Five new perpetual calendar watches to check out

A. LANGE & SOHNE LANGE 1 PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Until now, A. Lange & Sohne perpetual calendars have mostly come with additional price-elevating features such as a tourbillon or a chronograph. Available in pink gold with a grey dial or white gold with a solid pink-gold dial, the new Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar focuses on its calendar complication. True to Lange form, it’s all about precision. All the calendar displays, including the peripheral month ring, switch instantaneously at midnight.

IWC BIG PILOT’S WATCH PERPETUAL CALENDAR TOP GUN EDITION “MOJAVE DESERT”

IWC’s perpetual calendar, developed by its highly regarded former head watchmaker Kurt Klaus in the early 1980s, finds its way into a sand-coloured ceramic case for the first time. The landscape of the Western Mojave Desert, home to the US Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, inspired the Mojave Desert editions of IWC’s pilot watches. The 46mm perpetual calendar is powered by the in-house self-winding calibre 52110.

PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5236P-001 IN-LINE PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Having made the world’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1925, Patek Philippe has an illustrious history in mechanical calendar watches. Its latest shows that it still has plenty of ideas for innovation in this area. Inspired by a 46mm pocket watch from 1972, the Ref. 5236P-001 In-line Perpetual Calendar features a new linear date display, with the day, date and month indicated within an elongated aperture. Three patent applications have been filed for this self-winding creation.

BVLGARI OCTO FINISSIMO PERPETUAL CALENDAR

With its seventh world record for thinness in as many years, the Octo Finissimo family by Bvlgari continues to impress by packing complications into its stylishly svelte forms. Available in a 40mm titanium or platinum case, the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar unites 408 components in a case just 5.8mm thick. Making interesting use of the relatively ample real estate on its dial, analog day and month displays sit alongside the retrograde date and leap-year indicators.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS PERPETUAL CALENDAR ULTRA-THIN SKELETON

This year, Vacheron Constantin beefed up its ultra-thin Overseas Perpetual Calendar collection. Adding to the existing pink gold models, the manufacture launched the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra- Thin and the Overseas Perpetual Ultra-Thin Skeleton in white gold with blue dials. The skeletonised dial of the latter shows off the Calibre 1120 QPSQ/1 with plenty of high- horology finishings as well as a rotor with a cool, dark coating.