As an example of how independent watchmakers are way ahead of the general watch industry: IWC

Apr 21, 2024,17:19 PM
 

proudly announced the creation of their Eternal Calendar perpetual calendar. A nice, though a watch that wears huge, addition to their perpetual calendar line, they say that their moon phase indicator will be accurate for 4500 years (a feat no doubt but it is only a mathematical calculation for who will check that claim?  For sure within 450 years clocks will be imbedded in our brains and there will be no need for wristwatches - heresy I know).  Seriously, they also brag about their creation of a secular calendar that takes into account the 400 year correction for leap year.  Journalists have been drooling over the watch and some say it was the highlight of the recently completed WW.  They neglect to say that Svend Andersen created such a complication, included in a much more wearable watch, in 1996, in time to prove his complication at the change of the millennium.  



Happy for IWC but they are way behind the times.


Just saying.

Cheers


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Hawhawhaw....

 
 By: InHavenPro : April 21st, 2024-17:40
Vlad years xD....

You can laugh but I intend to outlast Andersen's 11,000 year moon phase watch.

 
 By: TheMadDruid : April 24th, 2024-23:22
I might need Vlad to bite me a few more times.

:)))

 
 By: amanico : April 25th, 2024-20:20

IWC say that their moon phase is mathematically accurate to 45 million years, not just a paltry 4,500 years!

 
 By: GWIS : April 21st, 2024-18:35
But I guess that reinforces your point that no one will be around to check!! Personally, I love the look of the Eternal Calendar and it’s smaller than my Deep Sea Sea-Dweller. The problem is that the price is a bit higher than the Rolex! All the best, Jon... 

Not to mention that it's of course wrong.

 
 By: fmc000 : April 22nd, 2024-07:51
It may be mathematically accurate for 45 M years but to an astronomical point of view it is not as the watch does not take into account that the Moon is slowly but constantly drifting away from the Earth.

Good point!!!

 
 By: amanico : April 22nd, 2024-08:01

Interesting, I didn’t know that.

 
 By: GWIS : April 22nd, 2024-09:48
I still think the Eternal Calendar looks pretty, apart from the hole in the dial. All the best, Jon

Fascinating point. Thanks. I’m sure Einstein

 
 By: Mitch K : April 22nd, 2024-20:15
Would have something to say as well as time is changing as the universe expands

It's a bit off-topic but...

 
 By: fmc000 : April 23rd, 2024-09:24
In this specific case Einstein as little to say. General relativity is not a factor when things are small enough and by "small" I mean the Solar system, where only the Mercury orbit is affected by relativistic effects and everything else is described perf... 

I really didn't mean to lecture you or something like that.

 
 By: fmc000 : April 24th, 2024-11:48
I'm sorry if I did, it wasn't intentional.

No worries at all. I appreciate the education

 
 By: Mitch K : April 24th, 2024-17:38
I know when I’m out of my league. We’re just raising the educational bar of the website. 😉

That's it. :)

 
 By: amanico : April 22nd, 2024-09:50

I don’t even listen to the hype.

 
 By: gary_g : April 22nd, 2024-00:07
The point of this hobby is that you have to love what you’re wearing / collecting. At least IMO. Many brands from conglomerates have lost their soul. This watch is absolutely beautiful. I have never heard of this before. Thank you so much for sharing.

Thanks Gary

 
 By: Mitch K : April 22nd, 2024-04:37
So many of the independents fly under the radar and their contributions to the field of horology is either lost or overwhelmed by the hype that consumes much of the public’s time and journalistic space.

To be fair...

 
 By: fmc000 : April 22nd, 2024-07:55
...the IWC is not only a secular perpetual calendar but it's an "Eternal" perpetual calendar and as such not only it takes into account the non-leap year centuries but if works (or should work, as no one would be here to verifiy) until the year 4000, for ... 

Point well taken.

 
 By: gary_g : April 22nd, 2024-12:02
But I also think independents (and I am throwing in brands like Patek, AP and Rolex in this bucket) are the driving force behind the industry. It appears that brands that are a part of the bigger groups lag behind and play catch up. There are examples of ... 

Very long accurate moonphases...

 
 By: Ronald Held : April 22nd, 2024-16:17
And calendars are academic if your watch gets serviced ever 5 years or so.

100%.

 
 By: gary_g : April 22nd, 2024-18:57
In my mind the two most useful features are calendar and gmt. I have never used my chronos to actually measure anything itself 🤪.

Agreed though I would be more specific. Now that I’m retire I have no idea what’s the day or date. Now am sure to have some watches that tell both. And now that I’m traveling more the GMT is useful.

 
 By: Mitch K : April 22nd, 2024-20:21
I do like the chronograph function which I use when I do consulting as that is time dependent (the best would be GMT + chronograph)

Yes, my favorite.

 
 By: amanico : April 24th, 2024-03:13

Must agree. (nt)

 
 By: Ronald Held : April 23rd, 2024-14:40
NT