Rolex’s suite of releases this year have been a story of old models in new materials with an Oystersteel GMT-Master II, yellow gold Deepsea and now the Sky-Dweller is presented in gold with Jubilee bracelets for the first time. All the existing Sky-Dwellers in Everose gold and yellow gold are now available on Jubilee bracelets but the flagship versions are the slate Everose and white yellow gold. Let’s not beat around the bush, these are not the highlights of Rolex’s release slate this year. However, for Rolex diehards who love to nerd out over specific references with certain combinations of materials and bracelets, I’m sure they’ll scratch an itch.

Rolex Sky-Dweller Everose Gold Jubilee Ref. 336935

The first of the new additions to the Sky-Dweller range is an everose gold edition with a slate grey dial. It makes for a fairly restrained interpretation of the dual time zone watch, despite being full gold. It features a lovely sunray brush that extends past the rotating 24-hour ring in the centre of the dial towards the months indicators at the periphery of the display.

We should also touch more on the addition of a gold Jubilee bracelet to the Sky-Dweller range. The thinner links, compared to the Oyster bracelet, gives it a more refined elegance and lean into the luxurious aspect of the gold Sky-Dwellers. More than ever it turns the model into a jet-setting luxury travel watch in contrast to steel versions with an Oyster bracelet that can have a touch of sportiness making it a favourite of golfers.

Rolex Sky-Dweller Yellow Gold Jubilee Ref. 336938

Second up is the new yellow gold Sky-Dweller, which just like its everose sibling is presented on a matching gold Jubilee bracelet. This one features a bright white dial, making it the more visually striking of the two new watches. Both versions measure 42mm in diameter with the classic fluted bezels and cyclops lens sapphire crystals.

Housed inside both watches is the calibre 9002 dual time, annual calendar movement. The fact it’s an annual calendar means the date and month functions only need to be adjusted once per year, at the end of February. Beyond that, it’s as high spec as the majority of Rolex manufacture movements with superlative chronometer certification and a 72-hour power reserve.

Whether you prefer yellow gold or Everose gold, both editions are priced at £45,400 – very similar to the new yellow gold Deepsea. The older Sky-Dwellers that are now available on the gold jubilee bracelets for the first time are also the same price. Not the most exciting release but hey, more options for collectors is always favourable.

More details at Rolex.

Knowing the time is only one thing a watch can do. Sure, it’s the one we use more than any other, but more complicated calendar watches can tell us the date, too. Some can even factor in the day of the week. There are some however that go even further, loading the dial with the information you’d normally only find on your calendar – not only the day and date, but month and in some cases, years.

These calendar watches are among the most impressive complications in the watch world. However, not all are built the same, with varying layers of complexity, usefulness and, of course, price. So, read on if you want a guide to knowing the differences between the various types of calendar watches, the levels of complexity that makes them so extraordinary and why perpetual doesn’t always mean perpetual. Don’t forget to check out our favourite calendar watches from last year while you’re at it.

Complete Calendar

IWC Portofino Complete Calendar

The simplest of the calendar complications – if anything showing this much information could be described as ‘simple’ – the complete calendar (sometimes called the triple calendar) is the first offering the almost full suite of day, date and month. They’re considered the entry level in that it’s relatively straightforward in conception: it marks off 31 24-hour periods, before restarting for the next month.

Unfortunately, our calendar is weird and not every month has 31 days. In fact, if you learned your rhymes at school, you’ll know that five of them don’t: February, April, June, September and November. This means that your complete calendar watch needs to be adjusted five times a year. Oh the inconvenience.

Vacheron Constantin Complete Calendar

This fact is actually what really separates all three of the main calendar complications. It’s relatively straightforward to add more wheels onto the date; it’s a whole other matter to take into account shorter months and the absolute weirdo that is a leap year. For those of us less concerned with that level of accuracy however, or obsessively keeping the watch wound, the complete calendar offers plenty of useful information – sometimes also including a moon phase – at a far more accessible price point.

