Calendar complication
What is a triple calendar watch?
A watch showing the date, day and month, often with a moon phase, that needs correcting at the end of every short month.
How it works
A triple calendar, also called a complete calendar, shows the day and month in windows or subdials and the date with a central pointer or a window. It's the classic calendar layout of the 1940s and 50s, often paired with a moon phase.
Unlike an annual or perpetual calendar, it doesn't know month lengths, so you correct it five times a year, after the 30-day months and February.
History
Triple calendar moon phase watches were popular from the 1930s to the 1950s, made by everyone from Patek Philippe to Universal Genève and Movado. They fell out of fashion in the quartz era and came back in the 1980s and again recently as vintage-inspired designs.
Before you buy
Triple calendars are a vintage favourite and good value used. Make sure every display advances properly before you buy, and avoid using the correctors near midnight.
Questions
- Is a complete calendar the same as a triple calendar?
- Yes. Both mean a watch showing day, date and month; complete calendar is the more common term in Europe.