Staff Picks Our Favorite Perpetual Calendars For The 2024 Leap Year

Let this serve as a reminder to you all that a year isn't exactly 365 days long. It's not even 365.25 days long. It's more like 365.2425 days long (though that's not exactly true either; it's closer to 365.24219). To adjust for the drift in the calendar versus the actual number of days it takes for the earth to rotate the sun, we have to add a day every four years to the Gregorian Calendar. Then, we skip the leap year for every interval divisible evenly by 100. Oh, and then we observe a leap year every interval that is divisible by 400 — confused yet?

For those of you who have forgotten in the last four years (or maybe are new to watches), unlike a more simple calendar that gets confused by things like the month of February – let alone leap years – a perpetual calendar (mostly) understands all this for you, though most have to be reset every 100 years.

Four years ago, I promised myself I would have a perpetual calendar by this leap year. It was a lofty (and frankly nearly impossible) goal; many perpetual calendars run in the $100,000 or more range because they're incredibly complex beasts. Sure, there are more "affordable" options, but not many. Well, I missed the mark. But more accessibly-priced QPs have hit the market over the last four years. Baltic and Furlan Marri released perpetual calendars for Only Watch (Furlan Marri's is ingeniously designed and not impacted by the 100-year issue). I would guess we will see exciting releases from brands like this in the next few years. 

But for now, I gathered several of the Hodinkee team members to pick our favorite perpetual calendars that already exist and that we'd like to be wearing this February 29. It's a perfect time to dream (and maybe plan for the next four years of saving). You'll notice that some brands have seemingly mastered the complication, and it's so inextricably tied to their history that they show up more than once on the list. And we start with one of the best.

Not long ago, I asked a friendly vintage watch dealer how the market was for 3448s – and his reply was "there aren't too many people outside the Hodinkee office looking for 3448s right now."

In one way, that made me happy, because it means they're cheaper than they were not long ago, but at the same time, how could Patek's first self-winding perpetual NOT be going that well while the 3940 continues to set the world ablaze? To me, the 3448 is a bit like the 2526 – it encapsulates an entire era of both design and movement making for the world's most important manufacture of haute horlogerie – Patek Philippe. And it's a good size. And easy to read. And live with – unlike a 2499, 5970, or any other hand-wound perpetual. To me a 3448 is a perfect watch - in platinum, white, or yellow. – Ben Clymer

A 33mm white gold Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar with a yellow dial. She's so perfect I could stop here.

The 25800 is a rare reference, likely due to its small 33mm size. It's the only QP in AP's catalog to house Caliber 2141/2806. Produced in extremely limited numbers, this baby QP is my ultimate pale-blue-wash-baggy-denim-with-cropped-bomber -jacket-and-mini-backpack-90s-nostalgia-ensemble watch. I can't help but picture Cher Horrowitz in Clueless wearing this with her yellow plaid first day of school outfit. Shout-out to Cara Barrett who led me down a 25800 rabbit hole. She has one in yellow gold with a black dial and it's also perfect.

But I'll take this white gold, yellow dial configuration please. When I first stumbled across the Sotheby's listing, my deeply positive feelings towards the yellow dial Rolex OP (I've been considering this watch for my personal collection for some time now) were simply quashed. AP now claims yellow dial supremacy on my very long "things I would like to buy but am not quite there yet" list. I'm a die hard (small / medium size) Offshore fan, so my obsession with this particular 25800 makes sense. It's the most Offshore looking of the regular Royal Oaks, given the punchy color combined with a white metal and slightly thicker size in relation to the smaller diameter. This complicated beauty is for when I'm feeling spiritually inclined to pick edge over polish. – Malaika Crawford

One of my favorite elements of watch design is the myriad ways in which a given complication can be formatted onto the surface of a dial. It's what draws me to the many permutations of multiple time zone watches, and it's something that is also highlighted by the not-so-humble perpetual calendar.  Sure, the standard format is a host of tiny subdials that breakdown the date and phase of the leap year - but that's far from your only option. 

A. Lange & Söhne makes one of my favorite re-thinkings of the QP in the charming Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar. It's a design that completely subverts the traditional layout of the QP but manages to do so while also respecting the specific design language of the Lange 1. The dual-digit grand date is complemented by a retrograde hand indicating the day of the week (with the weekend at the top, as it should be). Then, the months are displayed at the dial's edge via a rotating ring that shows the active month at six o'clock. Finally, nestled just above the indicator for the month, there is a tiny aperture for the leap year. Chef's kiss. 