Annual Calendar

A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Annual Calendar

While it’s easy for us to remember which months have 31 days and which oddities have 30, it’s a lot more difficult for a mechanical watch that really, really wants to keep things nice and regular. So, in order to account for the variation, the movement has to be ‘programmed’. Obviously, that doesn’t involve linking a Lange to an app on your phone; instead, it’s done with a weirdly shaped month wheel.

This wheel has specific notches denoting the shorter months so that, when one of those months appears, the movement understands to skip day 31 and move straight onto the next month.

Patek Philippe 5035

Surprisingly, this is actually more recent a complication than its bigger brother, invented as it was in 1996 by Patek Philippe in the Ref. 5035, and only needs to be adjusted for February. That particular version’s not the be-all and end-all however, as there is a version of the annual calendar that also takes a 28-day February into account (Audemars Piguet calls it the Quadriennium) but the concept’s the same. Neither factors in the four-year leap year cycle.

The end result is that most annual calendars need to be adjusted once a year and the February-programmed version once every four years. Those four years however are the difference between the annual calendar and true high complication status.

Perpetual Calendar

Thomas Mudge invented the perpetual calendar pocket watch in 1764

It’s a point of pride that no matter what anyone tells you, the perpetual calendar mechanism was developed by British watchmaker Thomas Mudge. Others might say Abraham Louis Breguet (if you ever get asked who invented a complication, he should be the default answer) and he definitely popularised it in the courts of France, but it’s Mudge that got there back in 1762 and it was put in a wristwatch in 1925 by, of course, Patek Philippe in the 97975.

Patek Philippe 97975 (the first perpetual calendar wristwatch) introduced in 1925

So, as you’ve already surmised, the difference between a perpetual calendar and the rest of its less sophisticated ilk is the fact that it takes into account a leap year. So, it’s worth briefly going over what a leap year actually is.

Basically, it comes from forcing our calendar to fit nature. A year might seem 365 days long, but the Earth actually takes 365.25 (ish) days to orbit the sun. This means that if left to its own devices, the Gregorian calendar would gradually shift out of sync with the seasons as our place in the solar system makes a nuisance of itself. So, we came up with the little cheat of adding an extra day to February every four years. It’s a simple trick for most of us to grasp; a watch, less so.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

There are actually a number of ways to make the concept work. They can have a 48-month cam instead of the usual 12-month, with an extra level of notch for the anomalous 29-day February. You can have a 12-month wheel a la the annual calendar, but with a separate cam for the leap year that makes one revolution every four years. Or you can integrate a Maltese Cross satellite to manage February. This last option is particularly cool. It’s basically a square integrated into the 12-month wheel with a protrusion on one side. Every year, it’s forced to make a 90 degree turn so that, on a leap year, the protrusion makes the movement count 29 instead of 28.

No matter how they’re done, perpetual calendars are a work of sheer mechanical ingenuity – with a price tag to match. They’re the pinnacle of what most brands offer, with grand maisons like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet offering gorgeous versions, while independent watchmakers get ever more outlandish with the concept.

Secular Perpetual Calendar

Andersen Geneve Secular Perpetual

The problem with most perpetual calendars is that they’re not actually perpetual. You see, another quirk with our not-at-all-confusing calendar is that centurial years – years ending in 00 – are only leap years if they themselves are divisible by 400.

In the obsolete Julian calendar, this wasn’t the case, and every four years was a leap year, regardless. This however gave us too many leap years, shifting us forwards in seasons rather than compensating. This is why we now use the Gregorian calendar (introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII), which adds the ‘divisible by 400’ rule. So this means that the year 2000, 2400 and 2800 are leap years; the centurial years between are not. perpetual calendars therefore need to be adjusted to compensate. A secular perpetual calendar however, does not.

Furlan Marri Secular Perpetual Calendar, Only Watch 2023

The most recent example of a Secular perpetual calendar is the Furlan Marri Piece Unique, created for Only Watch 2023 (soon to be Only Watch 2024, pending their finances). They achieved the concept using the integrated Maltese Cross method on a wheel that counts 100 years. It’s an inspired take, and one that only needed five new parts added onto the ‘base’ perpetual calendar.

