The 2016 Vacheron Constantin Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar.

Amongst the Overseas range of timepiece unveiled in 2016, the one that stands out for me from Manufacture Vacheron Constantin has to be the Overseas Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar.

This time around, Vacheron Constantin developed the entire Overseas range with in-house movements. The version I feature here is the white gold grey dial version.

This is a typical perpetual calendar featuring sub-dials display. At 3 o'clock is the date display while the moon phase is located at 6 o'clock. Next comes the day display at 9 o'clock and finally the month and leap year at 12.

The case plays on the Maltese Cross motif - some parts polished and some parts brushed. Notice how thin the timepiece is? The push buttons are also located on the side of the case.

The case is 42.5mm just like the Overseas Chronograph.

As with the Overseas Chronograph, the UTPC comes with a quick change mechanism. Unclip and remove. It is just that simple. Removing the bracelet to change it to a strap requires no tools. Similar to the Overseas Chronograph, one can have three different looks - leather strap, rubber strap or the bracelet.

The new generation VC bracelet comes with an Easy-Fit System that allows the wearer to extend the bracelet - again without a tool, by up to 4mm for a more snug fit. No need to remove a link.

The movement is an in-house developed Calibre 1120QP. The timepiece is also anti-magnetic and water resistant to 5 bars (equivalent to 50 metres).

The new Overseas range features all automatic calibres and has a 22 carat rotor. Beating at 19,800 vibrations per hour (2.75 Hertz), calibre 1120QP possesses a power reserve of about 40 hours.

A well designed package from Manufacture Vacheron Constantin.

The Overseas range of timepieces are on display in the Ion Boutique. Do make an effort to visit them and take a look for yourself. You might fall in love with one or two models they have.

I also featured the New Overseas Chronograph which is another must-have in an enthusiast's collection. Check it out!

Grand Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar

Not all perpetual calendars are made equal - we know that. The special ones are not only a technical feat but also easy to read - enter the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.

Perpetual calendars unlike the annual calendar counterparts knows the numbers of days in a month and correctly jumps to the right date at the switch over. For 11 months in a year, the days will either be 31 or 30 days. But for February, it will be 28 days for three years and during the leap year, will have 29 days. The perpetual calendar mechanism takes into consideration the leap year and ensures that for that one year, the date display jumps from 28 to 29 and from 29 to 01 as with the case of the Lange which has the big date function.

So much has been said about the perpetual calendar in a mechanical timepiece but all said and done, the perpetual calendar has to be, first and foremost, legible. A few timepieces have got it right - the Moser Perpetual One for one. And with the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, the manufacture Lange has another winner.

The off-centre Lange 1 layout with a clearly intuitive dial layout. Lange 1 is perhaps the most well known off-centre dial timepiece that is so symmetrically proportionate. The day, date, month, and moon phase are very well laid out. Two other indicators are the leap year and the day/night indicator within the time dial.

The display of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is laid out in a rather "unconventional" way. Typical perpetual calendars will use the sub-dials to display the days, months etc. But with the Lange TPC, the unique layout allows the owner a clear view of the timepiece - uncluttered view. (Pardon the smudges on the sapphire glass - my bad).

The outer ring revolves anti-clockwise displaying the month of the year. At the 8 to 10 o'clock displays the day of the week and the Lange big date is unmistakable. The 7 displays the moon phase. Right at the 6 is the leap year display. The dial is clean and the indicators can be clearly read.

Turn around and you will see an automatic movement. A beautiful 21k gold and platinum rotor. And what a well hand engraved rotor.

Turn the rotor to the other side and it reveals the Tourbillon. As with the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, the Tourbillon has a stop seconds mechanism.

Again, another hallmark is clearly visible - the hand engraved bridges of the cocks. And beneath it, the Tourbillon.

The people at Lange prefers to keep the dial of the Lange 1 TPC clean and therefore the Tourbillon is found at the back on the movement side.

The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is an exciting package. The case size measures 41.9mm and when fully wound, provides 50 hours of power reserve.

A Lange 1 is a Lange 1. Only that the people at Glashutte made it a more iconic - with a stop second Tourbillon and adding on a Perpetual Calendar complication. Well done again!

Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon - Stunning Beauty!

The Lange Datograph is an icon and the Datograph Perpetual made it more drool worthy. Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon? Well, that goes into the realm of dream worthy!

The folks at Lange know one thing - how to make an exciting and beautiful chronograph movement. Add on a perpetual calendar and the beautiful 3D movement is stunning but the latest iteration where they added a Tourbillon to the movement adds a different dimension to the whole piece.

