Perpetual Calendar Watches · Page 6

Audemars Piguet Has Reinvented The Chronograph: What Does It Mean To The Watch World?

Audemars Piguet is celebrating its 150th anniversary by introducing plenty of novelties, and they’re not watches. The brand from Le Brassus is also presenting new movements. The latest perpetual calendars now feature an ingenious crown, for instance, but the biggest news of the year is undoubtedly the launch of the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding […] Visit Audemars Piguet Has Reinvented The Chronograph: What Does It Mean To The Watch World? to read the full article.

Introducing Kiwame Tokyo, a New Japanese Microbrand

The independent watch space in Japan is one of the most interesting in the world right now. There have, of course, always been a lot of great watches coming out of Japan, but the last few years have seen a real surge in enthusiast focused releases from brands at literally every price point, and they’ve been redefining what a Japanese watch looks and feels like. We recently covered the latest release from Ōtsuka Lōtec, a daring haute horology experiment with a six figure price tag, and this year also saw the unveiling of Naoya Hida’s first perpetual calendar, which, for me personally, is still one of the very best watches I’ve laid hands on in 2025. These watches, and others, make for great examples of the breadth of Japanese watchmaking, but not everything new and interesting is prohibitively expensive. Case in point, Kiwame Tokyo, an entirely new brand that recently came across our radar.  Kiwame is the brainchild of Masami Watanabe, a 30 year veteran of the watch industry who began his career importing luxury watches from European brands to his native Japan. Over time, he also became interested in the burgeoning microbrand scene, and the stated goal of Kiwame is to create a “truly Japanese” microbrand that captures the refinement and craft that is often associated with Japanese design principles.  Kiwame debuted their first two watches only a short time ago and they quickly sold out of each 99 piece limited edition (an additional run is promised for Novembe...

Frederique Constant’s Latest Perpetual Calendar Is Pure Elegance

IWC Pilot's Watches: The History and Ultimate Guide

Few watch brands are as readily identified with aviation and the history of pilot’s watches than IWC, which not only gave the watch world two of the genre’s most iconic (and widely emulated) timepieces, the Big Pilot’s Watch and the Mark 11, but also has used both these groundbreaking models as foundations for a sprawling and diverse collection of contemporary aviation-inspired watches today. Here is the story of IWC Pilot’s Watches, from the Special Watch for Pilots to the Spitfire to the Top Gun, from simple three-hand to perpetual calendar, and everything in between.  F.A. Jones’ International Dream (1860s - 1930s)   IWC founder Florentine Ariosto Jones Other than the fact that he came to Switzerland in 1868, at the relatively tender age of 27, to become the first American-born founder of a Swiss watch company, little is known about the life of IWC patriarch Florentine Ariosto Jones. He was born in New Hampshire in 1841 and fought in the American Civil War for the Massachusetts Infantry. His postwar career at the renowned Massachusetts watchmaker E. Howard & Co. led to his European sojourn and the establishment of the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. From the outset, Jones’ business plan was to marry the generational watchmaking expertise of the Swiss with the then-new, assembly-line production techniques of the U.S.A. His decision to locate his factory in Schaffhausen, near Switzerland’s northern border with Germany, rather tha...

Introducing – The New Ochs und Junior Day/Night Holiday Edition 2025

Ochs und Junior, the independent brand founded in 2006 around the inventive genius of Dr Ludwig Oechslin, has built its reputation on watches that present complex astronomical or calendar displays in radically simple, functional designs. Models such as the perpetual calendar, annual calendar, and moon phase are already cult favourites among collectors who appreciate mechanical […]

Frederique Constant expands the Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture range with two new dials in steel, plus a luxurious gold halo model

The most affordable perpetual calendar on the market gets silver and blue dials in steel plus a baller yellow gold, onyx-dialled model.The post Frederique Constant expands the Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture range with two new dials in steel, plus a luxurious gold halo model appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Hands On: Christiaan van der Klaauw Planetarium Meteorite