Given Furlan Marri’s usual place as an uber- accessible watch brand and the resurgence of calendar watches in general, this likely won’t be the last time we see Secular perpetual calendars in the near future.

Now that we’ve established what various calendar watches actually are (unless of course you’ve skipped all the text to get to the pictures of pretty watches), it’s time to look at some recent examples of how complete, annual and perpetual calendars have been executed.  It’s worth noting that, thanks to the sheer complicated nature of most calendars, it’s generally only the big brands that can really tackle them, be they established giants of the watch world or esoteric high-end independents.

That in turn means that there are some seriously beautiful watches involved. And a couple of disclaimers. Firstly, I won’t be including one-offs, so no Furlan Marri Secular Perpetual Calendar; that was for Only Watch. Hopefully they release it to the mainstream, but only time will tell. Secondly, it has to have day, date and month at the very least. Moon phase not necessary, but appreciated. Now, with that all out the way, let’s get on with looking at the best calendar watches of 2023.

Alongside the new Calatrava Travel Time 24-hour Patek have been expanding on their Aquanaut collection with the collection’s first ever annual calendar and another rendition of the chronograph. They are the Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar 5261R-001 and Aquanaut Chronograph 5968R-001 and with them in front of me I can’t help but think they’re pretty spectacular.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar 5261R-001

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room, as part of the Aquanaut Luce line the 5261R-001 is technically part of Patek’s women’s line. However, you just need to look at the piece to see that it’s perfectly unisex. The colour is fantastic, the bezel is smooth without gems (which is something I’ve wanted to see since the 2021 Aquanaut Luce revamp) and at a 39.9mm diameter in rose gold it’s well sized for all wrists.

Trying it on, it feels great. The composite strap is incredibly comfortable and tactile while the case sits perfectly on my wrist. I also find that it’s while wearing the piece that the signature textured dial comes alive. I initially thought the new annual calendar display would be too busy for the relatively compact dial but that simply isn’t the case. The careful positioning of the moonphase, date window, days and months indicators is really well done, gently intersecting with the peripheral hour scale.

Powering the piece is a new movement, the Calibre 26-330 S QA LU, which is automatic with a power reserve of 45-hours. It’s based on the 2019 weekly calendar movement, which has incredible reliability and accuracy, for example the moonphase will only deviate by one day after 122 years.

It’s priced at £49,530, putting it in the mid-range of Aquanaut Luce prices between the quartz models on the lower end and the haute jewellery pieces at the high end.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph 5968R-001

The 5968R-001 is simply a fresh material and colourway for the existing Aquanaut Chronograph, so it’s a mildly less significant launch than the Luce. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t impressive in its own right. Swapping the watches over, the Chrono is noticeably larger at 42.2mm in diameter, also in rose gold. Although, with the two watches side by side the different alloys of rose gold that Patek Philippe use for the men’s and women’s lines respectively is apparent. Differing quantities of copper content make the men’s piece make it much darker and redder, while the Luce almost has a yellow gold appearance.

To pair with the golden case the Chrono has a dark brown dial, which is gorgeous in its dark chocolate tone. There’s a gentle gradient fading towards black around the circumference that emphasises the sunburst finishing.

Turning the piece over reveals the movement through the exhibition caseback. It’s the Calibre CH 28‑520 C, a flyback chronograph with a 60-minute counter and date complication. It has a higher power reserve than the Annual Calendar at 55-hours. It’s priced at CHF 64,000, and with it in my hands, it seems worth it to me. It’s also nice to see the Aquanaut get some love as opposed to its cousin the Nautilus.

When Watches & Wonders rolls around, the pattern with Panerai is usually the same: the launch of a fully-fledged collection featuring three or four models . Last year we had the genesis of the QuarantaQuattro and the year before that, the focus on sustainable timepieces like the eLab. For 2023, they’re doing something a little bit different byarevisiting one of their most iconic heritage models, the Radiomir, a watch originally designed for the Italian military in 1935. One of the most interesting new releases is the Panerai Radiomir Annual Calendar.

