The most complete perpetual calendar download and installation, genuine old almanac download

The most complete perpetual calendar installation

Friends who are even slightly interested in watches must have heard of one of the "three major complications" of watches. Perpetual calendar. Its English name is "Perpetual calendar", literally translated as "perpetual calendar", which means that its calendar display is always synchronized with reality - at least until 2100.

01 There are tens of millions of rules, one of which is synchronization

Some friends may ask, are the watches (dates) we usually wear out of sync with reality?

You can’t say that.

As we all know, a year has 12 months, including 7 big months with 31 days, 4 small months with 30 days, plus a February with 28 or 29 days - in short, each month The length is different.

The calendar disk in a mechanical watch is, without exception, marked with numbers 1 to 31, and by default rotates once every 31 days. If your watch showed the 28th yesterday and the date was not calibrated today, then its calendar will definitely show the 29th at this moment, not the actual (March) 1st.

In comparison, watches with annual calendar and perpetual calendar functions have much higher IQs. In particular, the mechanical system of the perpetual calendar can not only distinguish between big and small months, but also distinguish ordinary years and leap years. At the end of each month, it can automatically switch from the 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st to the 1st of the next month, which is very of art.

Of course, the so-called permanent calendar or perpetual calendar are just exaggerations. Because our current calendar has a leap every 4 years, there is no leap every 100 years, and there is another leap every 400 years. The requirements for the latter two are too high for the brain circuit, so most perpetual calendars can only achieve a leap every 4 years. Manual adjustment will be required by the end of February 2100.

According to historical records, the perpetual calendar function was first invented in the 18th century, before the other "two major watch complications" - flywheel and minute repeater. This does not mean that the structure of the former is simpler and easier to implement than that of the latter, but because early people had an urgent need for various calendar-related display functions (not everyone was familiar with the calendar at the time), and the perpetual calendar just met the need. This kind of demand of people, while saving them from the pain of correcting the date, can be said to have incomparable practical significance.

By the middle of the 19th century, the perpetual calendar ushered in a period of rapid development. At that time, complex function pocket watches were particularly favored by European royal families. As the saying goes, "What is good above is what is bad below." Top watchmakers and watch factories in Switzerland and Germany have come up with their own unique tricks. For example, Patek Philippe accepted an order from Princess Luisa Fernanda around 1866 and customized a complex functional pocket watch that integrated a perpetual calendar, moon phase display and retrograde hands. The coat of arms of the princess and her husband was engraved on the case.

Patek Philippe’s customized perpetual calendar pocket watch for Princess Luisa Fernanda

After the appearance of wristwatches, the perpetual calendar was first directly modified from the pocket watch machine in the form of “waist modification” The core is transplanted into the watch. Then in 1929, the economic crisis in the United States led to a global recession. Many traditional Swiss watch factories closed down due to poor management, or terminated the research and development of complex watches. Therefore, there were very few brands of perpetual calendar watches in history.

The first perpetual calendar watch launched by Patek Philippe in 1925 was equipped with the 97975 pocket watch movement for women.

It was taken over by the Stern family. Later, Patek Philippe became the only remaining adherent, and successively launched perpetual calendars with chronograph functions, automatic winding and flat leap year display.

Throughout the 20th century, Patek Philippe's perpetual calendar watches have a large number, dense styles, and perfect functions, which can be called "a standout" in the high-end watchmaking industry.

Patek Philippe released the Ref. 3448 automatic perpetual calendar watch in 1962. Today, whenever this watch appears at auction, it is sold for millions of dollars

< p> 02 There are thousands of rules, but one of them is thin

In 1985, after experiencing the baptism of the quartz crisis, mechanical watches entered a new era. Patek Philippe launched a watch that rekindled people's appreciation for complexity. For those interested in mechanical watches, the Ref.3940 ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar.

It is equipped with Caliber 240 Q ultra-thin perpetual calendar movement, with a diameter of 27.5 mm and a thickness of only 3.88 mm. It can not only indicate the day of the week, date, month, and moon phase, but also has a 24-hour pointer and leap year display. Caliber 240 Q ultra-thin perpetual calendar movement and supporting watches have also become benchmarks in the industry.

Most of today’s perpetual calendars are self-winding and tend to be thinner. This is not only for aesthetics, but also from the perspective of daily wear.

Because the perpetual calendar is fundamentally a "lazy man's philosophy", it allows the wearer to use it for a long time without having to adjust the calendar. But if the watch itself is too heavy and cannot be put into the cuffs of the shirts that everyone wears daily, or if it needs to be manually wound from time to time, it will naturally affect the wearer's experience.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar Watch (Ref. 5740), which was launched last year, is equipped with Caliber 240 Q automatic movement and is only 8.42 mm thick.

Currently the world’s The thinnest automatic perpetual calendar watch in the world is undoubtedly the Royal Oak Concept RD#2 released by Audemars Piguet last year. Its movement and watch are only 2.89 mm and 6.3 mm thick respectively.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept RD#2

This year, Audemars Piguet released another core series CODE11.59 in addition to Royal Oak, among which This includes a perpetual calendar. It has optimized Caliber 5134 movement, which is so thin that it can be ranked among the top three automatic perpetual calendar movements.

