Welcome to this Watch LIVE. Hi, I'm Lydia Winters.
And I'm Boo Boo. And as I said, we're going deep
on perpetual calendars and annual calendars.
You. Did say that.
I did be and. Now you're delivering.
I am. I'm not delivering.
Take that, everyone delivering sometimes.
I was busy all day and you prepared this whole episode.
And I'm very excited because I will say that perpetual
calendars are something that I find fascinating, but because
I've never had a specific one that I was interested in, I've
never actually gone to any depth with them at all to understand
them. Well, this.
So now you're going to teach. Me well, but this is also why I
became interested. Secret diary of a watch girl on
Instagram Emily she was talking with Justin Hest, said that her
grail watch was an IWC 3755 Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar and
then someone that he knew reached out said there was one
in Amsterdam. They went down together for her
to buy it. This is her grail watch.
It is such a cool white ceramic and gold watch.
It has a crown controlled perpetual calendar which is
super cool. Is actually invented by Kurt
Kloss who worked at IWC. That sounds.
Super cool. It's Iwc's first movement
featuring a moon phase, year, month, date, day, hours,
minutes, seconds and a chronograph.
That's a lot. Which I was like, that's
actually really cool to have a perpetual calendar with a
chronograph. It's not big at all.
It's like a, it's a 39 millimeter.
Like not a huge case, really. Yeah, very nice.
But this is what so Emily's Germany is what got me really
excited about basically perpetual calendars in general.
Annual Calendars. Annual.
Calendars. Because I've also just, I think
it's kind of that like it's the next frontier for me is like
more complications. I want a moon phase, you know,
it's like very. Yeah, yeah.
I owned an annual calendar once and I I did.
I liked the functionality but the watch was a little weird on
me. OK, it was an Omega Deville
annual calendar. I forget exactly the model.
This was 10 / 10. Years ago, I didn't even realize
it was a annual calendar. Like, I didn't know that.
Yeah, that was an. But I guess it was before I
cared. I was like, that watch does
watch stuff. Yeah.
And you didn't really like the
look of it on me. And it just, it didn't last
long. I it was, it was more of an
experiment. I I got that one and then I let
it go fairly quickly. OK, so perpetual calendar
complications dates back to the mid 1700s as a pocket watch.
So that's when it started. But then they were integrated
into wristwatches in 1925 by Patek Philippe.
And this was like a really big, like, adapting that from a
pocket watch to a wristwatch was a very significant milestone in
horology because it really showcased the complexity and
precision of perpetual calendars and a especially to all of a
sudden make them wearable in a size that can fit on your wrist.
Yeah. And then today, even today,
perpetual calendars watches are still considered a pinnacle of
watchmaking. Yeah.
They're capable of automatically adjusting for different month
lengths and leap years, which is really wild.
They require adjustments only once every century.
That's pretty cool. That's really, really, really
cool. Yeah.
So for for that means at least anyone I've ever heard of, you
only have to adjust it once. Mm, hmm.
Ever. Yeah, probably not even that,
because you're probably not getting it as a baby.
It's just. I'm just saying.
Pure little baby. You're going to have to change
it multiple times. So, oh, wait, actually.
But it's not 100 years from the time you get it.
No, OK. I I I just wasn't thinking.
Anyway, that's how that works. It's.
So, yeah, obviously like advantages of this are they're
extremely precise, minimal manual adjustments, which is
very cool. And then the disadvantages are
like it's very expensive and it's extremely complex
mechanisms. Do not drop your perpetual
calendar. Probably not a cheap fix.
No, I would assume not. So then this part is what
surprised me because perpetual calendars and annual calendars.
I knew a bit of the like. The perpetual part is that it
keeps going. But an annual calendar?
If someone had asked me before I researched this, which came
first, the chicken or the egg? The perpetual calendar or the
annual calendar? What one would you say?
Annual calendar. It's a simpler movement.
No, perpetual calendar was first.
I mean, I kind of figured that as you asked the question.
Well, yeah, 'cause I the. Only reason you'd ask this is if
it's the surprising one, but I I went along with your your your
your. Ruse.
OK, but it's surprising because annual calendar watches are not
only a more recent innovation, but the first one was introduced
by Patek in 1996. What?
So from 1925 to 1996, they were like, there's only one way this
can happen, and it's where you can never change.
