Calendar costs

The problem when looking for a Calendar and Moon Phase watch is knowing what the terms actually mean. There are models which show the day, date, month and lunar phase and most commonly will require adjusting the date on short months and leap years. That’s February (28 days), April, June, September and November (each 30 days). Now with most of my old collection of mechanical models this is pretty normal, so no big deal.So to acquire a straight forward Triple Date Calendar and Moon Phase, as described above, isn’t too difficult and OK whilst not quartz cheap, can certainly be found at a relatively “affordable” price.

A Brand that does crop up quite often today is the German Nivrel and they produce excellent quality models such as their Calendar Moon Phase N436.001 AAAS and AHAFS.

The retail price appears to be around £1700 or €2100 which is not at all unreasonable for such a complication model from a decent Maker. The automatic movement is based on the Swiss ETA 2898-2 and is neatly contained in a 38mm x 10mm case with 5 bar Water Resistance.

Now the point I started to make at the start of this Post was about the description of what a Calendar Moon Phase watch was all about.

You can have “Full Calendar” – where the Day and Date are accompanied by the addition of a month display, and – sometimes – also a moon phase. Some movements switch to the next month when the date jumps from 31 to 1 of the next month and there are movements where the month display is not automatic and has to be advanced manually every month. Regarding the two Nivrel models above I’m assuming the months change as the date moves from 31 – 1.

There is the “Annual Calendar” – where the disparity between months is taken care of automatically, except for February, so basically you have to make an adjustment once per year – hence the “annual”.

And finally there is the “Perpetual calendar” – I suppose this is the natural progression from the “Annual” by taking into account the 28 day February and that every 4 years February will have 29 days (leap year). In this case it more or less runs in a four year repeatable cycle so not strictly a “perpetual” either and an adjustment will still have to be made in 100 years time, not that it should bother you – but make sure your son has the instruction booklet! (basically as our Gregorian calendar drops a leap year in every 100).

This is where unfortunately the costs increase greatly with such complications and can be quite expensive. A reason perhaps why so many people prefer quartz digital models, which of course can do “perpetual” using the power of electronics – but as I said at the start – it’s just NOT the same.

However models are available and again Nivrel have a mechanical Perpetual Calendar and Moon Phase model at perhaps the most reasonable price of any I can find.

This is a 3 sub-dial style model that shows hours, minutes and central second, date, day, month, leap year cycle and the lunar phase. This Perpetual Calendar model is the most complicated watch NIVREL produce and as they say on their web site –
“It is a very complicate mechanism that indicates to the year 2099 without external intervention the correct date of the Gregorian calendar. Providing continuous winding up means that you do not have to adjust your clock, even at short months and not even on the 29^th February in a leap year”.

The Nivrel Perpetual Calendar Moon Phase model N401.001-1 AAASS uses an automatic mechanical movement based on the ETA 2892-A2 calendar module and the watch is a really neat 38mm x 10mm, a Water Resistance of 5 bar and retails for around £8300 currently. But if that’s beyond your purse, then the only other option is to look at pre-owned models and whilst there’s often stiff competition, there are good buys to be had.

So basically whilst the “perpetual” idea is easy enough to find today with quartz digital models such as Citizen, Seiko and Casio, we enter a different world in mechanical complications watches. Yes we can fairly easily find good and sometimes exceptional quality “Calendar” models of varying degrees of sophistication and at often quite reasonable prices, but when it comes to true mechanical “Perpetual” models – it can be a sometimes frustrating, wonderful, but expensive game – and if you’re really lucky – a rewarding one.

Finally just to make you drool somewhat, here is my absolute favourite – the H Moser & Cie Perpetual 1

H Moser and Cie - Perpetual 1 - the ultimate Calendar — H Moser & Cie – Perpetual 1 – the ultimate Calendar

Simple and elegant. Check out the small center Month pointer towards 11 (November) and that big Date display (known as the Flash Calendar) which manages an instant change of date at the end of one month to the start of the next month, without any invalid numerals to appear in the date window, so avoiding that uncertain period in between – and lastly a 7 day reserve.

There’s nothing else to say, but I AM doing the European lottery next week . . . . in hope!

Aero Observer

Down to earth today – I feature a watch that has always interested me simply because of the way it looks. It’s just one of those designs that appeals to me on all sorts of levels. And it’s by no means what you’d call a high end watch, but the Brand in my experience, having owned 4 of them since 2008, has never yet disappointed me. Each model has been totally reliable, surprisingly accurate and a pleasure to wear.

