Of course, every smartphone today has several calendar apps: a glance at the screen will easily tell you the current date, day of the week and month. However, the display on a mechanical wristwatch is much more sophisticated than these computer-generated representations.

That was exactly the thought of the technicians at Patek Philippe 25 years ago, long before we had phone screens in our pockets. In the wake of a renewed interest in sophisticated luxury wristwatches, the centuries-old Geneva manufacture developed a new generation of so-called “useful” complications adapted for everyday use in the 1990s. Naturally, these are became instant successes.

Perhaps the most famous of these is the annual calendar, which Patek Philippe introduced and patented in 1996. Its mechanism is not as predictive as that of the perpetual calendar, which keeps perfect track of all indications until to the year 2100, yet it reliably shows the date throughout the year except the last day of February (and usually costs much less).

This makes the Yearly Calendar much more convenient than a standard (full) calendar, which needs to be corrected at the end of every month that is 30 days or less – and most notably on March 1. The annual calendar, on the other hand, only needs to be corrected once a year at this time. For the owners of this noble but practical complication, making this adjustment is a highlight of the year.

To celebrate the annual calendar, here are three exciting new models to launch 2022 in style.

Patek Philippe Flyback Chronograph with Annual Calendar: a three-way charm

Being able to effortlessly combine mechanical complexity with a sophisticated design that is as simple as it is functional is one of the main reasons for Patek Philippe’s undisputed reputation as a leader in the world of fine watchmaking. Among the most recent examples of this know-how is the Automatic Flyback Chronograph with Annual Calendar in stainless steel which has been available since last fall alongside the editions in platinum with a blue dial and rose gold with a brown dial, which were introduced in 2015 and 2019 respectively.

Like previous models, the trendy sunbrushed olive-green dial of the new stainless steel version is distinguished by its well-designed arrangement of indications that include the day of the week, date and month in three separate windows at the top. from Le cadran. The lower part is occupied by a prominent sub-dial containing the 60-minute chronograph counter and the day / night indicator (small dot above the “30”).

The proven CH 28-520 QA 24H caliber equipped with a column wheel and a vertical clutch allows the chronograph hand to be used as a central second hand. While this is not the brand’s most complicated movement, the number of components – 402 – is proof of its technical complexity.

Patek Philippe Flyback Chronograph with Annual Calendar

As usual with Patek Philippe, it remains slender: the height of the movement is only 7.68 mm, including the module for the annual calendar and a central oscillating weight in 21 carat gold.

For more information, please visit www.patek.com/en/collection/complications/5905-1A.

Fast facts Patek Philippe Self-Winding Flyback Chronograph with Annual Calendar
Case: 42 x 14.13mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber CH 28-520 QA 24H; Frequency 4 Hz / 28,800 vibrations per hour; max. 55-hour power reserve, Patek Philippe Seal
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; flyback chronograph, annual calendar with day, date, month and day / night indication
Price: $ 59,140

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Annual Calendar: refined and sporty

On the occasion of its 25^e anniversary, Parmigiani Fleurier, the high-end Swiss luxury manufacture founded by the ingenious master watchmaker and restaurateur Michel Parmigiani, launched a brand new collection during the Geneva Watch Days.

Those familiar with Parmigiani Fleurier’s creations understand that they are high-end manufacture timepieces combining exceptional craftsmanship and cutting-edge engineering. Ranging from the incredibly clean and expressive Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, a two-hand timepiece with date, to an intricate and rare split-seconds chronograph, the sporty and elegant new collection with integrated bracelet also includes an annual calendar model available in rose gold and stainless steel.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Annual Calendar in pink gold

It’s hard to say which side of the Tonda PF Annual Calendar is more beautiful: the view on and in the automatic movement composed of 359 parts and offering a refined quality of finish, including a skeletonized rotor to allow an unobstructed view, or the dial with its superb artisan barley guilloché.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Annual Calendar in steel

Created in the centuries-old traditions of the village of Fleurier by a pink motorized lathe, the dial motif with hundreds of tiny barley-grain-shaped elements serves as a breathtaking background for the retrograde date, the day. and the month in the sub-dials and moon phases in both hemispheres, an accurate indication for 122 years.

For more information, please visit www.parmigiani.com/en/watches/tonda-pf.

