Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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TIME HONORED date with greatness PERPETUAL CALENDAR WATCHES EFFORTLESSLY KEEP YOU ON SCHEDULE BETWEEN DASHES FROM THE STATE HOUSE TO THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT AND INTO THE FUTURE. BY ROBERTA NAAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF GALE AND JEFF CRAWFORD O Essentially, perpetual calendar watches track and display, automatically, the day, month, and date. They are self-adjusting to compensate for short months and leap years. With the exception of a few that will run for centuries, today's perpetual calendar watches typically are built to track time until the year 2100 before needing an adjustment. "Perpetual calendars are one of the easiest complications to explain to a customer," says Michael Groffenberger, vice president at Shreve, Crump & Low. "But they are also very difficult to make. The margin for error in a continued on page 86 From A. Lange & Söhne, this Datograph Perpetual consists of 556 parts. Accurate to a rate deviation of only one day in 122.6 years, it is also equipped with a chronograph with jumping minute counter, oversize date, day-of-week and month indication, year and leap year display, moon phase, and day/night indication. It is crafted in platinum and retails for $164,800. Shreve, Crump & Low, 39 Newbury St., 617-267-9100; alange-soehne.com From Ulysse Nardin, this platinum El Toro GMT +/- Perpetual Calendar watch is created in a limited edition of 500 pieces. It offers dual time function and a UN-32 movement and is a COSC-certified chronometer. Highly user-friendly, the watch date, day, month, and year can be instantly changed forward or backward with the + or – pushers when the user changes time zones. It retails for $69,900. Royal Jewelers, 58 Main St., Andover, 978-475-3330; ulysse-nardin.ch This IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun houses a host of complications, including a perpetual calendar with four-digit year display and a moon-phase display in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It also offers seven days of power reserve thanks to the Pellaton automatic winding system. Crafted in titanium and ceramic, the watch retails for $38,600. Shreve, Crump & Low, 39 Newbury St., 617-267-9100; iwc.com STYLING BY TERRY LEWIS ne of the most sought-after complications on today's watch market—both in vintage and in new timepieces—is the perpetual calendar, which offers a host of functions for the hyperscheduled, in-demand modern wearer. These sophisticated time trackers typically hold anywhere from 300 to 600 pieces in their complex movements and offer indications that are accurate for hundreds of years. While they command prices ranging from $18,000 to well into the six figures, depending on their added functions and adornments, these watches can have waiting lists of up to several years because they are so complicated to build. 84 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 084-086_BC_SS_Timehonored_Spring13.indd 84 2/12/13 12:00 PM