Horological Meandering

A common complaint is how date windows upset the symmetry of dials. Some of you are more sensitive to this than others. Some prefer date pointers and some prefer windows displaying key information. I would be very interested in what date displays work or ... 

There are hour, minutes and seconds hands on some watches ( for chrono or some autos) not forgeting other functional hands like GMT. Another date hand would really make it hard to read imho. cheers PAt

... one common gripe of mine is when they use a very different font for the date as opposed to the rest of the dial. An example I've seen is a few examples of the Aquanaut where the indices are applied san-serif, and the date is serif (aka Times Roman) - ... 

cheers PAt

I like when the date is included in the watch, a necessary part of it of its design. LIke on the Datograph, which would only be Graph without Date. Which sounds poor! Like on the sonata... I can't imagine a Sonata without this big date. But on a ot of wat... 

... after our discussion on the date window of the GP 1999 Chronograph: http://gp.watchprosite.com/show-forumpost/fi-6/pi-5295818/ti-790333/s--2/ I searched my soul to realise that I don't require absolute symmetry. While I am drawn to golden ratios and s... 

When we read the foras, we just realize how important the date is. For some, it is an imperative thing. If the watc has no date, they will decide to pass on it. So there must be something here i don't get, but which hass to be considered. Best, my friend.... 

. . . the better served by apertures, imho. Sorry, but I cringe at perpetuals with pointers and scads of print on the dial. As for simple calendars with only a date, my preferences tend towards the innocuous 4:30 position . . . . . . and the best example ...  

Watches with pointer dates do not work for me either. It took me a while to realise it, and there are a couple of watches that I like the effect on, but mostly I am a window man. But I don't like the windows too far out in the periphery. GO and Zenith get... 

... truly a thing of wonder. They use the limited dial Real Estate wonderfully well. Perfect. Andrew

1) No date, like Nicolas 2) Date at 4:30, the true El Primero style 3) Date disk that blends with the dial, like the Sinn U2/LLD date I consider the date pointer as the worst option. Cheers Nilo

Then a date window it is for me. I used to favor no dates as it tends to upset symmetry like you said but age does figure into the picture at some point. Date windows tend to be less cluttered than pointers. And i have warmed up to the rolex cyclops and i... 

... cyclops, Echi. Not sure I would enjoy it on any other watch, but it is very special on the vintage pieces with acrylic lenses. Andrew

Hi All Have to say I like all three options. No date, window and pointer. Its all about how it fits into the design. Pointer works well with this - slightly retro look An Oris Big Crown Again pointer works well with this - not sure a window would. Though ...  

But I like this date display. Not practical but it decorates nicely the dial: Fx ...  

... as it one's nt interrupt time telling too much and leaves you to enjoy that wonderful dial and Arabic numerals. Bravo (again) De Bethune. Andrew

I have accept the fact that my eyesight is following my age, and becomes worse at close range. Therefore, I increasingly value the advantages of a big date display, even if this is sometimes compromising a watch's overall design. If the big date display c...  

Thanks for the nice examples, Marcus. The other thing that is nice to see with the Union Glashutte is that the two date dials are in the same plane. Aesthetically preferable to my eye, particularly when the dial is viewed at an angle. Regards Andrew

...is when a date window is too close to the center of the dial, revealing that the movement is way too small for the case. VC have this problem with the Overseas, for instance. Actually, the same applies for subdials that are crunched together in the mid... 

... it is surprisingly rare to see it done REALLY well. Hope you enjoyed the thread. Andrew

I prefer a window date than a pointer , especially on a perpetual calendar. Of course the Big date is definitely preferable. Also I have to mention how I hate a date window that looks cheap and too indented in the dail. One example I saw recently is the I... 

... in dim, dark holes are a definite turnoff. Some designers get around this by using a magnifying cyclops, but it's a poor compromise to my eyes. Thanks for your comments. Andrew

... those 'open' date displays where you can see the day before and the day after. As if we can't count. ;-) And on a tangent, those date windows that have an arrow pointing to them with an inscription "Date". Just in case we can't work it out or forget! ... 

... since they permit a reading of the date even when one of the hands is obstructing the view on the "real" date. That doesn't make them look better, of course ... Regards, Marcus

... but I won't be able to enjoy the benefit because aesthetically I am put off. Perhaps I will come around in time. Andrew

to which everyone has their own preference/likes/dislikes. For me it makes no difference if it give you the date or not, whether it is a pointer or window... as long as it looks in the right place and part of the design of the watch. The dates on my watch... 

A holiday for a week or more, or having only one watch?! :-) I agree with you about the overall design. It has to be congruent. While I like the look of pointer dates, I had to own (and sell) one to realise I don't like the idea. Interested in your commen... 

Luckily the holidays are frequent... traveling with only one watch does not happen so often! In the days of just having a couple of watches it used to bother me about the date and making sure that everything was right and even as far as knowing how the wa... 

...when you say "The dates on my watches are 99% wrong anyway..." Statistically, mathematically, and especially pedantically speaking, you'd have to be very unlucky for the date to be right only 1% of the time. I think about 3.2% of the time is more likel... 

many prefer analog display of time to digital in that approximate time can be glanced at easily, and in a more profound way, the circular motion ties us to the motion of the earth and the 24 hour cycle of the day. A pointer date to me has a similar philos...