Cover Chopard L.U.C Flying T Twin Perpetual
Chopard L.U.C Flying T Twin Perpetual
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If a watch with a simple date function is a bit too ordinary for your taste, level up with an annual or a perpetual calendar timepiece. Here’s a quick guide on the difference between the two.
The simplest form of calendar watch is the date displayed via an aperture. Sometimes the watchmakers create larger-than-usual window—hence the term “big date”—for better readability. When one speaks of an oversized date, chances are your mind will go to A. Lange & Söhne’s emblematic Lange 1.
Slightly more interesting is a date indicator in the form of a hand pointing to a date track, usually within a sub-dial but occasionally around the periphery of the main dial. The addition of the moon phase, a complication tracking the lunar cycle, lends the simple date a touch of whimsy.
Read more: John Mayer co-designed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
Above A. Lange & Söhne’s Lange 1 with its signature big date
A. Lange & Söhne’s Lange 1 with its signature big date
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For an analog date display, look no further than the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, which has a central hand with a red tip that points to the dates around the periphery of the dial.
Above Oris Big Crown Pointer Date
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date
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More detailed calendar watches can be found in the annual and perpetual calendars. Both feature not just the date but also the day and the month. Occasionally, a year display is thrown into the mix to showcase additional watchmaking expertise.
The main difference between the two is obvious from the names themselves. The annual calendar requires an adjustment once a year, on March 1 to correct against the shortest month of the year, February.
The perpetual calendar, however, doesn’t require any adjustment until 2100 as it is calibrated to correct itself automatically for months shorter than 31 days, including the leap years. Last year, IWC Schaffhausen upped the game with an eternal calendar watch with a date display that remains accurate until 3999.
See also: IWC’s CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr on winning the top prize at GPHG 2024
Above IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Eternal Calendar
IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Eternal Calendar
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Best new annual calendar: Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver
Last year, the independent watchmaker received the GPHG Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize for this annual calendar in red gold. Two bevelled windows below the Roman numeral of ‘12’ display the day and month, while a red hand points to the date. This timepiece also marks the brand’s first moon phase complication, integrated within the small seconds dial at 6 o‘clock. Created from aventurine by Murano artisans, it indicates the lunar phases in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
Read more: Laurent Ferrier Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition watch
Above Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver
Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver
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Best new perpetual calendar: Chopard L.U.C Flying T Twin Perpetual
Chopard introduces the first L.U.C timepiece to combine a perpetual calendar with a flying tourbillon, crafted from its innovative L.U.C 96.36-L movement. Comprising 319 components, it features its signature Twin technology's two stacked barrels that offer a better-than-average power reserve of 65 hours. It is also certified as a chronometer and meets the stringent criteria of Poincon de Genève, a hallmark of excellence. The 40.5mm yellow gold case makes for a handsome match with a Forest Green dial hand-guilloched with a sunburst pattern radiating from the flying tourbillon at 6 o‘clock.
Above Chopard L.U.C Flying T Twin Perpetual
Chopard L.U.C Flying T Twin Perpetual
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Brian Cheong leads the watch (Tatler GMT) and jewellery content at Tatler Malaysia, combining sharp editorial insight with years of luxury lifestyle experience. A seasoned journalist in luxury watches based in Kuala Lumpur, Brian had previously helmed World of Watches, Men's Folio and Prestige Malaysia.