It so prior to that they had perpetual calendars and then
regular watches with a date and then but they it's like they
realize like wait a second. Yeah, well.
We can get most of what you get out of a perpetual calendar for
much less work, which means we can charge much less money.
It's designed as a simpler and more affordable alternative to
the perpetual calendars. But it's so interesting to me
that it it was so long in between because I was like, oh,
OK, surely annual surely, because.
It's more simple. You develop that first, but it
turns out no. Yes, and so with an annual
calendar they can distinguish between months with 30 and 31
days, but require manual adjustments once a year at the
end of good old February, the month that makes no sense.
Well, it makes sense in the great.
Yeah, OK. It makes sense somehow.
OK. And then after Patek Philippe
had success with this, because people were like, wait, what?
I can have all of the functionality, I just have to.
Change it. Once a year.
That's 100 times more. But yeah, but still, it's a lot
less than other watches. I'm changing all the time 'cause
I'm wearing too many. Well, OK, but that's.
Yeah, that's not. Yeah, that's its own.
Problem own problem. I think a regular watch you
would change like 7 * a year right?
Because it's any month that's less than 31 days +2 you you
you'd have to reset it for the two times that the hour.
Changes, yeah. Depends on where you live.
Yeah. If you live in Phoenix, AZ then
you don't change for daylight savings.
OK, annual calendar watches, an advantage is that less frequent
adjustments more affordable than perpetual calendars.
So I mean, it's, well, it's not less frequent adjustments
overall, but it's still less. Frequent adjustments than a
regular calendar. A regular watch with a date.
Exactly. And then the disadvantages are
that it still requires annual adjustments and it's less
complex, but that's also that's the price difference.
It's also like kind of interesting because with an
annual calendar, so for the 2:00-ish years that I own that
annual calendar, it kind of made like Leap Day.
Is that what it's called? It's called Leap Day, I think.
Yeah, right. Yeah, it made that more special.
It's like Kermit Day on the Oris because.
When I had that annual calendar, that's the first time I bought a
watch Winder because I'm like, well, this is a watch that
belongs on a Winder, so that it, it, it'll just always know the
date, you know, other watches. I didn't bother with winders and
I still don't. But if you have an annual or
perpetual calendar and they're automatic, then a Winder could
be really nice. Yeah, that's true.
So an annual calendar, it's ideal for someone who wants a
sophisticated watch, but still minimal maintenance.
And I think they're very nice. And then a perpetual calendar,
it's really that like watch enthusiasts and collector who
appreciate the intricate or logical complication because it
really is like super cool. I'm not really sure actually.
I like them both. I think that a lot of times
perpetual calendars in my mind have been more bulky.
But then when I saw this IWC Da Vinci, that secret diary of a
watch girl has, I was like, wait, that's not that big.
And some of the older like obviously the ones I want are
like a PS Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
You know. Just casually, but they're so
beautiful and I think it's really cool.
OK, well, I the The thing is, it's because, so from a
functional standpoint, there's not a huge difference for you,
right? Like I I'm just talking about.
Between the two between because I was like for me though as like
my in my current. Watch between the two.
Functionally, they're not that difference for you, for for for
you. But if you're still interested
in the perpetual calendar, then what that does mean is what
you're saying is you're interested in some of the
technicalities of movements and what can be achieved.
Well, I mean, yeah, because if I think about my current
collection, I have date. Yeah, I have.
AGMT No. No, not anymore.
I have a chronograph and I have a day date.
The Seiko 5 is the day date, but to have the date, day month a
moon phase would be cool. Like that's a really useful
everyday watch. Like it's very cool to me
because sometimes I am like, what month is it, What day is
it, what year is it? So I've heard various things
about the durability of the average.
I don't know what the average for perpetual calendar is, but
like that, you know, obviously there are many more parts, yeah,
which is many more failure points.
And so probably most perpetual calendars are not worn daily,
but probably the makers of them want them to be able to be worn.
Daily. You know, like I, I, I assume
that would be a goal is that they could endure the regular
rigors of life. It may not be your adventure
watch, but like a daily wear it around town, go to the office
type of watch. That would be a cool daily watch
to. Yeah, it would be calendar.
As your daily. It would be pretty cool, Yeah.
Yeah, I mean. Depends on the watch, of course.
I just think with either of them, they're really cool
because you see like a level of sophistication in the watch
making and also just a lot of craftsmanship because in order
to, you know, like it's a lot of different things combined into
one. That's why I find the IWC Da
Vinci one that it's also a chronograph to be so cool
because you have all of these hands everywhere basically.