Unlike a couple of the other Radiomirs being released, the Annual Calendar leans more towards luxury than the traditional Italian Military aesthetic. That’s immediately made clear by the case materials used on the two references. PAM01363 with its blue dial is produced in Goldtech while the burgundy dialled PAM01432 has a Platinumtech case – Panerai’s proprietary alloys of gold and platinum respectively. Both measure 45mm in diameter.

However, the distinctive cushion case and those materials are things we’ve seen before. It’s the dial and movement that are completely new. This is Panerai’s first annual calendar, sitting between a regular calendar complication and a perpetual calendar (both of which Panerai has done before) in terms of horological prestige. It displays time, days, date and months while only requiring adjustment once per year to remain accurate.

In order to accommodate for the new month indicator, Panerai have created a peripheral disc that rotates around the circumference of the dial. The current month is indicated by an arrow situated at 3 o’clock next to the day and date apertures. This means you can read the day, date and month in sequence at a glance. It’s worth noting that the text references for the months and days are given in Italian. My coffee deprived brain was wondering why March was in two locations on the watch but it’s actually martedi and marzo.

Of course, with the introduction of a new complication comes a new calibre, the in-house P.9010/AC with automatic winding and a 72-hour power reserve courtesy of a double barrel system. It’s also equipped with the Incabloc anti-shock device, so it still has the durability typically associated with diving watches, even though platinum and gold are the last materials you’d want to take a bash with.

It’s also worth noting that the PAM01432 is one of Panerai’s Experience Editions, which means that when you purchase the watch you’ll be invited to Italy for a curated experience. Previous Experience Editions like the Forze Speciali involved putting the rugged watch through its paces with the Italian military, but given the refined nature of the Annual Calendar, this experience is more about a historical tour of Italy.

Glashütte is the traditional home of Saxon watchmaking where the best German watchmakers have their workshops. When it comes to the best German brands it used to be the case that A. Lange & Söhne would be at the top of your list and then there’d be a large gap to their nearest competitor. However, Glashütte Original have closed that gap substantially thanks to a surge in the popularity of retro-vintage designs like their SeaQ diver, as well as their Sixties and Seventies collections. This coincides with them reinventing themselves with a luxe focus and putting more energy into exploring haute horology with new watches like the Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar, their first ever annual calendar.

There are two versions of the Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar being released, a regular version and a limited edition one. The standard version has a 42mm rose gold case with a silvery dial while the limited edition has a 42mm platinum case with a partially skeletonised dial in galvanised black. Beyond those aesthetic differences the two watches are the same with sapphire crystals front and back and 50m water resistance.

Both watches also have the same layout, which pay homage to the existing Pano collection. An off-centre hours and minutes subdial with overlapping small seconds is situated towards the left hand portion of the dial and the signature panorama date located at 4 o’clock. There’s then a moonphase at 2-3 o’clock that has the same design as last year’s PanoMaticLunar (read our review here).

However, as this is a new complication for Glashütte Original, the PanoMaticCalendar display has a brand new retrograde months function. It sweeps around the periphery of the dial from 3-6 o’clock, outside the panorama date. It operates by having a grey sapphire crystal window with a matching tone indicator ring below it with a black indicator that highlights the appropriate month numeral. The colours are swapped to white on black for the limited edition.

The PanoMaticCalendar’s retrograde display means it has a linear scale that doesn’t complete a full circle, with the indicator jumping from the end to the beginning once it completes a cycle. However, Glashütte Original have developed on this design by having a complete indicator ring with four equally spaced indicators. Meaning that while only one indicator will be displayed at a time, the jump from December to January actually reveals the next indicator and is not the original one moving back to January. This creates the illusion of a retrograde display but is actually a single rotating disc that completes a rotation every four years.