When it comes to planetarium wristwatches, Christiaan van der Klaauw (CvdK) has little competition, since it owns much of the intellectual property behind the complication. But that hasn’t stopped the brand from competing with itself, and the result the Grand Planetarium Eccentric Meteorite, the most complete model of the solar system ever put in a wristwatch. It’s a maximalist approach to the planetarium concept that’s almost overwhelming in look and feel, thanks to the rich texture of its solid 44 mm meteorite case and busy dial. Building on the Grand Planetarium Eccentric from 2024, the Eccentric Meteorite manages to squeeze in the astroid belt, which is itself embellished with chunks of meteorite that originated on Mars. Intended to be a limited edition of three pieces, it’s possible that just two will be made given the limited quantity of meteorite on hand. The sun at the center of the dial functions as a running indicator, rotating once per minute. Initial thoughts The planetarium is among the most romantic of all complications due to its inherent uselessness; unlike a minute repeater or perpetual calendar, there’s not much action that can be taken with the information provided. But mankind has sought to understand its place in the universe for millennia, and the planetarium offers an intuitive way to visualise our real-time location relative to the sun and the other planets in our solar system. There’s also a strange appeal to the glacially slow speed of...

Introducing: Three 38mm Perpetual Calendars From Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet is known for many things, and the perpetual calendar is certainly among them. From ultra-thin variants to recent Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar references, the complication has been a cornerstone of the brand’s horological reputation. Earlier this year, AP launched a new generation of calibers designed with ergonomics in mind inside 41mm Royal […] Visit Introducing: Three 38mm Perpetual Calendars From Audemars Piguet to read the full article.

First Look – The Impressive Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Calibre 985

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition collection is the repository of the brand’s most complicated timepieces, featuring multi-component calibres and incredible levels of decoration and finishing. Bringing almost 200 years of expertise to the table, the Master Grande Tradition is home to emblematic complications like the tourbillon, the minute repeater and the perpetual calendar, often combined and […]

Greubel Forsey’s New QP, and the Wild New Nano Foudroyante

If you ever have the chance to try on a Greubel Forsey - any Greubel Forsey - take it. For one thing, these are rare watches, and it’s a cool thing to be able to say you’ve done. For another, Greubel makes objectively awesome watches, and any watch enthusiast should try out as many awesome watches as they can. But more important than that, Greubel Forsey is one of those brands whose quality is hard to understand through the internet.  Greubel Forsey is a brand that defies expectation. Since the launch of Greubel’s first watch in 2004, Greubel Forsey has pushed the limits of both technical and aesthetic watchmaking, and they’ve done it all without sacrificing their unique character, or seemingly ever needing to compromise. In fact, the Greubel Forsey of today is - at least outwardly - a brand with a clearer identity than most, that also happens to do what it does really, really well. A few weeks ago, in Geneva, our two Zachs had the chance to sit down with the brand to see the proof of that in person, and to catch up on some of Greubel’s latest releases, including the brand new QP Balancier and the new Nano Foudroyante - a direct successor to last year’s superb Nano Foudroyante EWT - each of which have been announced in highly limited editions of 22 watches, and each of which are great reminders of just how far Greubel has come in the last 25 years. It also doesn’t hurt that both the QP Balancier and the Nano Foudroyante easily rank among the most...

SJX Podcast: Best of Geneva Watch Days

On episode 10 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon Moore discuss the highlights and hands-on impressions from Geneva Watch Days, including the Greubel Forsey QP Balancier, Lange 1815 Tourbillon Black Enamel, Gérald Genta’s new Minute Repeater, and the latest perpetual calendars from Audemars Piguet. We also discuss the significance of Tag Heuer’s carbon hairsprings; after a short-lived launch in 2019, the brand has taken a mulligan and relaunched this technology with a key difference that might make carbon hairsprings a real alternative to silicon. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.  

Seiko Looks to Sci-Fi for the Astron GPS

Advanced digital watches haven’t deterred leading Japanese brands from continuing to earnestly develop high-accuracy quartz watches in analog formats. Chief among them is Seiko, which has just unveiled two new limited editions of its satellite-linked Astron GPS Solar. While the SSJ037 appears to be a simple time-only watch and the SSH185 looks like a straightforward dual-time chronograph, each watch is solar-powered and includes an electronic perpetual calendar. Limited to 1,500 pieces for the SSJ037 and 1,200 pieces for the SSH185, the new collection is sci-fi inspired, featuring colours and textures common to fictional depictions of space stations. Initial thoughts There are a couple different approaches to making high-accuracy quartz watches. The first is pretty obvious, and involves developing ever-more precise quartz oscillators. Seiko has long been a champion of this school of thought, although Citizen has inched ahead in recent years. The other approach is to make a reasonably precise quartz movement that automatically syncs with an external signal, which might be a radio signal broadcast from any of the atomic reference clocks positioned around the world, a bluetooth signal from the user’s phone, or, in the case of the Astron, a satellite signal. Since the brand debuted this technology in 2012, Seiko has refined things making the watches sleeker and the interface more intuitive. As a result, the time-only SSJ037 is an ordinary 42 mm in diameter and 12 mm thick;...

