2471 Omega Cosmic Complete Calendar Moonphase

2471-Omega-Cosmic-Complete-Calendar-Moonphase

In 1947, this was the height of the Omega catalogue. Man hadn’t stepped on the moon, limited editions hadn’t been invented, and Ploprof was still just what you said when you sneezed. But post-war economic buzz was strong and this was Omega’s halo product. Known today as the Cosmic Complete (or Triple) Calendar Moonphase, this…

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8171 Rolex ‘Padellone’

Rolex-Padellone-8171

This was, to all intents and purposes, the first and last time Rolex experimented with complication. If you want a Rolex with a calendar, you’re looking at a 6062 which came after this with an Oyster case, a Killy, or this 8171. The 8171 is known as the ‘Padellone’ (literally ‘frying pan’) for its flat,…

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‘Semainier’ 47052 Vacheron Constantin Triple Calendar, White Gold

47052-Vacheron-Constantin-Triple-Calendar-White-Gold

Pre-Richemont Vacheron Constantin can be accurately summed up by just the hands and dial of this ref. 47052. The hands are voluminous and domed, almost cylindrical with a mirror polish. That finishing takes time. And then there’s the dial: ‘Vieux Panier’ hand guilloché that almost resembles brushstrokes, applied Matese cross, hand-lettered months, and a solid…

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Breguet Dial 44920 Movado Celestograf

Movado-Celestograf-Vintage-Breguet-Dial

When watch enthusiasts say vintage Movado, they’re usually picturing an M90 series chronograph. But that’s not even close to where it ends. This Celestrograf is as complicated as vintage Movado gets and it’s about as lovely a complete calendar as has even been created. This is from the mid-40s, 18k gold, and has some of…

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Farsi Dial 2606-8 Omega Cosmic Complete Calendar

Omega-Cosmic-Triple-Calendar-2606-Farsi-Dial

The ref. 2606 Omega Cosmic is a discreetly excellenct, lightly complicated, and often overlooked mid-century masterpiece. At the time, it was the height of the Omega catalogue. It’s one of the more overlooked Omega references, as complete (or casually called triple) calendars are relatively to the latter perpetual calendars. But, as you can clearly see,…

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6595 Blancpain Complete Calendar Moonphase

6595-Blancpain-Complete-Calendar-Moonphase

So you’ve been watching the fall auctions and standout Rolex 6062 lots, pining. Some have used the headline ‘most beautiful Rolex ever made’. But let’s say you don’t have the spare 2M CHF sitting around that one commanded a few days ago. Fret not, JCB and Blancpain’s best ever sequences of releases from the 90s…

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‘Jean-Claude Killy’ 6236 Rolex Datocompax

Rolex-Jean-Claude-Killy-6236

Every discipline has its greats. Rock has the Stones. Italian has risotto. Le Mans has the 917. Absolute pricks have Kim Jong Un, second only to Jake Paul. But ski racing? Skiing has Jean-Claude Killy. The French alpine skier took home a trifecta of golds in the 1968 Winter Olympics, a dominant force. This skill…

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8171 ‘Padellone’ Rolex Triple Calendar Moonphase

8171-Rolex-Padellone

Rolex does not often appear next to the word ‘complicated’. Rolex pride themselves on creating tools for professionals, however outdated that worldview may be in 2022. However, when Rolex do flirt with complication, the results are often breathtaking. In all their 117 years in watchmaking, only two Rolex references have ever featured a moonphase: the…

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Value Proposition: 71.1309.70 Wakmann Triple Calendar Chronograph

Wakmann-Triple-Calendar-Chronograph-71.1309.70

Interesting and attractive watches can still be found for reasonable prices. Wakmann were, from the 1940s until 1970s, a US importer for Breitling. Toward the middle of that tenure, the group decided to branch out and bring their own sporting watches to market. In doing so, they tapped Breitling’s supply chain for high quality, value-based…

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