The addition of the months display means the PanoMaticCalendar becomes a full annual calendar, the smaller sibling to the extremely prestigious perpetual calendar. Naturally, as this is Glashütte’s first annual calendar, it’s a new movement. Specifically, it’s called the 92-09 (or 92-10 in skeletonised form) and it’s automatic with a gold rotor, 100-hour power reserve and anti-magnetic silicon balance spring. Those specs alone make it pretty spectacular. However, the finishing takes it to another level, a classic Glashütte three-quarter plate with Glashütte stripes, plenty of bevelled edges and a hand engraved balance cock.

Round out the two watches are Louisiana alligator nubuck straps in brown or black depending on the case material. As for price and availability, the standard rose gold is £23,200 and the limited edition platinum is £34,100 with only 150 pieces available. Personally, I actually prefer the standard gold edition. The partial skeletonisation of the platinum edition is cool from a technical perspective of being able to see components like the panoramic date operate, but I feel like it over complicates the aesthetic of the watch which should be refined and elegant. On the other hand, the rose gold version is perfectly balanced.

After the hype and excitement that always comes with the first day of Watches & Wonders and seeing all the big releases for the first time, it was in the evening that I finally got to reflect on what I’d seen. And ultimately, I came to the conclusion that the most unexpectedly cool watches I saw were the new Patek Philippe Calatrava 5226G and Annual Calendar Travel Time 5326G.

They make for an interesting pair because while they’re very different mechanically they share a lot of visual elements. Both cases are made from white gold with a hobnail guilloché caseband, which is a pattern we saw revived with the ‘Clous De Paris’ Ref. 6119 last year. The hobnail adds a tactile element to holding the watches and is frankly just pleasing to look at. A subtle but important fact is that the hobnailing continues behind the lugs, as the lugs are attached separately, which not something you typically see on decorated casebands.

However, why I say these watches are “unexpectedly cool” are their dials. They’re about as far from traditional Patek Philippe as it’s possible to get, tossing aside traditional finishes in favour of a trendy, retro-inspired texture. That texture is granular and random – not the typical pristine lines and careful placement of Patek – and is supposed to represent vintage camera cases, something it achieves remarkably well.

Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5226G

The Calatrava Ref. 5226G showcases the new dial finishing off to the greatest degree, as it’s a simple time and date design. It’s hard to describe, but to me it feels un-Patek in a good way. Although, like the majority of watches from the brand, it wears insanely well on the wrist with excellent proportions and a 40mm diameter.

Inside, the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5226G houses the Calibre 26-330 S C, an automatic piece with a gold rotor and a 45-hour power reserve. You can see the rotor through the exhibition sapphire caseback, along with the rest of the haute horological finishing. While the Ref. 5226G is my favourite of the two watches, it must be admitted the calibre in this watch is less interesting than the one in the Annual Calendar Travel Time, which is expected given the complexity of the Ref. 5326G’s complications.

Price & Specs

Ref: 5226G-001  |   Case/dial: 40mm diameter x 8.53mm height, 18K white gold case, textured charcoal grey dial, black gradient rim, gold applied numerals with beige luminescent coating   |   Water resistance: 30m   |   Movement: Caliber 26‑330 S C, automatic, 30 jewels, Chronometer Certified with Patek Philippe Seal   |   Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)   |   Power reserve: 45h  |   Functions: Hours, minutes, sweep seconds, date   |   Strap: Calfskin, nubuck finish, hand-stitched, beige (originally fitted). Calfskin, embossed with fabric pattern, hand-stitched, black (additional strap). Prong buckle.   |   Price: £30,060

More details at Patek Philippe.

Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G

Specifically, the Annual Calendar Travel Time is first time that Patek Philippe have combined those functions on a wristwatch. The annual calendar portion shows days, date, months and moonphase while the travel time is Patek’s version of a second time zone. In terms of display the calendar is fairly self-explanatory and the travel time complication consists of a pair of hour hands, one of which is skeletonised, that display local and home time. If one is not in use, they can be placed atop each other to resemble a single hand. Further to that, there’s a pair of day/night indicators at 9 and 3 labelled “Home” and “Local”.