Introducing: Three New Variants Of The Frederique Constant Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture

The Frederique Constant Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture is almost a decade old, but it continues to impress and surprise. When introduced in 2016, it was the most affordable Swiss-made mechanical perpetual calendar on the market. On the verge of the watch’s 10th anniversary, its friendly price is still a USP. However, the QP’s updated looks […] Visit Introducing: Three New Variants Of The Frederique Constant Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture to read the full article.

Audemars Piguet Scales Down the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

Audemars Piguet (AP) shrinks its innovative new perpetual calendar movement, reflecting the industry-wide shift towards more compact sizing. The scaled-down model arrives in two models to start: the Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar 38 mm ref. 26684 loses the controversial week-of-the-year indicator, while the Code 11:59 Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar 38 mm ref. 26441 retains the pointer. Notably, the marketing for the new 38 mm models implies a more feminine target audience, but the appeal of a mid-sized Royal Oak perpetual transcends gender. Initial Thoughts The march towards smaller sizes continues. Regardless of the client’s gender, it helps that Audemars Piguet has a real winner here, with a user-friendly movement that is also extremely technically interesting, contained inside the iconic and very well built Royal Oak case. Pricing is relatively reasonable as well – US$110,000 in stainless steel hardly screams “good deal” but is fair against the wider market. The absence of a 52-week scale on the Royal Oak 38 mm models is necessitated by the narrower dial and differentiates the 38 mm from the 41 mm. Many will welcome this change given the niche nature of a week indicator, though the result is arguably less distinct from the many other sub-dial-centric perpetual calendars on the market. Also, a matching 38 mm and 41 mm pair in the same colourway would be cute, and a missed opportunity. Compact Case At 38 mm, this is the smallest Royal Oak perpetual calen...

Watch Spotting: Ed Sheeran Wears A Unique IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar With A Pink Dial For The Launch Of His Album "PLAY"

Punchy pink product pops, punctuating performer's "Play" premiere.

Introducing: Audemars Piguet's New 38mm Royal Oak And Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendars

Sometimes big news comes in a small package.

Citizen Celebrates 30 Years of High-End Watches With Paper-Dial Duo

Citizen marks 30 years of its up-market The Citizen collection with two limited-edition watches featuring washi paper dials inspired by Japanese nature. Both use solar-powered quartz movements accurate to ±5 seconds per year, housed in titanium cases treated with ultra-hard Duratect coatings. Initial Thoughts Citizen’s somewhat clumsily named The Citizen sub-brand is 30 years old but little known outside Japan and enthusiast circles. Most The Citizen watches are distinguishable by an eagle crest on the dial, as well as their obvious quality. While the line has since grown to include mechanical watches, which are quite good, it remains a quartz-first brand – which is good as its quartz offerings are excellent and amongst the most advanced in the world. While often compared to the Grand Seiko cal. 9F models, The Citizen’s quartz offerings have more functions, and thus have more in common with the three-hand Seiko Astron 3X models, or Casio’s premium G-Shocks. These share solar charging, a perpetual calendar, and a power saving made which pauses the hands to save energy while not in use, like F.P. Journe’s Elegante. But unlike GPS-reliant Astrons and G-Shocks, Citizen’s high end quartz movements are fully autonomous, and accurate to within five seconds per year with a maximum deviation of two seconds per month during normal use. More important still, The Citizen’s traditionally styled offerings are much easier on the eyes than any G-Shock or modern Astron, stri...

Introducing – Audemars Piguet Releases its First 38mm Perpetual Calendar Royal Oak and Code 11.59

To say that the perpetual calendar complication reverts great importance to Audemars Piguet, specifically in the context of the Royal Oak, would be an understatement. Earlier this year, in the frame of its 150th anniversary, the Le Brassus-based brand released two important new models, built around an unprecedented movement (calibre 7138): the new generation of […]

Frederique Constant Perpetual Calendar three new variations

Released last week at Geneva Watch Days, Frederique Constant adds three new variations to their budget friendly Perpetual Calendar.