The layout of the dial is proportionate and surprisingly legible. The perpetual calendar also features a moon phase that is accurate for more than 100 years. And the instantaneously recognisable large date that is a hallmark of the Datograph series is also evident. The case is a very wearable 41.5mm.

Most brands would want the Tourbillon as their centre piece but the folks at Lange prefer the discreet approach preferring to keep the Tourbillon to the back.

But the Datograph is always about the movement. ALWAYS!

The column wheel chronograph movement is more than 700 parts and comes with a diamond end stone.

The Datograph movement is already an impressive movement. With the Tourbillon at the back, my attention was drawn immediately to the Tourbillon. Impressive indeed! There is a lot to like about the movement - the blue screws and the rubies add a splash of colour to the three dimensional hand wound movement.

The power reserve is around 50 hours and this example is a prototype - 000/100. The platinum case beauty is made in a limited edition of 100 pieces. The diamond end stone is located above the Tourbillon. Lange made history when they unveiled the Cabaret Tourbillon - the first Tourbillon which could achieve a stop second. What this means is that when the crown is pulled, the Tourbillon cage will stop and allow the time setting to be more accurate. With the traditional Tourbillon, the stop second feature was not possible until the Cabaret Tourbillon was released. The same feature is available on the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon.

What makes the Datograph special is the jumping counters - instant jumps. And the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is no different. All the indicators of the perpetual calendar and the date changes instantaneously which is a technical feat in itself. Because of the gear arrangements and the perpetual calendar modules, most perpetual calendars will have their indicators change between 10pm and 4am with the watch fully "correct" by 4am the next day. But not so with the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon which jumps instantaneously - not many movements are able to achieve this.

Technical feat aside, the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is an incredible timepiece. I am sure this timepiece will feature in many collectors' "Dream Watch" list. It sure is on mine! If only I could afford one.

Thanks to Patrick at the Lange Boutique at Ion Orchard for arranging the pieces availability and also to Gaetan Guillosson for hosting the event. Watch out for more reports on some other awesome Lange timepieces.

P.S. - I have been looking at the timepiece over and over again and it is just so easy to overlook the chronograph function of this Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon. The perpetual calendar feature on the dial is so complete that one can be easily forgiven when they overlook the column wheel chronograph that the Dato is so famed for.

28 is the new 31 - Legacy Machine Perpetual by MB&F

As we all know by now, the latest incarnation of the Legacy Machine is perhaps one of the most beautiful perpetual calendar around. And with all things MB&F, there is always a lovely story behind how this came about.

The LM Perpetual was four years in the making but the collaboration went back nine years when Max started MB&F and was working on the HM1. As Max would tell you, they were facing some very uncertain future as the movement maker had backed out. With the help of Peter Speake-Marin, they managed to round up some independent watchmakers amongst which was a "relatively" unknown but talented Stephen McDonnell. The team went on to complete the HM1, made deliveries and the rest they say is history.

Fast forward five years and Max is now is much better shape and it was time to payback a favour. In all of MB&F's timepieces, regardless whether it was the HM or LM series, they always started with Max having a particular vision of wanting to create something close to his dreams. But with the LM Perpetual, that was a different story altogether. Irish born and Oxford educated McDonnell was given the free reign to design and develop the timepiece - when asked what he wanted to create, he knew immediately the perpetual calendar was what he had wanted to do.

Max explained that in "traditional" perpetual calendars, the number of days in the month is controlled primarily by using modules built on top of the base movement. However, Stephen McDonnell had devised a new mechanism (patent pending). He argued that no matter which month and regardless of whether it was a leap year or not, every single month has 28 days. From this point when the mechanical processor is activated, it will guide the date to 29, 30 or 31 depending on the month in question. Here is Max explaining the processor...

Four years later, the "baby" was born and the result a stunning perpetual calendar named LM Perpetual. 25 each will be made in Platinum and Rose Gold every year and according to Max, 90% of the first year's production has been snapped up!

The layout of the perpetual calendar is somewhat "usual" with the sub-dials but has every hallmark of the Legacy Machine with the overhead balance wheel. And in this case, the escapement had to be at the rear of the movement. One of the pain points was how to "connect" the balance wheel with the escapement. And the result was a 12mm long steel shaft just 0.16mm in diameter. But what I really like about the LM Perpetual is the legibility of the sub-dials.

The balance wheel if you are curious is 14mm in diameter.