Audemars Piguet CODE11.59 Perpetual Calendar Automatic Watch

The gorgeous dial is made of aventurine. By incorporating black oxide copper and cobalt into the glass, it is clear. The effect of twinkling stars in the vast dark blue universe.

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ultra-thin series of perpetual calendar enamel watches are equipped with the 868 ultra-thin perpetual calendar automatic movement, which not only has a long power of 70 hours, but also can simultaneously adjust all perpetual calendar display items through the crown. Very easy to operate.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Ultra-Thin Series Automatic Perpetual Calendar Enamel Watch

The diameter of the watch is 39 mm and the thickness is only 10.44 mm. There is no doubt that it is comfortable to wear.

Vacheron Constantin’s ultra-thin perpetual calendar has a 41.5 mm case made of pink gold. With a slim body of 8.1 mm and a translucent silver dial, it is simply beautiful.

Vacheron Constantin's ultra-thin perpetual calendar watch

It is equipped with the brand's own 1120 QP movement and is decorated with 22K gold with a wind direction rose compass pattern. put.

03 There are thousands of rules, one of which is dynamic storage

The functional characteristics of the perpetual calendar determine its better long-term operation status and avoid running out of power. , otherwise it will be very difficult to handle once it stops.

If you want to keep the watch running smoothly, you just have to rely on the owner’s persistence. It is unrealistic to “wind” the watch every day. Once you go to the suburbs or spend the weekend at the beach and leave your watch at home, the motivation will be lost. Therefore, one of the major trends in today's perpetual calendars is to maximize the "standby time", at least to be able to sit idle for a weekend without stopping.

Glashütte’s version of the Senator Excellent Perpetual Calendar Watch has a completely hollow dial, with 5 calendar display items divided into “southeast, northwestern, and central” on the dial. It may seem scattered, but the readings are extremely clear and convenient.

Glashütte Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar Edition

Based on the new generation 36 automatic winding movement, it not only has an efficient winding dual-material automatic (the edge is 21K gold), and the standby time is as high as more than 4 days.

When it comes to long-term power, IWC’s “7-day chain” naturally cannot be second to others. The newly released Spitfire Large Pilot Perpetual Calendar Watch this year uses a bronze case with an olive green dial and gold-plated hands. It is completely different from the generally elegant perpetual calendar watch.

IWC Spitfire Large Pilot Perpetual Calendar Automatic Watch

The internally assembled IWC-produced 52615 automatic movement uses a Pellaton automatic made of ceramic material. It has a winding system, dual barrels and a 7-day (168 hours) power reserve, which is as good as a Huawei mobile phone in terms of battery life. Its small seconds hand also has a stopping function, and all date display items can be adjusted synchronously through the crown, making it very easy to use.

IWC’s “7-day chain” is already very domineering, but in the face of Vacheron Constantin’s latest research and development results, it can only take second place.

Vacheron Constantin’s Heritage Series Dual Movement Perpetual Calendar

This Heritage Series Dual Movement Perpetual Calendar introduces a brand new concept, that is, based on use According to the needs of the user (wearing or idle), without interfering with the movement time, the movement is allowed to switch between high-frequency active at 5 Hz (36,000 times/hour) and low-frequency standby at 1.2 Hz (8,640 times/hour). . The former can maintain power for 4 days, while the latter can maintain power for an astonishing 65 days. During this period, the watch's travel time and various perpetual calendar displays can maintain normal operation.

04 There are thousands of rules, one of which is adjustment

According to different adjustment methods, perpetual calendars can be divided into several categories.

The first is the traditional perpetual calendar, which usually has four function correction buttons on the side of its case, corresponding to the "traditional elements" of the perpetual calendar: calendar, weekly calendar, month, moon phase and leap year ( It is linked to the month and usually does not have an independent correction button), and the original pen-like tool is used for adjustment.

It is precisely because the perpetual calendar adjustment process is relatively cumbersome and has many taboos that we emphasize that it is better not to stop the watch.

Baume & Mercier’s Clifton Baumatic perpetual calendar achieves the coexistence of advanced complex functions and affordable prices

And many of today’s perpetual calendars have been improved on the basis of tradition. , such as Lange’s Langematik Perpetual calendar.

Lange Honey Gold Edition Langematik Perpetual Calendar

It not only has hidden buttons around the case for independently adjusting each calendar item, A hidden overall adjustment button is also added at the 10 o'clock position of the watch case. With just one button, all calendar display items can be adjusted forward by one day, which greatly simplifies the short-term adjustment steps (such as stopping for two or three days). ).

Another adjustment method can be called "preset perpetual calendar". Its movement usually adopts an integrated structure, and there is no correction button on the side of the case. Instead, it is adjusted through the crown. All display functions are adjusted simultaneously. The perpetual calendars of Jaeger-LeCoultre and IWC introduced earlier fall into this category.

