Perpetual calendars: all in the crown

Brands that produce timepieces with top-notch perpetual calendars do seem to try very hard to consign all setting procedures to the crown. But while the perpetual calendars may not have royal lineage – despite the crown connection –they are precious, sophisticated and efficient. The brands aim to compete with others, whose models featuring annual calendars are advertised as being more flexible when it comes to setting and adjusting, i.e., it's easier to do. Below is an overview of the different kinds of perpetual calendars available.

Trailblazer Kurt Klaus

In 1985, Kurt Klaus came up with a perpetual calendar module for the Da Vinci (picture 1) at IWC. This brilliant watchmaking engineer became a legend an was even seen as a hero in the eyes of his colleagues at the manufacture in Schaffhausen in German-speaking Switzerland. Klaus raised the complications bar to a whole new level by making simplifying the manufacture of the perpetual calendars without changing their proportions. Only few watchmakers at the time were able to actually create any.

The Perpetual Calendar Module for the Da Vinci by IWC

Over the past thirty years, the proliferation of computer-assisted tools, the enormous growth in the number of models and good ideas, and the rise of the engineer and technician in the traditional setting has done a great deal to transform the industry. Kurt Klaus paved the way, and others followed. Nowadays, perpetual calendars can only be regulated by certified mechanics and are well on their way to becoming antiques or, better yet, being used in  accessible products such as the Meisterstück Heritage Quantième Perpétuel (pictures 2 & 3) released by Montblanc this year.

Montblanc Meisterstück Perpetual Calendar

The return of the leap year…

Each era has its own obsessions and its own reference models. In 2014, perpetual calendars returned to the spotlight with some perquisites in order to compete with the annual calendars, which have climbed in the charts these past few years.

Wearing the Montblanc Meisterstück Perpetual Calendar

Aficionados sought watches that were user-friendly and flexible when it came to regulating. If the watch happened to stop, they also wanted the option of resetting it themselves without having to resort to an expert. Until recently, their only choice on the market was a watch with a simplified mechanism that didn’t need too much fiddling. Like the one developed in 1996 by Patek Philippe, one of the leading lights in that particular segment. Young watchmakers and designers must have been excited by the prospect of hauling this complication out of oblivion. So obviously, rehabilitating it would not only safeguard their future, but also their fame in that future.

Ulysse Nardin Quantième Perpetuel

Let’s face it, times have changed, and except for famous Carole Forestier from Cartier, few watchmakers really stand out these days. For example, who at Greubel Forsey invented the very original regulating mechanism for the Quantième Perpétuel à Equation? Or, along the same lines, who designed the superb one in the Perpetual Manufacture by Ulysse Nardin (5th picture), which is being released this year in a limited edition of 250 pieces in pink gold and platinum each? Be that as it may, the most important point is that the timepiece should actually function properly and achieve perfection.

This is still a far cry from all those push pieces worked into the case middle that can be used for quick adjustments. And it's even a further cry from the outlandish adjustments that must be performed by way of the crown to get the watch to its fateful date.

A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar

Today, the information displayed on the dials of the most sophisticated perpetual calendars can be adjusted by turning the winding crown in both directions. In some ways, the less sophisticated versions like the one proposed by Montblanc can therefore be priced at a value deemed reasonable, because it does not feature anything particularly innovative and everything automatically loses a percentage of value proportionate to the innovation that succeeds it.

A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar

The coming of age of perpetual calendars

Nowadays, timepieces such as the wonderful Richard Lange offered by the A. Lange & Söhne can still afford a perpetual calendar regulated by a push-piece, as it also boasts an orbital  moon phase display. It is a nice touch and tends to make one forget the essentials. But how long can it last? Jaeger-LeCoultre will undoubtedly be obliged to quickly find a way of removing the adjustment pusher from the pink gold Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Cylindrique à Quantième Perpétuel.

Jaeger leCoultrer Maste Grande Tradition Tourbillon Cylindrique

This detail is kindly overlooked these days, because this timepiece has an outstanding cylindrical tourbillon that makes the wearer forget the lateral button. The same goes for the Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendaire (06a, 06b). It is a fascinating object visually, and easy to adjust, nevertheless it still needs a separate pusher to quickly adjust one of the calendar functions, namely the day. Put this little horological blemish is bound to disappear some day in such high-end timepieces.

Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendaire

Having come of age, as it were, the purists are becoming more and more demanding. This, in turn, is an opportunity for the watchmaking industry to push technical boundaries further in terms of actual mechanics, since they are no longer really capable of improving precision in these extremely complex horological instruments.