It’s difficult to escape the magnetic pull of the calendar watch. With various apertures, registers and windows displaying the day, month, date, moon phase and more, these miniature devices compute a wealth of information using nothing but springs and gears. No wonder, then, that so many collectors fall down the rabbit hole of these complicated wonders.
But while perpetual calendars — which take into account leap years and only need manual adjustment perhaps once a century — can be prohibitively expensive and annual calendars — which only need manual adjustment at the end of February — likewise aren’t for the faint of wallet, so-called “triple-calendars” (also called “full” or “complete” calendars) can offer an entry point into the world of complicated calendar watches without depleting one’s brokerage account.
The World’s Best Annual Calendar Watches
Not quite as sophisticated as their perpetual cousins, they nevertheless promise a compelling complication at a more affordable price.Brands like Angelus and Rolex combined them with chronographs to make supremely useful watches, while others such as Omega and Vacheron Constantin made dressier models that are still highly desirable today. Then, for many decades, they gave way to their more complicated (and expensive) cousins, robbing collectors of a wonderful complication.
But in the 2020s, it seems like more and more brands are re-adopting the complete calendar. When this happens at a luxury company, one can of course expect luxury pricing to ensue. But with the availability of third-party Japanese movements that include the requisite displays for day, month and date, we may be on the cusp of a resurgence in more affordable fare. Maen, a Swedish brand, offers an excellent and somewhat unusual complete calendar that uses a Miyota movement for less than $1,000, while Montblanc has one in its catalog for $5,000 that uses a Swiss-made ETA base.
The World’s Best Perpetual Calendar Watches
The pinnacle of mechanical sophistication, these 11 miniature wrist computers barely need manual adjustmentAs in decades past, many brands are pairing the complete calendar with the chronograph complication, making for a highly sophisticated watch that can track the day, date, month and local time, plus elapsed minutes, hours and seconds. (The phase of the moon is also typically — though not always — included.) How does a watch company fit all of this information into a dial without overcrowding? Typically, some of the calendar and chronograph functions are combined into the same registers: a rotary date indicator with a moon phase indicator, for example, or a 24-hour indicator with a running seconds indicator. If done well, the resultant dial maintains legibility while tracking a wide array of information.
Hopefully, watch companies will continue to explore the complete calendar, making it available once again at a wide variety of prices and in a wide array of configurations. Below are 11 of our favorite such timepieces currently on the market. While many of them are far from entry-level, their delightful designs are sure to capture your imagination. Who knows, maybe you actually are a calendar watch guy, after all.
The Best Complete Calendar Watches
- The Triple-Cal Chrono: Maen Brooklyn 36 Triple Calendar
- The Everyday Moonphase Driver: Wempe Zeitmeister Classic Moon Phase and Full Calendar
- The Vintage-Inspired Choice: Longines Master Collection Chrono Moonphase
- The Dressy Automatic: Montblanc Star Legacy Full Calendar 42mm
- The Sleek, Stainless Full Calendar: IWC Portofino Full Calendar
Founded by two watch-loving Dutch expatriates living in Stockholm, Maen — from the old Dutch word for “moon” — produces handsome and affordable watches across a variety of styles. While the vintage-influenced Brooklyn 36 might look like a traditional chronograph, a closer examination reveals that its dual-register display actually houses a calendar complication: While the day of the week is displayed radially at 9 o’clock, the month is shown opposite at 3 o’clock, and the entire design is balanced by a date window above 6 o’clock. With its pie-pan dial and excellent case dimensions, it’s one of the most approachable complete calendars on the market.
The cool monochromatic dial on this complete calendar from famed German jeweler Wempe makes it ideal for everyday wear, while stainless steel construction and matching dial furniture renders it even more versatile. At 42mm in diameter, it’s perhaps best for someone with a larger wrist, but the appeal of its dial — with modernist typography and a pointer-date track relegated to the inner quadrant — will certainly appeal to a wide variety of collectors. An ETA-sourced automatic movement, meanwhile, helps keep the price more affordable, while a simple black leather strap finishes the package.
With nearly two centuries of back catalog to reference, Longines is adept at crafting modern watches that call to mind the best in vintage designs. Case in point is the brand’s Master Collection Chrono Moonphase. Available in both 40mm and 42mm iterations in several dial colors, it manages to pack a wealth of information into limited space without sacrificing legibility. Within an outer 1/5th-second scale situated on the rehaut and a date scale indicated by a pointer hand is a triple-register chronograph layout boasting a 30-minute totalizer with day and month apertures; a small seconds and 24-hour indicator at 9 o’clock; and a 12-hour and moonphase indicator at 6 o’clock. We particularly like the blue dial version on matching leather.