With a quick glance, you might not even notice it's a QP as the complication takes a backseat to the Lange 1's beloved asymmetry. While I wouldn't call a 42mm platinum-cased watch specifically subtle, this is a very low-key take on a traditionally flashy complication, and I just love it. – James Stacey

It's the Patek 5004. Need I say more? Apparently, I'm told I do, but I'll keep it brief.

Split-seconds. Perpetual calendar. Lemania-based movement. Take your pick of metals or dial indices: this is the ultimate Patek Philippe of the last thirty-odd years, bridging the gap between vintage and modern. Many people call it "the last great Lemania-era Patek." But what does that even mean? It wasn't until 2009 that the great Patek Philippe launched their first in-house chronograph wristwatch caliber. Before that, they only used three chronograph calibers as a base. The caliber 27-70, based on the Lémania 2310 ebauche, was the last of these three and, with the introduction of the 5004, brought the rattrapante and perpetual calendar together in a Patek wristwatch for the first time. And if you can count on one thing from watch lovers, even if something new is "technically better," they certainly miss "the good old days."

The only real complaint I've ever heard about this watch is it's a bit thick, but that doesn't stop it from being an incredible piece. It's been my number-one grail for a long time, though I'll probably never afford one. I got to test drive that experience, however, for about eight hours last spring, and I still think about it – and how uncomfortable I was with everyone asking me about my (very expensive) watch. That's what happens when you wear an icon. 

There's something so nostalgic about a watch that innovates as the 5004 did while sticking to a core of the brand's history: using someone else's quality work and taking it to a new, nearly perfect level. And to top it all off, Patek gave the watch a perfect production send-off in 2011 with a steel case model, ref. 5004A (only 50 of them planned in total), and a unique piece in titanium for Only Watch. I've also been lucky to handle the ref. 5004A a few times, and it feels smaller because the case is much lighter than the precious metal versions. There are around 250 of the reference 5004 made, and if I had to pick one, you could do far worse than the rare few with Breguet numerals, like Eric Clapton's or Roni Madhvani's, but beggars can't be choosers. Like Ben said, in platinum, white, yellow, or rose, you can't go wrong. – Mark Kauzlarich

Part of my selection here is a product of the contrarian in me. When it comes to QPs, I am drawn to the irregular or head-scratchingly impossible. While it would be a stretch to call the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar an impossible design, I am perpetually (had to) astounded at the fact that the brand stuck to its principles in ultra-thin watchmaking when it delivered this 40mm piece at just 5.8mm in thickness (with a movement that comes in under 3mm). It broke the world record when it was released in 2021, and I think about this one fairly often.

And then there are the aesthetic reasons behind my choosing it. If you haven't experienced a Bulgari Octo Finissimo with its signature blasted titanium case and matching bracelet, I would highly recommend it. Putting one on is experiencing the true intersection of design and horology. It's what keeps pushing Bulgari to achieve these records time and again. And I just love the design ethos of the Octo Finissimo line from time only to chronograph to QP. Though I will say, since we are chatting Perpetual Calendars here, this is one of my favorite executions of the Octo. Somehow we are being fed complex information on the dial and yet it feels balanced, and very much of a piece with the overall collection. Then you turn it over and get to marvel at the BVL 305 caliber with its micro-rotor.

This is a complication steeped in history and tradition. When I sat back and thought about where I was going with this pick, I opted for a watch representative of a specific modern design motif. It's a watch of today, a perpetual calendar of today (a record-breaking one at that). And to me, that's just plain cool. – Danny Milton

I'm a bit in the throes of a personal love affair with Cartier's Genta-designed Pasha as of late, so when called upon to name my favorite perpetual calendar of the moment, this yellow gold Pasha Automatic Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar was already at the forefront of my mind.

There's an almost fairy tale-esque quality about the dial, from the typeface to the swirling layout of the different functions within each subdial. Maybe it's that splash of blue outlining the gold moon phase indicator front and center that reminds me of the book Goodnight Moon on the subconscious plane. This is a very, very positive association for me.

While I won't be forsaking my affection for the Tank and a Panthère anytime soon, there is something magnetic about the Pasha's unique flavor of boldness that I'm finding myself more and more intrigued by. This is most acutely felt for me when there's a perpetual calendar and yellow gold involved. This 1989 reference was covered way back in a 2020 edition of Auctions and has an additional minute repeater as the cherry on top. An easily attainable or realistic choice for my wallet, it is not. For now, I will have to make things work with a screen between me and the object of my unwavering affection. – Erin Wilborn

As I write this, I see Malaika's also chosen an AP QP. And not only that, but a white gold Royal Oak, with a yellow dial that honestly, I didn't know existed before today.

