Hodinkee
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin With Blue Dial
A new blue dial for a classically slim perpetual.
1,832 articles · 12 videos found · page 9 of 62
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
A Milan exclusive, a platinum case, and an instantaneous perpetual calendar chronograph that marks only the seventh such reference in Patek Philippe history
The mechanical calendar that knows leap years automatically through 2100.
Hodinkee
A new blue dial for a classically slim perpetual.
Deployant
The A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual and the Patek Philippe Ref. 5270 go head on - how will they fare against one another?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Whether they’ll admit it or not, despite their Protestant roots, the Swiss watch titans have always cast themselves in the mold of the Greek Gods, a pantheon of horological divinities...
Deployant
Full hands-on analytical review of the new Patek Philippe Ref. 5320G with live high resolution photos from Baselworld 2017.
Revolution
Deployant
Montblanc's presence in the watch arena over the past few years have been largely built on the premise of price differentiation. Frequently seen in various articles, many rave about Montblanc's value for money timepieces. Montblanc's market strategy is a clever one considering the industry's need to target the middle class segments with affordable timepieces.
Deployant
In 2015, the large digital date and month display becomes a dominant feature of the IWC Portugieser watch family.
Deployant
SIHH 2013 came and went in a blur…this was one of my busiest SIHH in my 12 odd years of attending yet. And one of the most interesting for my friends at Lange. Big, big crop of new watches. Grande Complication, 1815 Perpetual Rattrapante, 1815 Up Down, Lange 1 Lumen, amongst other new case/dial combinations.Read More
Hodinkee
Friday's upon us again. Happy pumpkin spice season to all who celebrate. While you're deciding whether to see Digger in the theater, planning your elaborate Halloween costume, penciling in time to watch the WNBA finals and MLB playoffs, and tracking fallout from the Man City scandal, here are a few watches to tide you over as the mercury drops. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the ZRC went for €6,000, the Omega Ranchero for €3,500, the Cartier Santos sells tomorrow, and the Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar for $14,000. Strays Here's an honest-looking early Heuer 844, which, yes, has a worn crystal and bezel, and it 'requires attention' according to the listing. That said, it's got a decent-looking Monnin case, cathedral hands (meaning Mk 1), and a movement that's common enough to be fairly easily resurrected. For those who at some point fell into the Omega Symbol watch rabbit hole, here's a pair of excellent men's versions—this one and that one—and an accompanying pair of women's versions (this and that), and if all of that is gobbledygook to you, count yourself lucky and move along. If you've been hankering for a great-looking 1979 Rolex Milgauss ref. 1019, your time has come. Photo courtesy of The Saleroom. This is in the running as the prettiest school pocket watch I've seen in a long time, and a good argument for why people should continue investing more time, energy, and money into pocket watches. Bonhams' upcoming New York auction on the 8th has plenty of wo...
Hodinkee
It's been a busy week, Baller, not just with a bunch of new watches being released, but with a phantom island migrating in ways you wouldn't expect an island to, the news that Avocados reverse their sex multiple times a day and, if you're wondering why your car gets so beat up by exposure to rain, no, it's not just that water eventually leads to rust, but that the coating on cars can be destroyed by the electric charge raindrops arrive carrying. Also, physicists may've found dark matter. This is your reminder that no matter how strange you find the world, it's always stranger than that. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Hamilton Cross Country sold for $1,200, the Heuer Titanium Quartz for $340 AUD, the Movado Super Sub Sea for $4,250, the Breitling 810 for $2,750, and the Breitling 815 sells tomorrow. Strays Photo courtesy of Interencheres. RAF Sector clocks were also sometimes known as Operations Room clocks, and this week you've got a trio to choose from—one, two, three—if you're into extremely beautiful and historically important clocks. If you're a horologically-inclined fan of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, here is, I kid you not, a Zenith with the branding "Black, Starr, and Frost" on the dial. For those hankering for an unworn Rolex Platinum President (ref 228236), have at it, and this Audemars Piguet 25696PT Huitieme Perpetual Calendar is such a strange 1990s watch. You can see from the pictures that it's a modular build, given the crown and pushers don't align, an...
SJX Watches
The return of the Vacheron Constantin Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar got us thinking about other technically interesting watches that showed promise but never truly found their footing. In episode 47 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon discuss recent releases from Seiko, IWC, and Swatch before turning to candidates for a second chance, including the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars AP Escapement, the TAG Heuer Monaco V4, and the elusive Breguet Hommage à Nicolas G. Hayek 7887. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Hodinkee
Plus a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar ref. 5140 in platinum, and a rose-gold Cartier Tortue.
Hodinkee
How the The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar Tantalum was made.
SJX Watches
Kicking off the spring-season watch auctions, the upcoming Phillips sale in Geneva takes place over the weekend of May 8 and 9. Led by the Patek Philippe ref. 2523 cloisonné world time “Eurasia”, the 236-lot catalogue has clearly been curated to cater to the taste of contemporary collectors. We round up a few interesting lots from the sale, including a pair of obscure watches by famed independent watchmakers – the Harry Winston Opus 1 by F.P. Journe, and the Roger W. Smith Series 1 “Onely” for Theo Fennell. Perhaps as unusual, but this time from an establishment name, is the Vacheron Constantin American 1921 Perpetual Calendar. And then there’s the Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 570 with a two-tone dial and Breguet numerals, which is simply gorgeous. The Geneva Watch Auction: XIII takes place on May 8 (for lots 1-130) and May 9 (lots 131-236). The full catalogue and registration for bidding are available online. Lots 57 and 89 – Cartier Tortue monopoussoir chronographs Enjoying a resurgent interest in its elegant but original designs, bringing to mind its 1990s heyday at auction, Cartier is now frequently encountered in watch auctions. And the two present examples of the Tortue are each interesting, but even more notable side by side in the same same. They are the same watch – the original from 1930 and the remake some seven decades on. Tortue, French for” turtle”, is a century-old design attributed to Cartier, having made its debut in 1912. It’s ...
SJX Watches
Taking place over two days – Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7 – The Geneva Watch Auction: XII at Phillips is the first sale of the fall auction season. A compact sale of under 180 lots, the auction comprises a diverse line up, ranging from the obviously notable – like a Cartier Crash in platinum and a unique Patek Philippe ref. 5020P – to the obscure but extremely interesting, like the postwar A. Lange & Söhne wristwatch made after the company had been nationalised by the Soviets, as well as a vintage Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar with a paradoxical brand-new but factory-original case. Here’s a look at handful of standouts from the sale. You’ll find the full catalogue, as well as online bidding, right here. Lot 31 – Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Regulator ref. 5235G Unlike many of the other watches in the auction, the ref. 5235G is neither rare nor complicated, or even especially valuable. But it is an under-appreciated gem in Patek Philippe’s line up. Lightly designed and full of unusual details – ranging from the brushed dial finish to the engraved logo at three – the ref. 5235 also boasts a distinctively-designed movement unique to this reference and found in no other model. This example of the ref. 5235 is in white gold, which was discontinued last year and replaced by the same in rose gold with a black dial. While the new version is far more striking, the almost monochromatic white gold version is deeply appealing in its simplici...