Max also explained that the built in pushers, which are found on the side of the case are done in such a way that they will not be activated during the "sensitive" time between the hours of 10pm and 4am. Pushing those pushers will not jam the movement.

The dome sapphire gives the LM Perpetual a different feel and gives it a three dimensional look too.

On the movement side, another magnificent movement - one of the best finished movements around.

The double barrel provides 72 hours of power reserve and the movement consists of 581 components. Movement beats at 18,000 BPH and the movement is signed Stephen McDonnell.

What I like about the LM series is the dial - super glossy finished dial. And MB&F partner Serge Kriknoff told me that it is not enamel, not even lacquer but a for of "stressed varnish". A trade secret but it gives the LM the signature "Glossy Lacquer" finish on every LM dial.

And every piece comes with a deployment buckle with the signature MB&F logo.

Truly a beauty - well proportioned and definitely legible. The "lack" of a dial gives the timepiece that raw look... definitely a plus for me. Shows the mechanism in full view and not hidden below a dial. The blue brushed base lends a classy feel to this platinum piece.

There are perpetual calendars and then there are Perpetual Calendars... LM Perpetual qualifies as a must have (if pocket is deep enough) and the other is the Moser Perpetual One. So if money is no object, make sure you book your LM Perpetual soon. Available exclusively in Singapore to The Hour Glass.

Pictures taken with iPhone 6S. Thanks to the folks at the Hour Glass for the invite.

Perpetually Simple - Moser Perpetual One

Simple watches are one of the most difficult to design and make but making complex timepieces simple is even more difficult. But what a stroke of genius from the group at H Moser & Cie in collaboration with Andreas Strehler.

A stroke of genius really - using the 12 markers on the dial do indicate the 12 months of the year. Brilliant really! No one has yet done that. In 2003 Andreas Strehler worked with Moser to develop the Moser Perpetual Oneand it wowed many a watch collectors - me included. A beautifully crafted timepiece - classic. If one does not pay attention, the Perpetual One looks like the Mayu with the small sub-seconds at 6 O'Clock.

Take a close look at the watch - notice the small arrow hand pointing to 6 O'Clock? That is the hand indicating the month. The large date is actually a single window with two discs one on top of the other. The timepiece comes with an impressive 7 days power reserve and the indicator is located at the 9.

The black dial is rather well made - almost resembling a lacquer dial. And the finishing on the hands are excellent. The date and month indicator changes are all instantaneous and one can change dates forward and backwards - impressive to say the least. The clean, uncluttered and well proportioned dial makes the Perpetual One a pleasure to the eyes.

At the back is the in-house developed HMC341 calibre done in collaboration with Andreas Strehler. The manual winding movement comes with an impressive 7 days power reserve and beats at a slow 18,000 vph.

The back comes well curved to sit snugly on the wrist. From the back, one can see how well finished the movement is. Not only is it beautifully constructed, the finishing is of a rather high quality.

Another feature in the Perpetual One is the interchangeable Moser escapement. This is also a feature in all their watches. The module allows a watchmaker to easily remove the entire escapement for servicing or replacement with a new one. Another clever invention.

The way the module is constructed is such that the entire escapement module may be removed for servicing or repairs. In theory, watch repair centers around the world can simply take out the faulty module and replace it with a new one and it should be going back to the owner in no time. A close up of the module featuring the Straumann Hairspring.

In recent years, I have come to appreciate manual winding watches as opposed to automatic ones. One of the main reason is the visibility of the movement - I love a well made and well finished movement. The rotor on the automatic covers the beauty of the movement.

Overall, the watch is well made and definitely a gem. One glance and you will see the beauty of the timepiece. A classic in every sense and the simplest complication money can buy. And honestly, I love the rose gold back dial version the best.

For more information, please visit the Moser Website.

Glashutte Original Senator Perpetual - US Limited Edition

Several years ago, I was "forced" to let go of this timepiece to fund a dream watch I had wanted.

The Glashutte Original Senator Perpetual is one of the most affordable perpetual calendars around and the fact that they have windows instead of sub-dials made it a lot more attractive - at least to me.

An automatic piece in steel, this is a Limited Edition piece for the US market. It houses the Calibre 39 an in-house movement. If I recall correctly, it was limited to 200 pieces in steel. The platinum has a blue dial and limited to 100 pieces.

The salmon colored dial is a real beauty. I do not believe this is found in any other GO pieces. The dial layout is uncluttered unlike other perpetual calendars which thend to use sub-dials.

If another one would come by again, I'd GO for it. And this time, I won't let GO.