Fast facts Tonda PF Annual Calendar
Case: 42 x 11.1mm, stainless steel with platinum or rose gold bezel
Movement: Automatic Caliber PF339, frequency 4 Hz / 28,800 vph, 50-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds; annual calendar with retrograde date, day and month; High precision moon phase for both hemispheres which only needs to be adjusted every 122 years
Price: 35,000 CHF / 38,700 $ (stainless steel); 70,000 CHF / 77,500 $ (rose gold)

Omega Globemaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer: a modern classic revisited

The world of high-end watches is full of curious things and funny terms. There are lollipop and snowflake needles, Pepsi glasses, oysters, tuna, turtles, and sandwich dials. While these don’t mean much to most people, they are often passionate about vintage watch connoisseurs.

Aficionados know the meaning of these nicknames and that they are derived from some important characteristics that became famous at some point in history. In today’s watch auctions, such richly named items often hide precious classic watches. This is also certainly at least in part the reason why many watch brands – including Rolex, Panerai, Seiko and Tudor – regularly breathe new life into their styling features by releasing reissues and remakes, rekindling something of the charisma. original and bring them up to modern standards.

Interestingly, another such term is inspired by a kitchen staple: the pie dial from Omega’s Constellation collection, which was all the rage when it debuted in the 1950s. These timepieces not only stood out. by a high level of precision which has earned them observatory chronometer awards, but also by the refined architecture of their dials reminiscent of the shape. If you look closely, you will recognize this shape: the dial appears as if it had been “baked” in a small pie pan.

In 2015, Omega launched the Globemaster collection, which initially featured three-hand timepieces whose look and feel were inspired by vintage Constellation models, including the pie dial with its slightly recessed periphery. A fluted bezel adds to the sophisticated dress-watch aura of this automatic timepiece.

However, it was not just the appearance of this watch that took historical cues from its predecessors: most notably, the Globemaster was fitted with the revolutionary Master Chronometer certified Caliber 8900, introducing a new standard of quality for precision defined in partnership with the Swiss METAS. institute. This new standard and this new certificate resonated like a drum roll in the world of watchmaking and marked the start of a new generation of high-precision, anti-magnetic Omega calibers.

In 2016, an annual calendar was added to the collection. A smart choice because the shape of the dial in conjunction with 12 bold hour markers serves as the perfect background for the 12 months to be added between the hour markers. The ornate cursive font Omega chose wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, however. Personally, I love it because it is quite unique and showcases the expressive and vintage aura of the timepiece.

Omega Globemaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer

At the end of 2021, Omega updated the collection with three new executions that offer a touch of color and materials. The first combines stainless steel with a sun-brushed green dial. This variant has a tough tungsten carbide bezel.

The second timepiece is in two-tone stainless steel for the case and in Omega Sedna gold for the bezel; it features a sun-brushed burgundy dial.

Omega Globemaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer in Two-Tone Stainless Steel and Sedna Gold

The third model, the most precious, is entirely coated in Sedna gold, including the dial.

All three are powered by the Omega 8922 caliber, which sports two barrels for a comfortable 55-hour power reserve. It also carries the Master Chronometer certificate.

De rigueur for an elegant Swiss timepiece, the movement finely decorated with the brand’s signature arabesque ribs can be admired through a sapphire crystal caseback. In reference to the Omega awards for chronometer precision of the twentieth century, its center bears an engraving of the Neuchâtel observatory.

Fast facts Omega Globemaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer
Case: 41 x 14.5 mm, stainless steel
Movement: Automatic Co-Axial Caliber 8922, 25,200 vibrations per hour frequency, 55-hour power reserve, Master Chronometer certificate, balance-spring with silicon hairspring
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; annual calendar with date and month
Price: $ 8,600 (stainless steel); $ 11,400 (stainless steel and Sedna gold); $ 31,000 (Sedna gold)

For more information, please visit www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watches/constellation/globemaster/annual-calendar-collection.

You can also enjoy:

Yearly Calendars are Goldilocks Complications: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold, Just Right

All new Parmigiani Tonda PF collection: elegant simplicity, even complicated

Everything you need to know about Omega’s METAS Master Chronometer tests (plus the De Ville Trésor in Sedna Gold)

Parmigiani Fleurier Tondagraph GT: a collector’s point of view