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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Complication · Calendar & astronomy

Retrograde Date

Partially verified

A date display where the hand moves along an arc and snaps back to the start at the end of the month.

Definition

A date display where the hand moves along an arc and snaps back to the start at the end of the month.

Historical origin

A seventeenth-century idea revived for its visual interest and space-saving on the dial.

How it works

A spring-loaded lever follows a date cam; at the 31st day, the lever falls off the cam's peak, snapping the hand back to 1.

Pocket watch context

Occasional in high-grade Swiss and French watches.

Wristwatch context

A popular modern complication for brands like Vacheron Constantin and Longines.

Identification

  • A date hand moving across a semi-circle instead of a full circle
  • Instantaneous jump at the end of the month

Servicing notes

The return spring must be perfectly tensioned to ensure a clean snap without bouncing.

General guidance only. Complicated mechanisms should be assessed and serviced by a qualified watchmaker or clockmaker specialist, not adjusted at home.

Diagram

date ring, thirty-one positionsdate aperturedriving wheel and jumper
Schematic: calendar work under the dial. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. de Carle, D., Watch and Clock Encyclopedia
  2. Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
  3. Horological Journal (British Horological Institute), technical articles

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.