Each of the various functions of the Ref. 5326G-001 can be adjusted with the associated correctors around the caseband, except for the travel time. That’s because the traditional pushers that can jump the time zone forward and back have been replaced by a discrete winding-stem setting system, which was introduced on the Aquanaut Luce Travel Time last year.

The movement that operates it all is the Calibre 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H, which is a name that really rolls off the tongue… It features 8 patents and includes multiple technical elements taken from last year’s Ref. 5236 Perpetual Calendar including the 20% increased barrel torque and efficient micro-rotor winding system. The power reserve is 48-hours.

The most important aspect of the calibre is that the annual calendar runs based off the travel time complication, meaning that if you jump local time across the boundary a day (forwards or backwards), the calendar will change the date accordingly. Additionally, the period of time that it takes for the calendar to advance the date has been reduced from 90 minutes to 18. This decreases the chances of misalignment occurring caused by manually changing the display during that period.

Overall, the Ref. 5326G is a complex watch that feels like the culmination of years of innovation with a cool vintage appearance. And that retro look is emphasised all the more prominently on the Calatrava Ref. 5226G. My final thought on them is that they don’t sit particularly well alongside Patek Philippe’s existing ranges, at least visually, but they make for an interesting new direction for the brand – one that embraces trends and being trendy. Although the prices are definitely classic Patek at £59,200 for the Calendar and £30,060 for the Calatrava.

Price & Specs

Ref: 5326G-001  |   Case/dial: 41mm diameter x 11.7mm height, 18K white gold case, textured charcoal grey dial, black gradient rim, gold applied numerals with beige luminescent coating   |   Water resistance: 30m   |   Movement: Caliber 31‑260 PS QA LU FUS 24H, automatic, annual calendar, 409 parts, Patek seal   |   Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)   |   Power reserve: 45h  |   Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, day, date and month in apertures, two time zones: local and home time indication, local and home day/night indication, moonphases   |   Strap: Calfskin, nubuck finish, hand-stitched, beige (originally fitted). Calfskin, embossed with fabric pattern, hand-stitched, black (additional strap). Fold-over clasp.   |   Price: £59,200

More details at Patek Philippe.

The Adamavi collection from Carl F. Bucherer features a diverse range of timepieces, with watches as simple as the Adamavi Autodate at £2,200 and golden masterpieces like the full rose gold version costing £16,200. The unifying factor across the models is that they all have a classy, simple, modern elegance. That’s also true of the latest addition to the collect, the Adamavi FullCalendar, which brings two new functions to the range and is the most complicated Adamavi to date.

The modern styling of the FullCalendar is refined yet understated: the plain, satin finished dial, available in black or white, makes the calendar function easy to read by offering great clarity and legibility. The hours are denoted with simple gold bar indices and matching gold hands for a welcome dash of colour.

The full calendar complication, which takes up a large portion of the face, is the first of the new additions to the Adamavi line and has been executed with class. The dates are clustered in a ring around the centre of the dial and the days of the week and the month are visible through windows at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions, meaning that despite being the primary complication, the dial remains uncluttered and clean.

Nestled inside the ring of dates is a moonphase, the second of the Adamavi’s new functions. The moon, depicted in gold, travels across a star-filled sky, giving the full cycle from new moon to full moon. It adds a little bit of sparkle, in combination with the hands and indices, to an otherwise plain looking watch and really brings it all together.

There isn’t one possible calendar function missing from this watch: you have the month, the date, the week and position in the moon cycle, all on top of the regular hours, minutes and seconds. It’s very user-friendly as well with four separate correctors embedded in the bezel to allow for easy adjustment. When they decided to call this piece the FullCalendar, they meant it.

The nicest thing about this timepiece is that it feels like a watch you could wear every day if you wanted to. It isn’t overly ostentatious with a 39mm stainless steel case, which houses the CFB 1966 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve. Throw in a consideration for your choice of black or white dial colour and alligator leather strap or stainless steel bracelet and it also has a fair amount of personalisation.