Audemars Piguet Brings The Perpetual Calendar To 38mm For The First Time And Introduces A Trio Of Vibrant Stone Dials

Cheapest Patek Philippe Watches

To be honest, most people in the know would agree that “cheapest” and “Patek Philippe” don’t really even belong in the same sentence together. That said, for many serious watch collectors, even those just starting out, one’s first Patek Philippe is both a Holy Grail and a milestone purchase to be carefully, thoughtfully planned out and saved for. And most of those aficionados are still going to be entering the brand’s world at the ground floor rather than the penthouse. So what are these “entry level” Patek Philippe watches, i.e., the models actually priced with a first-time buyer in mind? First off, we should establish why Patek Philippe watches are so coveted in the first place by laying out a bit of history. Since its founding in 1839 in Geneva, Patek Philippe has been a leader in high watchmaking, pioneering many complications and design elements that are now seen widely throughout the watch industry. Polish watchmakers Antoine Norbert de Patek and Francois Czapek partnered to form the original company, Patek, Czapek, & Cie.; French horologist Jean Adrien Philippe, who invented the keyless winding and setting system still standard on watches today, joined in 1845, and the Genevan manufacture has been known as Patek Philippe ever since. Among its many horological milestones are the first annual calendar watch and the first wristwatches with perpetual calendars and split-seconds chronographs. In 1932, brothers Jean and Henri Stern acquired Patek Philipp...

H. Moser Updates their Flying Hours Complication and Adds a Smoked Salmon Perpetual Calendar for Geneva Watch Days

At last year’s Geneva Watch Days, H. Moser had one of the most talked about (and divisive) releases of the week, a splashy collaboration with Studio Underd0g that saw the high end and affordable indie sharing a passion fruit inspired colorway across a pair of watches, sold as a set. It generated a lot of opinions and was, for a time, one of the most buzzed about watches of the year. Moser returned to Geneva Watch Days this year with a slate of new releases that, I think, has succeeded in evading the kinds of hot takes we saw last year, while still, as always, being very “Moser.” The new Pioneer Flying Hours and Endeavour Perpetual Calendar in smoked salmon might not inspire heated opinion pieces from watch writers like yours truly, but they remain exciting in their own way in a year that’s already seen Moser push some boundaries and play with our expectations. The new reference in the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar line is about as classic Moser as it gets. This dial color was first introduced in a Streamliner back in 2023, and was an immediate hit for the way it spun the traditional idea of a “salmon” dial into a new, more contemporary context. Less rosy pink and more of a metallic rust, this salmon dial has a reserved and almost autumnal presence that really suits the Endeavour, itself a more reserved and mature segment of the Moser lineup. The case of the perpetual calendar is white gold and measures 42mm in diameter, and wears extremely well, if not razor thi...

Introducing: Greubel Forsey Shows Off Its Worry-Free Perpetual Calendar With The QP Balancier Limited Edition

A simpler evolution of the brand's ultra-complicated QP À Équation.

Style and Substance in Greubel Forsey’s QP Balancier

Greubel Forsey repackages its cutting edge perpetual calendar in a sleeker, more accessible format as the QP Balancier. It’s still a highly legible calendar that adjusts forward and back via the crown without need of tools or fear of damage. Despite the simpler styling, the QP Balancier retains the high-end movement decoration the brand is known for. Initial Thoughts Greubel Forsey was arguably a latecomer to the world of complications, spending its first decade on chronometry, refining the tourbillon. The brand’s first complication, the GMT presented in 2011, applied an unfamiliar approach to a familiar complication. That set the tone for the brand’s first perpetual calendar four years later – the Quantième Perpétuel à Équation. At its heart was a “mechanical computer” programmed with 48-month leap year cycle that allowed the calendar to be adjusted forward and back without issue, all from the crown. The Quantième Perpétuel à Équation of 2015 While the result is not novel, – Ulysse Nardin and H. Moser & Cie. have bi-directional perpetual calendar as well – the method certainly is. Greubel Forsey paired the mechanical computer with a similarly sophisticated in-line display – using four layers of stacked disks – making its perpetual as easy to read as it is to use. The new QP Balancier is a more focused watch than its predecessor, as it does away with the 24-second inclined tourbillon and equation of time. While wider, the case is also slimmer an...