Watch of the Week: Anniversary for the Annual

Most major horological advancements in fine watchmaking happened a long time ago. The stopwatch chronograph? Minted by Monsieur Moinet in 1816. The merry-go-round tourbillon? One Abraham-Louis Breguet, 1801. The perpetual calendar? Who knows really, but probably Thomas Mudge back in 18th century London.

There is one complication that doesn’t fit that mould, however. It might sound like it’s been around forever, but the annual calendar was only introduced in 1996. As the name implies, it needs adjusting just once a year, and for that matter, it’s a great deal cheaper than a perpetual.

Instead of the latter’s taking into account February’s 28 days as well as leap years, Patek Philippe’s annual calendar innovation, three decades’ back, takes into account the four months lasting 30 days rather than 31, so the only time you need adjust the date is on the 28 or 29 February – otherwise the mechanism ‘assumes’ that February is always 30 days long.

This year, Geneva’s favourite son has just the ticket for the birthday celebrations: a sunburst-brushed ‘sand beige’ dial with rose gold faceted ‘obus’ hour markers, tracked by rose-gold faceted ‘dauphine’ dagger hands, so typical of Patek’s coolest Calatrava dress pieces.