While we understand that many of our readers are avid watch collectors, some are also novices. As such, we are presenting an easy guide to a variety of complexities in watchmaking. Sometimes referred to in French as the Quantieme Perpetuel, a perpetual calendar watch is a mechanical timepiece that tracks a wealth of calendar information and properly displays it. That information typically includes the day of the week, date of the month, leap years, and moon phases.
The most important thing to understand about a perpetual calendar watch versus an annual calendar, for instance is that the mechanics inside the watch accurately track and portray automatically the exact date of the month, whether the month has 28, 30 or 31 days in it. It even accounts for leap year. Understand that there are many different perpetual calendar watches on the market and, by extension, the movements operate a bit differently from one to the next.
The reason for this is simple: in the year , when the leap year should occur, we will be skipping leap year in order to have real time according to the Gregorian calendar and solar time coincide correctly. Perpetual calendars are, by nature, extremely complex and typically hold hundreds of tiny mechanical parts inside.
Most perpetual calendar watches are typically elegant and classic, which you might attribute to their usually high price tags, and the perpetual calendar chronographs from Patek Philippe are some of the most sought after watches of all time. Posted in Focus On. Contact us for an appointment. Currency EUR. Timepiece Bank. Menu Search Account. Account Sign Up Sign In. Compare Products. Most Popular Brands. Watch our video. Our business Timepiece Bank is a well established business, backed by a team that has been active in the Antwerp diamond industry since the late 90s.
Contact us. Our offer Our offer is very clear… You have a particular watch in mind and you want to buy it a great price? There are many great examples of each, including the Rolex Sky-Dweller annual calendar and the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, these are some other examples of collector favorite models.
Not only does the watch feature an annual calendar, but it also has a second timezone read using the inner ring. The months of the annual calendar are indicated in 12 apertures around the dial, aligning with the indices, with the current month marked in red. Once the hand reaches 30 or 31 days, it will snap back around the dial starting the next month. The day and month are indicated within the arch of the retrograde date, while the hours, minutes, and seconds offset the dial on the right side.
Similar to the IWC, the day, date, and month are all read along the top of the dial. Balancing out the bottom half is a single chronograph register. To adjust the annual calendar there are pushes on the flank of the case. While there are three sub-dials and a moon phase, the perpetual calendar is read easily and is balanced. The 41mm case is designed to house both the perpetual calendar and flyback chronograph. The leap year indicator is set just below the months.
This is a larger dress watch size at 41mm and is a watch that commands wrist presence. Both the watch and case are remarkably complex. Ready to learn more about different functions?
Written By Emily Smith Emily joined the WatchBox team in and loves the history of watches and learning how they work. She has now started to build out her own collection, consisting of a vintage Omega and vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual, with her eyes on many other pieces. She appreciates the design and intricate details in watches and is always looking to learn more about the art. View More Articles. Emily joined the WatchBox team in and loves the history of watches and learning how they work.
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