The only drawback is that for pricing information you will have to contact Carl F. Bucherer and it’s not likely to be cheaper than anything already in the Adamavi line-up, such as the £16,200 rose gold, because it’s substantially more technical. For that kind of money, you might want something that shouts about it a bit more than the reserved FullCalendar, but if subtlety is your style it’s hard to find much to criticise about it.

Price & Specs:

Model: Carl F. Bucherer Adamavi FullCalendar
Ref: 00.10324.08.13.01 (silver dial, blue alligator leather strap)
00.10324.08.13.21 (silver dial, stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp)
00.10324.08.33.01 (black dial, black alligator leather strap)
00.10324.08.33.21 (black dial, stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp)
Case/Dial: 39mm diameter x 10.10mm height, stainless steel, sapphire crystal case back, silver or black dial, each with vertical satin finish
Water resistance: 30m (3 bar)
Movement: In-house CFB 1966 calibre, automatic, 21 jewels
Power Reserve: 42h
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, month, date, day of the week, moon phase
Strap: Alligator leather in blue or black with stainless steel pin buckle or stainless steel with stainless steel folding clasp
Price/Availability: Price on request

More details at Carl F. Bucherer.

If you haven’t come across it before you’ll be forgiven for thinking the Master Control is an archival Jaeger LeCoultre design. Its triangular indices, traditional case shape and overall, less-is-more approach to design, is more akin to the design codes of the early 20^th century than the garish 90’s.

Introduced in 1992, the Master Control has been a stalwart of the Le Sentier brands arsenal and been used as a base for multiple complications and functions since. The name derives from JLC’s own 1000 hours certification, which is one of the most rigorous tests within the industry for precision and execution, therefore making the collection somewhat a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

For 2020, JLC have introduced four modernised iterations to this collection, sticking with the classic design while employing minute contemporary upgrades. Aesthetically the main upgrades come in the form of a slightly thinner bezel, so although the watches retain their 40mm case size, more dial space is visible resulting in a more refined look.

There is also a new tanned Novonappa calf leather strap which contrasts the sunray silver dial and brushed and polished steel case nicely. All four of the models will also be available in a rose gold variant which we are yet to see images of.

Mechanically, most of the collection keeps JLC’s 899 calibre but improves it by inserting a silicone hairspring, upgrading the barrel and tweaking other efficient energy saving technologies to give the watch a power reserve of 70 hours.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date

The three handed iteration of this watch is the most wearable at 9mm thin and we’re guessing it will sit on the wrist nicely when paired with the new leather strap. Featuring the date window at 6 o’clock and luminous dots above the triangular indices, it is refined without being boring; and with the generous power reserve upgrade it’s a tempting proposition. Like all the collection the Master Control Date will be available in either a steel or Le Grand Rose gold case.

Case: 40mm diameter x 8.78mm thickness, stainless steel  |  Water resistance: 50m ( bar)  |  Ref: Q4018420  |  Movement: Calibre 899, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz)  |  Power reserve: 70h  |  Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date  |  Strap: Novonappa calf leather  |  Price/availability: TBC

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Calendar

The dial gets a little busier with the Calendar model as expected, but the display is certainly balanced. The month and day windows occupy the top half of the dial while the beautifully executed moonphase sits centrally on the lower half.  The date display covers the outer edges of the dial and to ensure the moonphase isn’t obscured at any point, a jumping date hand complication has been added.

Case: 40mm diameter x 8.78mm thickness, stainless steel or Le Grand Rose gold  |  Water resistance: 50m ( bar)  |  Ref: Q4148420 (steel) and Q4142520 (gold)  |  Movement: Calibre 866, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz)  |  Power reserve: 70h  |  Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, triple calendar, moon phases  |  Strap: Novonappa calf leather  |  Price/availability: TBC

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Geographic

One of JLC’s most iconic complications is their elegant solution to a world time watch – the Geographic. The second timezone subdial sits at 6 o’clock with the desired city just below it. Simply use the crown at 10 o’clock to set and you’re away. You also have neat night-day and power reserve indicators on the left half of the dial, letting you know not to call at silly hours. Overall, the asymmetric styling is true to the DNA of other JLC’s and although the size is a little more rotund at 11mm thick, it’s very svelte for a travel watch.

