The annual calendar is often overshadowed by its bigger and more complicated perpetual calendar brother, but don't make the mistake of thinking any less of it. Perhaps even more functional and applicable to day-to-day wear, the annual calendar often comes in as a far more affordable option for those wanting to make the step into calendrier watches. We've put together a list of x annual calendars that we think fit the bill after spending hours trawling through Amazon. Enjoy!
Patek Philippe 5726A Nautilus Annual Calendar
Like the annual calendar being overshadowed by the perpetual calendar, the 5276A Nautilus Annual Calendar has a constant shadow cast over it by the 5740G Nautilus Perpetual Calendar. But, and from the perspective of a daily wearer, the 5276A offers bucket loads of useability, including a day-date-month indicator, a moonphase and a 24-hour indicator. And it costs about half as much as a full blown perpetual calendar.
Rolex Sky Dweller 326935 Everose Gold
Using an ingenious mechanism called SAROS, Rolex's Sky Dweller 326935 Everose Gold gives its wearer the ability to uniquely tell the time and the correct date simultaneously. Needing only one adjustment every year on the 1st of March, the Sky Dweller 326935 Everose Gold combines beauty with intricate mechanics in a superb and super desirable package.
IWC Big Pilot Annual Calendar Spitfire
Big, bold and wonderfully beautiful, IWC's Big Pilot Annual Calendar Spitfire has a unique way of displaying the day, date and month by way of consecutive apertures at 12 o'clock. These windows give the wearer an almost instantaneous input of information without having to glance elsewhere on the watch. The big crown is prolific, the dial is gorgeous and all in all this is a very special watch that you can wear everyday comfortably.
Montblanc Heritage Chronometrie Quantieme Annual Calendar
Montblanc's Heritage Chronometrie Quantieme Annual Calendar marks the early steps in the brand's journey into calendrier timepieces. Relatively affordable, especially so for a full-fledged annual calendar, the Heritage Chronometrie Quantieme Annual Calendar is subtle, delicate yet super legible with a defined separation of indicators on the dial. Easy enough to dress up or down.
Patek Philippe 5146G Annual Calendar
Crafted in 39mm of white gold and featuring a beautiful grey dial, Patek Philippe's 5146G Annual Calendar is stunning watch from whatever angle you choose to look at it. Featuring the standard annual calendar indicators along with a moonphase and a power reserve indicator, the 5146G Annual Calendar has the capacity to be a one-and-done watch.
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Annual Calendar
With a similar guise to the Patek Philippe 5146G Annual Calendar, A. Lange & Söhne's 1815 Annual Calendar offers a softer, more delicate touch. The stylised font of the hour numerals coupled with the sub-dial register indicators make for a delightful approach to the typical annual calendar display genome. The addition of the moonphase indicator within the small-seconds sub-dial continues the 1815 Annual Calendar's theme of purposefulness in design and in execution.
Patek Philippe 5235G Annual Calendar Regulator
This is one of my all time favourite watches from Patek Philippe. The 5235G Annual Calendar Regulator combines the usefulness of an annual calendar with the fun and different nature of a regulator-style watch. The complete separation of all functions is a delight, with the vertically brushed grey dial serving as the perfect backdrop. This is an ingenious piece that is often overlooked, but it's one that offers so much.
Rolex Sky Dweller 326934 Oystersteel & White Gold
Crafted in a combination of Oystersteel and white gold, the Sky Dweller 326934 is a more affordable option than its Everose gold counterpart we featured earlier, but of course with the same intricacies. The Sky Dweller 326934 offers functionality, poise and distinction but is far more subtle and inconspicuous compared to the Everose gold variant, making it easier to dress up or down.
Omega Aqua Terra Co-Axial Annual Calendar
Omega's approach to the annual calendar is slightly more restrained than the others on this list, but it does render it in its own league, so to speak. The Aqua Terra Co-Axial Annual Calendar builds on the foundational look of the Aqua Terra and adds a functioning annual calendar. It may look like a standard day-date indicator, but in fact this displays the month and the date, doing away with the day display. A clever approach to minimising dial clutter.
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