The last and more advanced one is called the callable perpetual calendar, which means that the perpetual calendar can be adjusted in all directions without any blind spots. As long as the date exists in reality (whether forward or backward), it can be adjusted in any direction. displayed on the watch.

Currently, there are only a handful of watch manufacturers in the industry that have products that can adjust the perpetual calendar, and they all use their own patented technologies and there is no unified specification. The more representative one is undoubtedly the perpetual calendar that can be freely adjusted forward or backward, developed in 1996 by the watchmaking genius Dr. Ludwig Oklin. It is also a long-lasting classic of Ulysse Nardin in the past 20 years. work.

Athens’ new Ludwig Perpetual Calendar

Montblanc’s new Heritage Series Perpetual Calendar this year uses the MB 29.22 automatic machine developed by the brand itself over a period of three years. core.

The movement is larger in size and perfectly fits the 40mm watch diameter. It does not use a conventional lever-driven perpetual calendar structure. Instead, it relies entirely on gears and can be moved forward or upward through the crown. After calibrating the date, the operation is very simple.

Montblanc’s new Heritage Series Perpetual Calendar

05 There are thousands of rules, but precision is one of them

Finally, let’s talk about the inside of the perpetual calendar. Structure, some readers may have heard that the core device of the perpetual calendar system is a "program wheel" that rotates once every four years.

As shown in the picture, the "program wheel" is composed of uneven grooves. The 3 deepest grooves represent the 3 28 days of February in ordinary years, and 1 The slightly shorter one represents the 29 days of February in leap years, the remaining grooves represent the 30 days of the 4 small months of each year, and the full outer edge represents the 31 days of the 7 large months of each year. The depth to which the lever on the left side of the program wheel "falls" into the groove determines which day at the end of the month the calendar system jumps to.

Even in Switzerland, there are only a handful of manufacturers that can develop perpetual calendars on their own. In China, only Tianjin Seagull trial-produced it a few years ago, and then nothing happened. One of the important reasons is that the accuracy requirements for internal parts are too high. Compared with the "program wheel" that is clear at a glance, the levers, cams and springs scattered throughout the movement are the key to determining whether the perpetual calendar system can operate smoothly.

They pull each other, one lever is raised, triggering the rotation of the cam, and the other lever is driven by the spring to fall, pushing the calendar to rotate, similar "large-scale dance drama" day after day, month after month Performed for a month, if the length, angle, and strength of any part are slightly wrong, the entire system may get stuck.

Moreover, the 48-tooth "program wheel" can only be used for regular operations of the perpetual calendar. There is another more sophisticated system. Its core device is a 12-tooth planetary gear train. The entire gear train rotates once every 12 months, while the pocket planetary gear rotates once every 4 years. Together they form a Complete leap year cycle.

The Ref.5320 automatic perpetual calendar launched by Patek Philippe last year is equipped with a newly developed Caliber 324 S Q automatic movement with a 12-tooth planetary gear train.

The dual windows for the day and month at 12 o'clock on the dial have an instant jump function. The calendar and moon phase disk at 6 o'clock together with the day, night and leap year windows on both sides form a symmetrical interface.

Patek Philippe Ref.5320 Automatic Perpetual Calendar

In order to make the display on the disk as stretched as possible, Patek Philippe modified the "deck" of the 324 automatic movement and integrated the perpetual calendar Modules are laid out on top of it.

Of course, other professional watchmaking brands also have their own unique skills. For example, H. Moser & Cie. has launched the famous "FlashCalendar" flash calendar in the watch industry, which displays perpetual calendar information through an exclusive flash calendar window and the month pointer on the dial.

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavor Perpetual Calendar PURITY Cosmic Green Watch

Its flash calendar consists of two overlapping annular calendar disks, using The reader can quickly adjust the perpetual calendar forward or backward through the crown at any time of the day, and can handle it easily even when traveling between multiple time zones.

H. Moser & Cie.’s perpetual calendars also have the unique feature of only displaying the correct date based on the actual length of the month. For example, there are only 30 days in November, and the calendar window will jump directly from the 30th to the 1st of the next month, without showing the non-existent day 31st. Similarly, at the end of February in ordinary years, its calendar window will jump directly from the 28th to the 1st of the next month without going through the transition of 29th, 30th, and 31st. It seems simple, but it is actually ingenious.

Let’s take a look at this Breguet nautical series 5887 equation of time watch.

It incredibly combines automatic winding, perpetual calendar, equation of time, flywheel and 80 hours of long power, and the month and day windows use instant jumps, and the calendar hands use a retrograde structure, coupled with the coaxial The true solar time hand pushes the complexity of the perpetual calendar display to an unprecedented level.

Breguet Nautical Series 5887 Equation of Time Watch

Congratulations on reading this article that is easy to understand. Perpetual Calendar Guide...even if you don't understand it...you must think they are awesome! ! The perpetual calendar is really super interesting. I encourage everyone to buy a few and wear them to study! !

Friends, see you next time (next Friday)!

Wen Chen Guangda

Editor Han Haha

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