SJX Watches
I rarely write “listicles” but the holidays are always a good excuse for one: a run through of the year’s wants. It’s a wish list of watches I desire, and in a handful of instance bought, and not about the most significant or notable watches (which will be published just before the year’s end). Surprisingly the list is a pretty short one, and heavier on affordable watches than top of the line ones. That’s perhaps reflective of both the state of the industry – often saturated and occasionally unimaginative – and the fact that I’ve seen quite a lot. That being said, sometimes it’s the simple and affordable that surprises, like the Tudor P01, or something from an expected corner, like the Chanel Monsieur Edition Noire. High hopes Even for a price-is-no-object list there are barely any must-haves. The list of candidates was long, but most were crossed out for one reason or another. That also in part reflects the fact that the more expensive a watch is, the higher the standards it should be held to. The Vacheron Constantin Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar, for instance, is exceptionally interesting and smartly conceived, in fact, it’s one of the year’s best watch in terms of mechanics, but the design is a bit of a let down. Even in a more affordable tier of complicated watches, the wants come with caveats. The Hermes L’Heure de la Lune is unconventional and poetic, typically Hermes in style. Though its face is elegant, the case profile is less so; it is a ...
Time+Tide
The past few months have been so crazy that we split last month’s dispatch into two. As Basel wrapped up, I headed back to the great city of London for round two. Apparently I wasn’t sick of looking at watches yet. Silas’s Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 3940G Whilst roaming the streets of Clerkenwell, I took the … ContinuedThe post SPOTTED! BY AG: Dispatch 8, May 2017 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
If you like watches (you do) and exist in a digital age (also affirmative) there’s a good chance you’ve encountered the garrulous Adam Craniotes – heck you might have even seen his tour of NYC. And if you’ve come across @Craniotes, you’ve probably heard the story of his IWC Perpetual Calendar, and how he had to … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Why I love my watch – with RedBar founder Adam Craniotes appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
What We Know Last year, Frederique Constant released its classic perpetual calendar with a new movement, the FC-776, and eighteen months later, the brand is releasing a burgundy edition of its Manufacture Classic Perpetual Calendar, limited to 100 pieces. As Mark wrote when the previous edition was released right before last year's Watches and Wonders, the watch "has been one of if not the premiere affordable mechanical perpetual calendar on the market," and with the burgundy edition, the brand is offering a limited edition option to the collection. The polished stainless steel case measures 40mm by 12.25mm and has an anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal, 50 meters of water resistance, and an engraved case back carrying the individual edition number. The sunray-finished dial shifts from deep wine tones to brighter reflections, with a Côtes de Genève pattern on the counters. The day sits at 9 o'clock, the date at 3 o'clock, and the month and leap year at 12 o'clock. The moonphase at 6 o'clock runs against a midnight-blue background with laser-engraved stars. A chemin de fer minute track, applied faceted hour markers, and polished hands, and the fluted onion crown complete the dial. The Manufacture Classic Perpetual Calendar Burgundy Limited Edition, comes on a black alligator strap with a folding buckle and includes a second strap in burgundy alligator with an easy-open deployment clasp. It is priced at $12,995, limited to 100 pieces, and is available now. What We Thin...
Monochrome
Frederique Constant is known to make traditionally expensive watchmaking complications more accessible. Its Manufacture Perpetual Calendar, first introduced in 2016, was a QP priced well below that of many established competitors. In 2025, the watch received an update: a more refined 40mm case and a revised movement, with a power reserve extended to 72 hours. […]
Worn & Wound
RGM has introduced a new perpetual calendar, their first since the Model 103-R Minute Repeater Perpetual which was introduced in the 1990s. The new watch, dubbed the 501-PC, has classic RGM aesthetics and incorporates a new module from Dubois-Depraz for the calendar complication (not unlike another perpetual calendar to debut recently). While the watch is not inexpensive by any means, the use of a module fixed to a mass produced movement does keep costs down somewhat compared to a fully in-house design, and serves as another example of the many small ways traditional higher end complications are being democratized across the larger watch marketplace. The 501-PC has a fairly traditional perpetual calendar layout, with a 12:00 subdial indicating the months and leap year, a 3:00 subdial showing the date, a moonphase at 6:00, and the day of the week in a subdial at 9:00. The dial layout and design takes inspiration from 19th century pocket watches, a frequent source of inspiration for RGM over the years, and is rendered in white enamel. Black painted Roman numerals and blued hands add additional depth and historic coherence to the design. It’s all very traditional and the antithesis of flashy. Again, exactly what you’d expect from RGM. The case is stainless steel and measures 39mm in diameter and is 11.5mm thick. Like the Fears linked above, which this watch is sure to draw comparisons to thanks to the movement, that’s an incredibly wearable and approachable size. The ...
Fratello
The Clifton 10870 and 10872 with ice-blue dials are two new limited editions in Baume & Mercier’s collection. The 39mm three-hand automatic features a date at 6 o’clock, and the 40mm perpetual calendar adds day, month, leap-year cycle, and moonphase indicators. Both creations use the five-day Baumatic movement and feature a light blue dial with […] Visit Do The Baume & Mercier Clifton 10870 And Perpetual Calendar 10872 Break The Ice? to read the full article.
Monochrome
RGM Watch Company, the American independent watchmaker based in Pennsylvania, is bringing the perpetual calendar complication back into its collection with the new Model 501-PC, marking the company’s first watch with the function since the Model 103-R Minute Repeater Perpetual of the late 1990s – you can see this model and also the watchmaker’s complete […]
Time+Tide
The Perpetual Calendar in JLC's Master Control collection is Tom's weapon of choice against Zach and Russell's picks. Let's find out why...
Hodinkee
Reporting directly from Milan, we have a brand-new watch from Patek Philippe, and man, this is a big one. For only the seventh time in the 187 years of the world's most important high-end watchmaker, we have a new perpetual calendar chronograph! The 1518 was shown in 1941, the 2499 in 1951, the 3970 in 1986, the 5020 (forgot about that one, didnt ya!?) in 1994, the 5970 in 2004, and the 5270 in 2011 – which means this new watch, the reference 5978P, is only the second to be shown in my entire career covering this space. So you can imagine how excited I was to hear about it! Say hello to the 5978P. For only the seventh time in 187 years, we have a new perpetual calendar chronograph! What you're looking at is something so familiar, and yet so different. It is the first hand-wound perpetual chronograph to feature an instantaneous calendar mechanism, all shown in windows along a curved arch at the top of the dial, making the watch immensely legible, much more so than any previous PPC to date. The instantaneous jumping – which happens within 30 milliseconds – is one heck of a party trick. If you're thinking this looks like something you may have seen in the 5208 or 5308 Grand Complications, you'd be exactly right. The long and short is that Patek has taken that ingenious instantaneous perpetual calendar mechanism from its big, big dog watches and applied it to the base chronograph caliber CH 29-535 that powers Patek's finest watches. It makes a shocking amount of sen...
Hodinkee
What We Know The hottest Vacheron Constantin collection is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year, and the brand is paying tribute with a new version of one of my personal favorite watches from the brand. Sure, earlier this year we got the return of the 2500V, which is celebration enough, but the new limited-edition azure blue Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin is a limited edition that honors the first generation of the collection. Below is a picture of the current third generation and the 1996 first generation, itself a successor of sorts to the 222 in 1977 and the 1975 Chronomètre Royal before it. Yes, Vacheron has done a blue version of this watch before—and has released a few other colors recently, including a bold red—but now the same 41.5mm by 8.1mm white gold case gets a more muted, less saturated azure blue soleil and lacquer treatment, with white and light blue printed text and applied indices with Super-LumiNova. The movement is the same Caliber 1120 QP/1 automatic movement that is only 4.05 mm thick. Yes, other brands are slowly introducing perpetual calendars with a crown-adjustment system, but while this still uses caseband pushers, the benefit is a watch that measures 1.5mm thinner than the similarly wide Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The watch runs at a slightly slower 2.75 Hz and has only 40 hours of power reserve, but again, at the thin profile you get, the wearability should more than make up for any small downsides. Another huge benefit i...