But it's also, when you look at it, you can see what everything
is. So the chronic, the sub, the
subdials actually have, you know, some of the hands are in
gold and then some are in blue, like a blue.
Black. Specifically for that one with
the chronograph. And so it's really cool that you
can use one subdial and it's doing multiple things.
So you don't have listed here leap year, Is that not on the
move on on the face of the movement?
It's 'cause they're not on every.
Not. Every perpetual calendar I've
seen shows the leap year. But but many do.
I don't think they all have to. No, I wouldn't.
You kind of need to know like for when you said it, but you
don't need to see it. No.
If I buy a perpetual calendar, I'm having someone else said it
obviously, and then it can run for 100.
Years. Well, so then if you get a
perpetual calendar, which now that this bug is in your.
It is. No, it definitely feels.
It feels. It feels.
Like. It yeah, I do feel a bit like
I'm I'm I I definitely was doing a deep dive of my friend a dose
of time to. Trade towards.
No, but I was looking at a dose of time at Jacqueline and she
has a lot of old Patek perpetual calendars, some old AP ones and
I was just like I they're so beautiful because it's just,
it's just very cool, especially from someone who pretty much
daily wears like a three hand watch, like that's pretty, you
know, like occasionally I have the date, but not that often.
So I find it really cool suddenly.
Interested in this? Yeah, in a way.
So I've talked about really. Seems like it's way up your
alley when I say it like that. It sounded, yeah.
Yeah. Well, no, it didn't sound gross
until you then called it gross. Now it definitely.
Sounds gross. Anyway, moving on.
The thing is, I do enjoy complexity in many different
ways, and I enjoy technical achievement and technical
complexity. Yeah.
So therefore. Does all make sense.
However, I also enjoy like really clean, clear, easy to
read displays and I really value that.
And it takes a really great designer to make a perpetual
calendar that you can glance at and glean the information that
you want fairly quickly. But that's why I like some of
the vintage ones. I feel like they're decluttered
in a way and I think it's really nice, especially how.
Long. Royal Oak, that.
It'll take Olivia to get a provincial calendar.
OK. But then the question back to
you is, would you pick you would pick perpetual over annual?
It depends on the watch. So the thing about that Omega
Deville, our vision, that's what I call what's called the Omega
Deville, our vision annual calendar.
And one of the cool things about that watch was on the sides of
the case, it was sapphire. So you can see the movement from
the side. I thought that was.
Pretty cool. That was pretty.
Cool, but the design of the dial made it look I think dated
already. Like now when I look at those
watches they they look like they were from 10 years ago.
Anyway, the thing about an annual calendar is it can just
look like a watch with a date because you don't have to see
the month in order to set it and not all annual calendars tell
you the month. So that one specifically, it
just had the day. Well, here's the thing for me is
if if you can't see it and I paid extra for no, I'm like, if
I'm paying extra for it, I want to see.
Wait, so that's why I didn't know that yours was an annual
calendar? Because you didn't even know
what an annual calendar. Was but yeah, here's here's what
I really want one of these like, you know, old royal oats.
Well, yeah, I know that like an old 80s sorry, not Royal Oak AP
perpetual calendar moon phase. I think they're just so clean
and cool. The moon phase looks awesome,
has the Big Dipper, which is super cool right there.
I love the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, but also they're
very thin and I find I just think that's so cool, huh?
What's the size of the watch? This one is 36mm, so perfect for
me. Yeah.
So I'm I, I, I. Think anyone have one for sale I
we have a. An immediate buyer?
No, I am definitely not an immediate buyer, but I feel that
this may be, you know, moving towards something in the next 3
watches in. The next three watches, I
thought you were going to say three years.
No, no, no. And you're like, then I should
have known it's more like 3 months.
No, it will probably be longer than that, but it's also I'm
very excited about it and I'm I'm super excited about secret
diary of a watch girls and I have definitely been looking up.
There's a lot of cool Da Vinci's.
Hers is ceramic, so it's like ultra special.
There were like 40 of them made, but the gold 1, the gold Da
Vinci perpetual calendars are more readily available and
they're also beautiful too. So it's happening I guess.
You'll have to see. Let us know what you think.
Would you go perpetual, annual, or neither?
Or just calendar.