Perpetual Calendar and watches that stand out with this feature
Creating a mechanical watch with a calendar is a superhuman feat, yet the history of this invention dates back 260 years. The pinnacle of this achievement is the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar.
Watch lovers who wander through the world of ticking machines have surely come across the term perpetual calendar more than once. If you look it up in a dictionary of foreign words, you will find that the word perpetual has several meanings. For example, constant, persistent, or eternal. It is the last word that most accurately describes this horological complication. Perpetual calendar means nothing other than an eternal calendar, and it is undoubtedly the pinnacle of horological art. Perfect craftsmanship concealing seconds, minutes, days, months, years, including leap years, in the tireless ticking of a mechanical mechanism no larger than the palm of your hand. When you hold a watch with a perpetual calendar in your palm, you feel as if you are holding time itself, captured in cogwheels.
1762: Thomas Mudge
Although the perpetual calendar mechanism was used in clockwork around 1695 by Tompion and his successor Graham, history usually dates back to 1762, when English clockmaker Thomas Mudge accomplished an almost superhuman task and managed to construct a pocket watch mechanism that takes into account the date, days, months, years, the 30-31 cycle, 28-day February, an extra day every four years, every hundredth year without a leap day, and so on...
1875: Jules Louis Audemars
In 1875, the brilliant Jules Louis Audemars entered the scene, tasked with constructing a watch as part of his final exam at watchmaking school. And he came up with nothing less than a perpetual calendar that also displayed leap years. This complication has remained in the famous Audemars Piguet brand's range to this day.
1925: Patek Philippe
Another pioneer was Patek Philippe, which created the first wristwatch with a perpetual calendar in 1925 and a wristwatch with a retrograde perpetual calendar in 1937.
Present: IWC Portugieser
Another manufacturer that can boast watches with a perpetual calendar is IWC, with its Portugieser model IW503302. The watch case is made of 18-carat gold and is held on the wrist by a brown alligator strap. The dial, with a diameter of more than 44 mm, provides ample space for all the important information that the watch can share with you. At the 3 o'clock position is a 7-day power reserve indicator and date display. The indicator at the 9 o'clock position tells you the day of the week, and the indicator at the 6 o'clock position tells you the month. The year is revealed in a discreet window between the 7 and 8 o'clock positions. If that's not enough, the moon phase indicator stands out in the royal 12 o'clock position. Indeed, there is plenty of information, but as I mentioned above, thanks to the generous dial, each indicator has plenty of space. A big advantage is that you can set the watch using only the crown. The watch case thus appears seamless and is not disturbed by additional buttons.
The back of the watch is transparent, offering a magnificent view of the movement, which is dominated by an 18-carat gold rotor. The watch is water-resistant to 30 meters. This may seem low, but, honestly, the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar is not a watch for the water. I would even go so far as to say that it is not a watch for everyday wear. More than a timepiece, it is an exceptional piece of jewelry for exceptional men. It is a jewel passed down from father to son, just like the secrets of the watchmaking craft hidden in this exceptional piece.
The time in the movement is programmed 100 years ahead. Enough time for the watch to bring joy to your descendants. But even in 2100, it will not become unusable. A small adjustment is all it takes for the watch to function for another century, until 2200. If you want to admire the beautiful IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar and experience what it's like to have time in your hands, stop by our store.
For more information about the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar, visit our e-shop:
