Calendar Watches Archives - Page 16 of 20

Hands-on – Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Complet GMT – Discreetly Complex

Despite what you may see on Instagram and Facebook, there are still plenty of watch connoisseurs who enjoy wearing a more traditionally styled watch. Something like the sophisticated yet practical Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Complet GMT. Introduced earlier in the year, this new model epitomises the classic aesthetic Blancpain is well known for, bringing together two genuinely useful complications in the form of the complete calendar and the GMT function. An ideal choice for the business traveller, we recently spent some time getting to know this latest version better.

Hands-on – Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Annuel

Today we’re taking a closer look at the new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Annuel. This year, the well-known dive watch debuts an unexpected twist, with the inclusion of an annual calendar complication. The result is a quirky watch with a quirky display, and yet, it somehow works. (Arguably it’s not the quirkiest watch in Blancpain’s line-up this year – that honour goes to the Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s). Hardcore dive enthusiasts and elitist complication collectors alike will no doubt shun this ‘cross-over’ timepiece. The dive-watch obsessed broader market, however, might just have a different opinion.

Hands-on – Patek Philippe Ref. 5205G-013 – The Young Man’s Patek Annual Calendar

Blue dial watches have been popular for some time now. So much so, that they have almost become the rule instead of the exception. To stand out from the crowd with a blue dial nowadays, therefore, you have to do something a little special. That’s exactly what Patek Philippe has done with the latest iteration of its reference 5205G. Although not a new watch per se, the addition of a mouth-wateringly delicious blue gradient dial has reinvented this model in my eyes, driving its desirability factor through the roof. We spent some time hands-on with this watch recently, and let me tell you, the only thing harder than capturing the gorgeous blue tones was giving it back.

Introducing – Hamilton Khaki Field Day-Date 42mm “Camouflage” Automatic

Following up on the affordable Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm, Hamilton is introducing the Khaki Field Camouflage collection with larger cases and automatic movements. Back in the 1940’s, Hamilton (then an American brand) received the US Army-Navy ‘E’ Award for their ability to deliver one million reliable, accurate watches to the US military. Although Hamilton is now a Swiss brand, the company is proud of its US military roots and continues to produce models that are faithful to that era and the American spirit. The new Khaki Field Day-Date Camouflage watches are more contemporary than their hand-wound 38mm counterparts but still fall within this military aesthetic.

Hands-on – Blancpain Villeret Grande Date Jour Retrograde

Blancpain’s Villeret collection welcomes the 40mm Grande Date Jour Retrograde on board. Very much in line with the understated, classic tone of the Villeret family, this new Villeret watch features a novel retrograde day of the week indication paired with a big date displayed in two windows. Unveiled at Baselworld 2018, along with a Villeret […]

Review – Vacheron Constantin Historiques Triple Calendar 1948

There is no question Vacheron Constantin makes exceptionally fine timepieces. The brand really comes into its element though when it focuses its attention on vintage-inspired models (in my humble opinion at least). These models invariably belong to the Historiques collection, which celebrates some of the brand’s significant models from the past by offering a fresh take. My previous favourite was the 1955 Cornes de Vache Chronograph launched in 2015 but that model was recently usurped by the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Triple Calendar 1948 I am reviewing here today – which is the luxurious and moonphase-equipped sister of the steel Historiques Triple Calendar 1942 reviewed here.

Hands-on – The Surprisingly Affordable Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar

If you want to dip your toe into the world of sophisticated complications, it usually comes at a price. A tourbillon, for example, can easily add CHF 20,000 or more to the price of a watch. The Longines Master Collection has been around since 2005 and serves as a contemporary alternative to their revered Heritage Collection (with more traditional designs). The Master Collection has a wide variety of complications, from power reserve displays to calendar chronographs with moonphase and more, but these new models are the first for Longines to have an annual calendar. The Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar not only offers a more sophisticated calendar complication than the norm but does so at an impressively affordable price.

Introducing – Hamilton Khaki Pilot Auto Day Date Collection, Celebrating 100 Years of Aviation Timekeeping

Hamilton’s first watch left the factory in 1893, a 17-jewel pocket watch. The company has come a long way since then and has also transformed from an American to a Swiss Manufacturer, currently under the Swatch Group (one of the largest watch manufacturers and distributors). 2018 marks 100 years of providing pilots with accurate and reliable timepieces, and the company is celebrating with its latest pilot series, the Khaki Pilot Auto Day Date. Combining design elements from previous collections, the new pilot’s watches have a vintage feel with modern touches. They’re also approachable with competitive prices, despite a Swiss automatic movement with day/date complication.

Hands-on – Christiaan van der Klaaw Planetarium – With the World’s Smallest Mechanical Planetarium

Christiaan van der Klaauw will go down in history as having the created the smallest mechanical planetarium in the world, condensed into the miniature arena of a wristwatch – or in fact, a portion of a wristwatch. His opus, the 40mm CVDK Planetarium, depicts the real-time orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn as they rotate around the Sun. A mechanical miracle that unites horology and astronomy, the CVDK Planetarium – first launched in 1999 – is also a beautiful work of portable art. Just imagine if Copernicus could have got his hands on one of these and prove to his contemporaries that heliocentrism was really the way forward! In addition to the highly accurate representation of planetary motions, the Planetarium has an annual calendar complication.

Hands-on – The Redesigned Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Retrograde Calendar

For more than 25 years, Maurice Lacroix has offered to watch enthusiasts nicely executed watches with unusual displays – mainly retrograde indications – yet with friendly prices. This collection, named “Masterpiece”, allows access to complications and manufacture movements without breaking your piggy bank. In 1999, ML launched its first retrograde watch, the Masterpiece Retrograde Calendar. 19 years later, this signature watch comes back fully redesigned. Let’s have a look at the 2018 Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Retrograde Calendar.

Watch Dandy

Category: Calendar Watches