In watch making, a perpetual calendar function signifies a watch where the date automatically adjusts for each month of the year including leap years. Provided you continue wearing the watch (or keep it on the winder), you will not need to adjust the date until the year 2100 (which is the next exception to the Gregorian Calendar rule).

Legibility (or lack of it) can become an issue particularly in complicated watches, where a profusion of subdials and scales can render the watch face unusable. This is where this particular watch comes into its own. I challenge you to come up with a better or more balanced layout of calendar functions on a watch dial.

Glashutte Original (GO) Senator Karree Perpetual Calendar is unfortunately no longer in GO’s line up but can be found on the secondary market. Whilst not strictly a limited edition, no more than a few hundred pieces were made in the early 2010s.

The dial layout is very clear, with Day – Month – Date – Moonphase indicators gracing the corners. The main advantage of this, is that the large date display can be readily glimpsed from under the sleeve by folks who wear their watches on the left wrist (as I do).

The year indicator is a clever dot system under the Glashutte Original logo on the dial. The dots scroll through yellow, black and white colours in non-leap years, finally appearing red during a leap year. Nifty, heh!

The 40mm tonneau (cushion) stainless steel case shape sits really well on the wrist. The in-house movement Glashutte Original Calibre Gub 39 is a modular platform, with the perpetual calendar adding some thickness to the case (13mm). However, it must be said that the slight curve to the case back makes the watch feel balanced and very comfortable on the wrist.

The gorgeous solid sterling silver dial, and yellow gold rotor visible through the sapphire case back – really make this a beautiful (as well as functional) timepiece!

I have owned this watch since 2012, and it now graces my brother’s wrist every day as his ONLY watch (as you can tell from the case appearance).

I heartily recommend this piece of German engineering. It really is (almost) the perfect perpetual calendar watch!