WatchAdvice
I take the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronomètre Perpetual Calendar hands-on to discover how the Maison has combined an ultra-thin complication with its first integrated bracelet design! What We Love: Impressively slim perpetual calendar architecture Beautifully executed integrated bracelet design Excellent proportions to suit a range of wrist sizes What We Don’t: Pink gold and toffee dial lack contrast Calendar adjustments still require a corrector No factory strap alternative currently offered Overall Rating: 9.5/10 Value for Money: 9.5/10 Wearability: 9.7/10 Design: 9.5/10 Build Quality: 9.5/10 Jaeger-LeCoultre has created a bold new direction for its Master Control collection with the introduction of the Master Control Chronomètre family. This new collection brings an integrated bracelet to the Maison for the very first time, while taking the traditional elegance of the Master Control and presenting it through a more contemporary design. Did Jaeger-LeCoultre Perfect The Integrated Bracelet Watch? (Hands On) Hands On With The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronometre Date Power Reserve The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronomètre Date and Master Control Chronomètre Date Power Reserve Reviews! The Master Control Chronomètre family introduces three new models: the Chronomètre Date, the Chronomètre Date Power Reserve and, lastly, the most complicated of the three, the Chronomètre Perpetual Calendar. Jaeger-LeCoultre first introduced the Master ...
Fratello
This year, Fears celebrates 180 years since its founding and 10 years since its revival by Nicholas Bowman-Scargill. Over the past decade, the British brand has established an understated and elegant collection, with the Brunswick as its most recognizable reference point. Now, the watch, with its signature cushion-shaped case, onion crown, and pipette hands, gets […] Visit Fears Celebrates Its (Re-)Birthday With The New Brunswick 39 — The Brand’s First Perpetual Calendar to read the full article.
SJX Watches
IWC’s history is dotted with landmark innovations such as Albert Pellaton’s pawl winding system, Kurt Klaus’ famous perpetual calendar, and Richard Habring’s split-seconds chronograph module; the ProSet perpetual calendar system continues this legacy. This bidirectional perpetual calendar module made its debut earlier this year at Watches & Wonders inside the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet, and remains true to IWC’s identity as an engineer’s manufacture. A smaller Big Pilot QP The Big Pilot ProSet unveiled at Watches & Wonders blends the manufacture’s latest engineering feat with the beloved styling of the pilot’s watch. The ProSet system is currently only available inside the 42 mm Big Pilot. Powered by a downsized base calibre, the 42 mm ProSet is the first Big Pilot under 46 mm to include a perpetual calendar. IWC has a tweaked and scaled down the its signature Kurt Klaus module in the past for the 42 mm Portugieser and some Portofinos, but somehow it never made into the reduced Big Pilot collection. Unfortunately, these smaller watches lacked the now-iconic digital year display, and instead featured a subtler (but more forgettable) leap cycle aperture. The ProSet brings back the four-digit year display, making this watch almost indistinguishable from the original 46 mm version. Apart from some styling choices, the main difference in the displays is the lack of a power reserve indicator. The cal. 82665 inside is powered by a single mains...
SJX Watches
A. Lange & Söhne’s flagship launch for the year, so far, is the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”. It follows a familiar template, applying the desirable “Lumen” treatment to a complicated, top-of-the-line model. But unlike earlier Lumen editions, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is more than a mere cosmetic makeover. The unique calendar display requires a more complex dial construction, and the movement has been reworked for visual impact. Even though the concept is predictable – and predictably pricey – the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” is unexpectedly appealing. Initial thoughts This is stating the obvious, but the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” is clearly the most appealing iteration of the most complicated Lange 1. Visually it is more striking in both light and darkness, with the new look also adding to the intricacy of the dial construction. And because Lange doesn’t do things in half measures when it comes to movements, the L225.1 inside this has been reworked by some margin to solve one of the shortcomings of the original model, a tourbillon that was barely visible. The original Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar was and still is the most complicated version of Lange’s iconic watch design. All perpetual calendar indicators were cleverly incorporated in the Lange 1’s distinctive yet sensible layout. Add to that a tourbillon visible only on the back meant there was a lot going on ins...
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