Swisswatches Salon: Perpetual Calendar Night Hamburg

The perpetual calendar – arguably one of the most beautiful and poetic complications in watchmaking – marked a particularly significant anniversary in 2025. A full century had passed since Patek Philippe presented the first wristwatch with a perpetual calendar in 1926, reference 97975. It was, however, a unique piece; serial production followed only in 1941 with reference 1518. This centenary therefore provided a fitting occasion for our first Swisswatches Salon, during which we placed the perpetual calendar in the spotlight in all its facets. The stars of the evening were some of the finest and most compelling perpetual calendar wristwatches ever created – brought together in a curated constellation that had, in all likelihood, never before been assembled in this form, in one place and on a single evening. From Audemars Piguet’s newly developed perpetual calendar powered by calibre 7138 in Sand Gold, to Patek Philippe’s Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Ref. 6159G and the world’s thinnest perpetual calendar by Bulgari, the range was deliberately broad. Historical milestones were equally represented, including the IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar, conceived in the 1980s by the legendary watchmaker Kurt Klaus, whose ingenious construction fundamentally transformed the user-friendliness of the perpetual calendar. Less widely known perpetual calendars from MB&F, Hermès and Panerai further demonstrated the diversity and innovative spirit with which the watchmaking industry continues to approach calendar complications.

With the Swisswatches Salon, we have created a space for watch enthusiasts who share a genuine passion for mechanical watchmaking. It is a setting in which they can exchange ideas, experiences and perspectives in a discreet atmosphere – removed from the digital noise that so often dominates today’s discourse. Here, conversations centre on craftsmanship, design and the stories behind exceptional timepieces – not on trends.

For our first Swisswatches Salon, we welcomed our guests to a very special location: the “Mirror Chamber” of the JIN GUI restaurant in Hamburg. In this distinctive space, our guests not only gained in-depth insight into the perpetual calendar and had the opportunity to try on a selection of remarkable timepieces, but also presented rare and valuable pieces from their own collections, contributing to a distinguished and highly interactive exchange.