Can Perpetual Calendar Watches Really Last a Millennium?[/size]
What Is a Perpetual Calendar?
Don’t let the name mislead you – perpetual calendar watches don’t actually display dates for a thousand years. The term “Perpetual Calendar” implies a never-ending calendar. These watches can recognize the current month, know the current year, and even identify if it’s a leap year, automatically adding a 29th day to February accordingly. Thus, as long as the watch runs smoothly, the only time it requires manual date correction is at the end of each century’s leap year that isn’t a leap year, such as 2100.
Invention of the Perpetual Calendar
It’s noted that French philosopher Diderot mentioned a “perpetual” calendar watch made by Swiss watchmaker Ferdinand Berthoud in his 1765 encyclopedia. Later, another 18th-century watchmaking master, Jean Antoine Lepine, had recorded a master named Lepine who presented Louis XV with a highly complex pocket watch featuring minute repeater, equation of time, and perpetual calendar functions. It’s speculated that Abraham-Louis Breguet, the inventor of the tourbillon, might have apprenticed under Lepine, potentially inspiring him to create the world’s first perpetual calendar pocket watch.
Perpetual calendar movements are not necessarily complex, including unique structures such as star wheels, leap year counters, and more. These mechanisms were well-known by the 19th century. However, the first perpetual calendar wristwatch was made by Patek Philippe in 1925, sold to Thomas Emery in 1927. It utilized a lady’s pocket watch movement made in 1898, capable of displaying the date, day, month, and moon phases with all indicators jumping instantly – still astonishing today.
In 1941, amidst global turmoil, Patek Philippe released the world’s first mass-produced perpetual calendar wristwatch, the PP1526.
Maintaining a Perpetual Calendar Watch
Given the specific arrangement of a perpetual calendar’s mechanism, adjusting it after a halt can be quite intricate. Traditional perpetual calendar watches require the use of adjustment pushers located on the case’s side, necessitating a specific tool for changes. Nowadays, some models feature simpler adjustment methods, allowing settings to be changed by pulling the crown to different positions. If the process seems daunting, professional watch repair shops can assist. Yet, true watch aficionados seldom let their perpetual calendars stop, preferring to keep them in automatic winding boxes when not worn.
Thus, while the concept of a “thousand-year” watch remains a poetic vision, the artistry and engineering behind perpetual calendar watches symbolize the timeless essence and ambition of watchmaking.
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