To me, this ref. 25668 represents nearly the polar opposite of AP QPs. Audemars Piguet has always been THE perpetual calendar maker (but don't listen to me, take it from Stacey). In 1978, AP introduced the ref. 5548, the first ultra-thin perpetual calendar. I'm one of those enthusiasts who fetishizes firsts, and I've always loved the AP QP for this reason. It ushered in an entire era of ultra-thin QPs; soon, Patek, Vacheron, and a legion of others would follow with their own ultra-thin perpetuals.

But the AP, designed by Jacqueline Dimier, something of a protege to Gérald Genta, is still my favorite.

According to AP, it produced about 7,200 perpetual calendars over a 15-year period (including Royal Oak QPs) from 1978 through the early '90s. Only 79 of these were the platinum ref. 25668, making this one of the rarer of the more than 70 references and 200 AP QP variations from this era.

No, it doesn't have the size or heft of a Royal Oak, especially one with a bright yellow dial. But somehow it manages a wrist presence all its own. Most of this is thanks to the impressive skeletonization, which surely would've been like shouting at those quartz disruptors in the '80s: "This is mechanical watchmaking, and it's here to stay!" And now, I love this thing even more, knowing it somehow existed alongside a bright yellow Royal Oak. – Tony Traina

My favorite perpetual calendar of all time is the Ochs und Junior Perpetual Calendar. Yes, I might be a little biased because I own one. But in a sea of watches where complexity in parts and execution is celebrated, I love that the ochs und junior Perpetual Calendar exists to act as a (often polarizing) celebration of minimalism. In an infinitely customizable array of bespoke finishes, the dial eschews numerals and hands for dots and disks. Instead of a complex movement of 300+ parts, founder Ludwig Oechslin's perpetual calendar complication comprises only 9 additional parts on top of a time-only Ulysse Nardin caliber. Most importantly, the perpetual calendar complication is completely forward and backward adjustable through the crown and the watch is water resistant to 100m, making it one of the most everyday-wearable perpetual calendars on the market.

If you're unfamiliar with Ochs und Junior and Ludwig Oechslin's design philosophy for the brand, I highly recommend reading his thoughts on date displays. You will see how his dots and circles language is an attempt to fix the "problem" with date windows as an indication. In personal experience, I've found the display on my perpetual calendar extremely intuitive, easy to read, and extremely discreet to outsiders since there's no endless sea of text on the dial to account for the information the complication conveys.

I also have to admit that I love the watch also because of the community around it. There have been plenty of die-hard Ochs und Junior fans I've met over Instagram who love to share their enthusiasm for the brand, and the entire creation process of my watch was also a sentimental one, getting to configure mine in their Lucerne HQ back in 2019 with co-founder and then-CEO Beat Weinmann. It's definitely a very niche product within an already specific complication, but this leap year, I know exactly what watch is going to be on my wrist. – TanTan Wang

I'll never understand why there is not more love for Habring². The brand is a different kind of independent. In a watch landscape where the majority of celebrated independents are heralded for producing watches "like they used to" with old-world craftsmanship at the forefront of brand identity, Habring² has a different idea of what it means to be an indy. Where your typical independent will draw on ideas like vintage Patek, Breguet, or pre-1900s escapement technologies, Richard and Maria Habring have roots on the more industrialized side of the watch world. And that shows. The brand hand-crafts a watch with a unique, very Austrian, eye for utility.

Maybe that is hard to wrap your head around but it differentiates the brand in an increasingly crowded space. Yes, many of their movements share an architecture with the Valjoux 7750 (or 7760). Some may snub their nose here but I implore those to see a Habring movement in the metal – this is not Valjoux quality or finishing. In fact, as of 2017, Habring² no longer uses a single part from Swatch Group, all components are either made in-house or sourced locally.

Now for the Chrono Felix Perpetual. In my eyes, this is the best watch yet from the brand. Previous criticism of Habring² offerings often centered around case size and thickness, this was first addressed in 2014 with the time-only Felix and culminates here in a 38.5mm x 13mm perpetual calendar chronograph. Those stats should jump off the page especially considering the last Habring² complication at this level, the Perpetual-Doppel, clocked in at 43mm x 12mm.

I'm in love with this watch. From the no-nonsense case with stepped bezel to the expertly proportioned dial design with eight uninterrupted Breguet numeral hour markers and an overall unfussy feel, the Chrono Felix Perpetual is everything I want in a perpetual calendar chronograph. I'll be watching closely for future dial options, I just don't love, love salmon dials, sorry! — Rich Fordon