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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Complication · Calendar & astronomy

Retrograde Day

Partially verified

A day-of-the-week display that snaps back to Monday after Sunday.

Definition

A day-of-the-week display that snaps back to Monday after Sunday.

Historical origin

Similar in principle to the retrograde date, offering a dynamic dial layout.

How it works

Uses a seven-stepped cam to index the day hand along an arc.

Pocket watch context

Uncommon in pocket watches.

Wristwatch context

Frequently paired with a retrograde date in modern luxury watches.

Identification

  • Day names arranged in an arc
  • Jumping return motion

Servicing notes

Check for correct indexing at the Sunday-Monday transition.

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.