Case: 40mm diameter x 10.96mm thickness, stainless steel or Le Grand Rose gold  |  Water resistance: 50m ( bar)  |  Ref: Q4128420 (steel) and Q4122520 (gold)  |  Movement: Calibre 939, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz)  |  Power reserve: 70h  |  Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, power reserve, second time-zone, night-day indicator, city indication  |  Strap: Novonappa calf leather  |  Price/availability: TBC

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronograph Calendar

Packaging in a chronograph and annual calendar, the last of the foursome is the thickest of the bunch at 12mm. The movement inside is JLC’s 759 calibre which features a column wheel chronograph & clutch mechanism and will wind up to a 65 hour power reserve. The dial is incredibly well-balanced featuring sunken subdials and an external pulsation scale to use in tandem with the chronograph. The pushers are also relatively unobtrusive and although we don’t have pictures of it, we’re longing to see this piece in rose gold with its open sapphire caseback.

Case: 40mm diameter x 12.05mm thickness, stainless steel or Le Grand Rose gold  |  Water resistance: 50m ( bar)  |  Ref: Q4138420 (steel) and Q4132520 (gold)  |  Movement: Calibre 759, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz)  |  Power reserve: 65h  |  Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, triple calendar with moon, chronograph with pulsometer  |  Strap: Novonappa calf leather  |  Price/availability: $14,500 (steel) and $26,000 (Le Grand Rose gold)

More details at Jaeger LeCoultre’s website.

If you saw our GPHG ’18 recap you should already know all about the Galet Annual Calendar, where it won the award for best men’s complication. Unveiled at the beginning of the year, it represented Laurent Ferrier’s 5^th in-house calibre, a seriously impressive achievement for a watchmaker that’s still relatively young. Ahead of SIHH 2019, the award-winning watch gets a cleaner, more traditional facelift, doing away with the two-tone dial used previously in favour of a finely-grained, uniform surface in black or white.

The new models, like their predecessor, were developed to be the easiest possible annual calendar to use where so many of them require a year’s worth of crown twisting and button pushing to ease into the right indication. Both the date and month have fast adjustment, and all done from the same crown, making the whole process painless.

Form follows function and it’s just as simple to look at as use. In fact, it’s one of the cleanest, clearest and perfectly-balanced annual calendars out there. It still has lovely finishing across the board, just a little more pared-back in visuals.

That’s why, even if it’s just a facelift, we’re excited by the prospect of the Galet Annual Calendar Montre Ecole Opaline. Movement-wise there’s no change from the original manual-winding mechanical LF126.01 movement of previous models, but the dial is more refined than ever.

Laurent Ferrier has done away with the two-tone dial used previously in favour of a finely-grained, uniform surface in black or white. It might on paper seem like a small change, but the effect is dramatic, firmly rooting the watch in the 20^th century rather than the 21^st for a far more classical look.

We’re expecting plenty more from Laurent Ferrier in 2019; they’re always one of the bands to watch for the year ahead. For now, we’re happy to tide ourselves over with a new version of their seminal Galet Annual Calendar. At the very least, it’ll let us accurately gauge how long until their next full release.

Price & Specs:

• • • Model name: Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline
      Ref: LCF025
    • Dial/Case: 40mm diameter x 12.80mm height, red gold, yellow gold or steel case, opaline black or white dial
    • Movement: Calibre LF126.01
      Frequency: 3Hz
    • Power reserve: 80hrs
    • Water resistance: 30m
    • Price: SFr50,000 in steel, and SFr55,000 in gold

Find out more on www.laurentferrier.ch.