The attraction of this particular model to me is that it appears to conjure up visions of vintage aviation, Bomber Command and World Wars, or Boys Own magazine, Captain Jim “Red” Albright or even Biggles. It has a large clear dial in that sepia coloured “vintage” look – all very subjective I know, but marketing by design has that trick – of influencing you without you realizing it. And OK I have fallen for it, but I was already hooked when I first saw it some years ago and in saying that it doesn’t mean I’ve been conned – far from it.

Close up of the Observer Flier model A1408

Aeromatic is also one of those brands sometimes and unfairly in my opinion, called “Germasian”, and I have a few already, all of which have kept great time over the past 5 years, without problems.
Offices in Frankfurt and marketed in Germany, though whether assembled there I wouldn’t know. The cases I would imagine come from Asia, perhaps using model “blanks” and they may have had a hand in the design, but whatever their sources, they then badge them Aeromatic 1912. Depending on function the mechanical movements will be likely sourced from Asia. Quartz movements are probably from Miyota (Citizen) in Japan or Ronda from Switzerland.

Note the large "flat top" Onion Crown) - stiff but works OK — Note the large “flat top” Onion Crown) – stiff but works OK

As I say I find the term “Germasian” somewhat derogatory, as there are literally hundreds of Brands who use exactly the same sourcing policy these days, including Swiss – in fact finding a brand that makes every part of their watch is not easy and you might count them on two hands – maybe.

Anyway we’re not talking high end here, we’re talking practical and now that’s settled –

Note luminous dot markers include hour markers — Note luminous quality (stock photo) – however in practice lume fades quickly in dark.

This is the Aeromatic 1912, Military Flier Observer Big Date Swiss Ronda Gents watch.

The movement in this model is the quartz Swiss Ronda Powertech 519. What I like about the Powertech series is that they are extremely reliable and used by many watch Brands for that very reason. I know that any watch I have with Ronda movements (and I have a few) – have never ever had a problem.

Military Flier, BIG Date from Aeromatic (A1408) in Nato strap

Anyway the A1408 features a big date double window @3 and the overall size of the etched stainless steel case measures 43 x 15mm. The large beige coloured dial, which looks larger owing to the narrow bezel has luminous hands and dot markers (both hours and minutes), domed hardened mineral crystal and comes with a good quality brown leather strap.

The Big Date has a quick change function, though as most normal Day/Date functions it will have to be adjusted forward on the short months – no big deal. The clock will continue when adjusting. When pulling out the crown to position 2, the seconds hand stops (hacking) and you can adjust the time as normal.

The dial itself is a rather pleasing design, big and VERY easy to read. The large hour and minute hands are white filled with luminous material, though the luminous effectiveness is a little disappointing. I note that the dot markers on the outer minute track are luminous, as are the inner hour track dot markers – a little unusual perhaps, but the inner track lines up nicely with the tip of the shorter hour hand, so the idea would be good if the lume was up to par.

Aeromatic, Nato strap and wrist. Looks quite big. — Aeromatic, Nato strap and wrist. Looks bigger than it is.

The watch back is absolutely flat, so although the watch case is 15mm depth, it sits very flat to the wrist, except when the Nato strap is fitted, as it tends to hold the watch off the wrist slightly. The A1408 also “looks” big though is in fact just about 43mm wide (45 incl large crown), due to the narrow bezel and large face. On the back are the model name, design, model numbers and so on plus the 5o meters depth rating.
Battery wise – it uses a 1.5v Renata 371 or equivalent which is easy to obtain. Battery life according to Ronda is approximately 45 months and note if not using the watch for a while, pulling the crown out to position 2, allows the battery life to be extended.

Case back info: Observer Hawk design - 50m Depth Rated. — Case back info: Observer Hawk design – 50m Depth Rated.

So overall how do I rate this model? First point is that I do like it, it has that solid etched case which is built like a tank and is quite well made. The dial is well figured and the painted numerals and luminous dot markers are well defined with no rough edges to them and the hands are excellent. The large double windows for the date are well cut, defined and the date numbers are also large, clear and with good contrast. I note the second hand tick produces a slight over travel, but hardly noticeable and each tick seems even. The back is a press fit and though I would have preferred a screw back, being very rigid steel construction it’s a nice tight fit.

