nowhere near the cultural touchstone of the Royal Oak. And the AP is complicated, and the Maurice Lacroix is time only. But still, from across the room (way, way across the room) the Aikon can play tricks on you – it has a similar silhouette and is a watch in a similar style as the Royal Oak, and now you can have one in blue, if you’d like. The blue PVD version of the Aikon measures 39mm in diameter, whi...
Monochrome
In 2020, H. Moser & Cie. introduced its Streamliner series, offering its distinctive interpretation of the luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet. If you’ve followed the brand, you’re likely acquainted with the Streamliner’s diverse lineup, including the chronograph, perpetual calendar, time-only, small seconds and tourbillon models. Notably, the red gold Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack from […]
Hodinkee
Plus a well-executed IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar, and a British Racing Green Breitling Bentley Premier.
Teddy Baldassarre
Among all the functions offered by today's timepieces (we in the watch trade call them complications, because even the ones that look relatively simple, like a date in a window, involve a lot of complex micro-mechanics), the GMT or second time zone is one of the most practical and useful - especially as many of us are back in the habit, post-COVID, of spending time again in time zones other than our own - for business, pleasure, or some combo of both. Here we've gathered 28 of the best GMT watches on the market now for your perusal and your consideration if you're in the market for a ticking companion for your next trip. To narrow the list and keep it manageable, we are keeping it as much as possible to "pure" GMT watches, i.e., those with a GMT hand pointing at a scale rather than some other unconventional display, which unfortunately excludes models like the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone, Parmigiani Tonda Hemispheres, Arnold & Son Globetrotter, and any number of very creative high-end takes on a dual-timer. We've also left out world-time watches, GMT watches' more complex cousins that display all the world's time zones simultaneously (you can check out our list of world timers here) and multiple-complication watches in which the GMT function is paired with a chronograph, perpetual calendar, or other high complications (small complications like dates are OK). Finally, we included only watches with mechanical movements, which are more likely to appeal to a wo...
SJX Watches
Twenty twenty-three was a year where familiar complications were reimagined. The year’s standouts in terms of complications are characterised by good execution. Granted, most of of them are evolutionary, except perhaps for the Audemars Piguet Universelle, but a classic complication done well is arguably superior to a novel idea done badly. We asked our team members well versed with the year’s complications for their favourites and here they are. SJX The year’s most complicated and most impressive (multi) complication came from a surprising brand, Audemars Piguet. Even though it was the Royal Oak Travis Scott and Royal Oak Concept “Spider-Man” that captured the headlines, the Code 11:59 Universelle was questionably AP’s most important watch of the year from a watchmaking perspective. The Universelle manages to pack almost two dozen complications, including a grande sonnerie, perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, and notably, automatic winding, into a case that’s just 42 mm wide and 15.55 mm high – a positively slender case by the standards of grand complications. By comparison, the F.P. Journe Astronomic is 44 mm by 13.7 mm, while the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime measures 47.7 mm by 16.07 mm. AP managed to do that with sophisticated and ingenious engineering, most notably by integrating the split-seconds mechanism into the automatic winding hub. The clever technical solutions are also evident in the calendar, which has an extra-thin construction...
Worn & Wound
“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds by emailing us at info@wornandwound.com Parmigiani Fleurier L’armoriale Pocket Watch Sometimes we get word of a watch that is just too beautiful and special not to feature. It’s become a tradition for Parmigiani Fleurier to create a special, completely unique pocket watch every year to celebrate founder Michel Parmigiani’s birthday, and this year they’ve really outdone themselves with a watch they’re calling L’armoriale. The heart of the timepiece is a mechanical caliber dating to 1890 that was restored by Parmigiani in 1985. Originally a chronograph minute repeater, the movement now features both of those complications as well as a perpetual calendar with a moonphase, a pretty incredible demonstration of Parmigiani’s skill as a watchmaker as well as his devotion to restoration and preserving and sometimes even enhancing horological history. The white gold case features a beautiful enameled caseback, and of course virtually everything here is completely handmade and hand finished, down to the intricate chiseled adornments that run across the case band. It’s a real work of art, worth spending some time gawk...
Quill & Pad
The Patek Philippe 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon launched in platinum for the 2001 model year, the 12-complication featured two dials. Dial one was devoted to a moonphase indicator and a perpetual calendar with retrograde date display. On the sub-dial display for months, simple text promised a tourbillon regulator within the case.
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