Annual calendar watches: at the heart of modern watchmaking
Telling the time has always been the purpose of a watch. With the countless technical advances in the world of watchmaking, mechanisms have rapidly evolved, becoming increasingly demanding in the process. Today, the most sophisticated luxury Swiss watches come with additional functions such as a calendar: one of the rarest and most complex watchmaking complications.
Annual calendar watches: the pinnacle of the art of watchmaking
A calendar watch displays not only the time, but also the date: it is one of the most popular complication watches among enthusiasts. Unlike the simple calendar, which requires manual adjustment for each month with fewer than 31 days, an annual calendar watch already takes into account the months alternating between 30 and 31 days. That is why it only needs to be adjusted once a year (in February): a demanding mechanism that bears witness to the exceptional craftsmanship of the master watchmaker who designed it. Alongside the perpetual calendar watch, the annual calendar watch is one of the most difficult watches to make. A symbol of elegance, it is an object that represents a technical feat and stirs a certain emotion in watchmaking enthusiasts.
Jaeger-LeCoultre: Swiss watchmaking excellence
Located in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture is an historic icon. Founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre, it has more than 430 patents and 1,400 calibres. Tourbillon watches , annual calendar watches, perpetual calendar watches… it has mastered the high complications and produces extremely precise calibres.
Guided by its technical craftsmanship and a desire to innovate, Jaeger-LeCoultre is one of the rare manufactures to have full control over all stages of production: from design to development, it pushes the boundaries of watchmaking to create exceptional Swiss watches. Imagination and creativity lie at the heart of its manufacturing process. Two core values that it owes to its master watchmakers, engineers and designers, talented men and women united by the same passion for complication watches.