The most disappointing aspect of this model is in regards to the luminous quality of both dial and hands – the stock image I used above shows the dial immediately after charging, for example under a bed side lamp. However once the light source is removed the luminous effect fades quite quickly. I would estimate perhaps 3 hours effective illumination is about as good as you’ll get depending on how well it charged.

I do note that although the watch is only 43mm wide, lug to lug is 50mm, so small wrists will notice this unless fitted snug. I say this as the leather strap included (as shown above) is quite thick and stiff so doesn’t actually pull the watch in tight as I personally prefer (though for large wrists this will be perfect). Hence my Nato, which although more comfortable may be a temporary affair and doesn’t resolve the snug fit bit. I’m looking around for an alternative silicon or webbing style, which I’m sure will solve the problem and I will update the Post once I get something suitable.

Interestingly whilst the case height is 15mm, this is deceptive, as the hardened domed crystal is nearly 4mm thick to the centre, so effectively the watch wears like a 12mm thick watch. Possibly the reason that with only a 170mm wrist, it actually sits OK and doesn’t look like a wall clock!

Am I happy with it? Well yes – I do like the “vintage and flying helmet retro stone washed jeans look”, which looks more authentic than the first images I saw all those years ago. But in the dark at 3am in the morning? A diet of carrots or a torch might be handy.

Note – I’ll update as and when I get my new strap…….Done –

Well I removed the Nato strap as it caused the watch to sit off the wrist a little, which meant the Nato had to be tight to stop it moving – so – decided to use a conventional leather strap. The difference here from the supplied strap is that it is much thinner and much more flexible. The supplied strap was much to think and inflexible for me and was actually too long for my smallish wrist. Now I think we’re getting somewhar and the watch now feels so much better on the wrist and is becoming a pleasure to wear – and for me that is very, very important. After all you wouldn’t wear a pair of shoes that didn’t feel right – would you?

Here’s an imags with the new strap –

Another angle on a neat case/strap combination — Conventional leather – note the thick dome crystal!

Well I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the right strap and bracelet is so important to a watch, it can make all the difference. Another reason why I always prefer standard lug/strap pins to any custom supplied one.
However I also tried and stuck with a FastWrap webbing strap as the perfect accompaniment – as here –

This FastWrap webbing strap like may others features a double strap, one part slips under the lug pins and the other bypasses these, and BOTH go under the back of the watch case. I always find that on watches that are quite thick already (this one is 15mm) this can make the watch too thick to sit neatly on the wrist. So I sometimes cut off the short part of the strap that would normally bypass the lug pins and rest against the wrist. This means that one piece of webbing only goes under the lug pins and under the watch back – and that’s it.

Footnote –

Coincidentally the watch model that the Aeromatic basically is a homage to, comes up at an auction soon here in the UK. With the appearance of a rare A. Lange & Sohne German observer aviators watch, Circa 1940`s. In an anti-magnetic silver nickel case, but with a black dial with luminous hands and hour markers.

Lange & Sohne German observer aviators watch Estimated £3000+ — Lange & Sohne German observer aviators watch
Estimated £3000+

Note the case numbering is prefixed by the letters FL, denoting Fliegnummer or Flying Number FL”. The Lanage & Sohne model is somewhat larger at some 56mm wide excluding the crown. Note if you want to own this you’ll have to fork out at least £3000 which is the lower estimate.

The Watchmakers Art

It’s always been fascinating to me the extraordinarily different and diverse media surfaces upon which people will add their personal artistic talents. The street artist for example
directly on the pavement or sidewalk, the graffiti merchant to walls, under bridge supports, on the side of a bridge span in the centre over the river and even on the
sides of skyscrapers. The more conventional manage their stuff to paper, wood, canvas, metal, ceilings mural walls – in fact almost any surface that happens to be blank!
Even at bottom of swimming pools and cars don’t escape their attention and I’ve even seen stuff on grass! (maybe I should re-phrase that last statement!)

But there’s a specialist group of Artists who just happen to have a skill set that transcends them all and will be immortalized perhaps for all Time.