One of the more affordable complete calendar watches on this list is offered by Montblanc. Powered by the brand’s cal. MB 24.30 automatic movement — itself based upon an ETA cal. 2893 — it offers dressy good looks suitable for office or everyday wear for less than the price of many classic time-only tool watches. Stepped lugs and a matching bezel give way to an anthracite sfumato dial that pairs beautifully with a star-shaped guilloché motif. Meanwhile, color-matched calendar apertures, a moonphase indicator above 6 o’clock and white Roman indices paired with an outer closed minute track round out its attractive design.
Those in search of a more contemporary complete calendar design should check out the IWC Portofino Full Calendar, particularly the stainless steel ref. IW359001. At 41mm x 11.7mm, it features larger modern proportions suitable for someone with a larger wrist, while its dial layout offers a departure from more classically-inspired fare found elsewhere on this list. Ringed by an open minute track in black, it features an “up-down” display with a combination day/moonphase register at 12 o’clock and a combination date/month register at 6 o’clock. Finished with thin gold indices and powered by IWC’s automatic cal. 32150 movement, it’s also available in 5N gold for someone who prefers a bit more bling in his wrist candy.
Introduced in early 2024, the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar is a modern interpretation of a vintage prototype that Zenith never put into production. Thankfully, the brand had second thoughts 50 years later because this watch is a collector’s dream. Housed in a 38mm A386-style stainless steel case, it features not only a triple-register chronograph but also three apertures for the calendar functions (day, month and signature Zenith 4:30 date), plus a beautiful moonphase display within the 6 o’clock register. This being a modern El Primero, it also packs a hi-beat movement capable of tracking elapsed time down to 1/10th of a second.
Another vintage-inspired collection, the modern Breitling Premier offers a highly compelling, modern triple-calendar-chronograph in the form of the Datora 25. Measuring a modern 42mm in diameter in stainless steel and fitted with paddle pushers, a smooth bezel and a stylish grooved midcase, it boasts a stunning copper dial with a raised outer tachymeter scale giving way to a triple-register chronograph display, day and month apertures beneath 12 o’clock, and a combination moonphase and date indicator at 6 o’clock. Powered by Breitling’s automatic B25 movement with a 48-hour power reserve, it’s an ideal choice for someone who favors vintage looks but prefers watches with larger case profiles.
Limited to 500 pieces, this stunning execution of Jager-LeCoultre’s Master Control Calendar features numerous subtle refinements that prove La Grande Maison’s horological bona fides. A close look at the dial reveals a handsome grained surface in alternating shades of gray, making for a compelling design with further depth added by applied indices and recessed calendar apertures. The pointer date display ringing the dial features a gap on either side of the 6 o’clock index that is deftly bridged at the appropriate time by an anchor-shaped hand. Powered by an in-house movement with 70 hours of power reserve, it’s certainly among the most elegant complete calendar watches on the market.
For a modern dress watch that brings a bit of whimsy into the proceedings, try the Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet Phases de Lune on for size. At 40mm in diameter and just 10.9mm tall, it boasts both modern proportions as and a comfortable profile. The dial, meanwhile, offers the traditional day and month apertures as well as a pointer-date scale indicated by a quirkily curved, blued steel pointer hand. As for the prominent moon phase display, it’s delightfully illustrated with an anthropomorphic moon, while applied Roman indices, a feuille handset and stepped lugs bring in a welcome degree of classicism.
A passing glance might mistake the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Full Calendar for an actual 1960s masterpiece, but look again, and you’ll realize that a diameter of 40mm brings this charming design fully into the present. Cased in polished pink gold, its beautiful lines are complemented by a simple white dial with thin applied gold and black-printed indices; dual day and month apertures with red text below 12 o’clock; a combination moonphase and radial date indicator above 6 o’clock; and a pink gold feuille handset combined with a blued steel central seconds hand. Paired to a black alligator leather strap, it makes for an ideal special occasion watch.
Launched in 2018, the Fifty-Six collection represents the most affordable entry point into Vacheron Constantin’s esteemed watchmaking. But you wouldn’t quite know it from this exquisite complete calendar watch. Available in several different executions across stainless steel and precious metals, the Fifty-Six Complete Calendar in pink gold with a chocolate brown dial is particularly fetching. With a case based upon a vintage reference from the 1950s, it features a beautiful and symmetrical design in the mold of classic midcentury pieces. Powered by an in-house movement, it’s an ideal choice for fans of traditional haute horlogerie.
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