Yes this is “Dial Art” –

Van Cleef & Arpels - California Landscapes (inspired) — Van Cleef & Arpels – California Landscapes (inspired)

Where the very best of the world’s top watchmakers create not only masterpieces to adorn the wrists of men and women, but engrave, paint and enamel some fantastic Art
to the face of your watch.
And they have the benefit of the fact, that the wearer or viewer, doesn’t walk past and no longer sees that nice picture on the wall, but looks directly at that art
perhaps many, many times a day, something few artists can manage.

Here are just a few of the amazing creations and for no other reason, but an appreciation of their collective skills.

Cartier - enamelling technique called grisaille of an Andalusian horse — Cartier – enamelling technique called grisaille of an Andalusian horse

From the gemstone mosaic horse of the Cartier Cartier Santos-Dumont in white gold to champlevé enamelling, hand Gilloche, added diamonds. Mother of Pearl engraving and goodness knows what other incredibly difficult technical art feats, they are quite amazing. A far cry from my daily beater I can honestly say – though . . . . it has to be said that within the limitations of my own small budget it’s just possible that I can acquire an equally (well not quite equal) piece of immortalized Art work on my wrist too.

Ta Da! I give you my personal favourit Classic of all –

Mickey O'Clock — Mickey O’Clock Watch – Mickey Mouse in red – Model OCD02.

And be honest – there’s not too many folks on the planet who don’t know who this is – Oh Yes! OK – I’m sorry and no disrespect intended – but I’m retired (did I say?) 😉

Looking back – on balance

Despite the new and current watches that appear every month, I often find myself looking back at some of the older models and realizing that I’d maybe lost out on some classics. For I confess there are many reasons I find find some of them far more appealing than current models.
If I look at Citizen for example one reason might be that many of the older models featured dial designs that were both simpler, easier to understand and read and use practically. They were also economical with inappropriate colors and managed to achieve a balance between data overload and clarity – in other words they avoided “dial clutter”.

Citizen JQ8250-52E World Time (Wingman) — Citizen JQ8250-52E World Time (Wingman 11 or 111)

And “balance” is a good description and not only regarding data clutter, but in the overall look of the watch. For example, the size ratio of case to wrist and to dial, the bezel to dial and how the overall thickness of the watch doesn’t compromise the wrist fit.

As an example I highlight the Citizen JQ8250-52E to the left here, which would be interesting alone for the fact that this watch is 43.5mm x 11mm – an achievement I wish they could manage today! But when I look at the overall “balance” of this model it really is very, very good. Note the slightly dated bracelet fit, but importantly note that it can easily be changed for a strap, Nato or whatever and then it truly starts to look the part. It coincidentally affirms my contention that in many cases bracelet/strap changing can dramatically change a watch from the ordinary to something special. Like a frame around a painting.

JQ with Nato - (watchyouseek) transformation! — JQ8250 with Nato – (watchyouseek) transformation!

I attach here an image of a Nato strapped version (watchyouseek.com) – the Nato strap shows off the “balance” to perfection. Note too the broad diver like hands which again balance the dial layout. So often chronographs have slim hands and lose visibility as a result. This version features the C460 Quartz movement, Ana-digi, two alarms, world time, stopwatch/chronograph, countdown timer, EL backlight and three LCD displays. It is 100m Depth Rated, domed mineral crystal, luminous hands and markers, bi-directional slide rule bezel with fuel consumption markings and a 20mm wide bracelet (or strap) to standard lug pins.

Now I don’t know about you, but for me this model has that balanced look of a Classic – it looks and feels just right.

But conversely another Citizen model in the same family is the JQ8995-56E and whilst it has a similar a function set, ana-digi display, you would think that it should have the same “look” – well it doesn’t – not at all. For some reason it just doesn’t have that “balance”.

The bezel appears far too large and the same size hour and minute hands are too thin for the size of the dial – somewhere here the ratios just don’t work. And here’s this idea of having to add color, where color is not needed. It simply distracts, which I’m sure was not the intention. Now don’t get me wrong here – I mean it looks OK . . . . but nothing else and it certainly doesn’t look a Classic. It might look a little better with a Nato strap I would imagine, but overall it doesn’t work for me.

And neither I’m afraid do a good number of the current crop from Citizen. And from the above examples it is very evident that a fine line exists between data, clarity, size and function – even a color here and there can make or break how a model will turn out. A bit of a muddle with overdone clutter or a Classic?

It’s not easy, but my advice for what it’s worth, if you see a model that just shrieks Classic and it has that “balance” – don’t assume the next model will be better – don’t hesitate at all – buy it!