Two affordable Full Calendar Watches from Montblanc and Baume & Mercier

The last days of the SIHH turned out rather strange for me, as I was down with a severe flu, and unable to publish anything about the new timepieces. In the coming weeks I’ll publish the most outstanding, and remarkable pieces. I’ve had time to do some more hands-on photos, and the reviews will follow over the next weeks. 

One of the remarkable introductions, or actually two introductions, came from Montblanc and Baume & Mercier. These two brands, both part of the Richemont Group, each launched a very nice automatic timepiece with a full calendar. As the dial layout already gives away, both seem to be equipped with the same calendar module. Day and month are shown through a rectangle aperture, that is placed just below the brand’s name. The date is indicated as so-called pointer date, meaning the long hand points to the date that is printed on the dial’s perimeter. And as a little extra, both watches feature a moon phase indication. Both watches are priced below $ 5,000 USD and feature a complete calendar and moon phase.

The Montblanc Star Quantième Complet (complete calendar in English) sports the typical Montblanc style that we can recognize in more models, including in the new Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours. The Montblanc comes in either red gold or stainless steel and the case measures 42 mm in diameter.

On a Full Calendar watch the date has to be adjusted for every month with less then 31 days. With an Annual Calendar you just have to adjust the date for the month February. Only a Perpetual Calendar doesn’t need a bi-monthly or yearly adjustment.

Baume & Mercier found inspiration in their own history for the Clifton Complete Calendar Moon Phase as it features a lovely retro 1950’s style. It’s an addition to the previously released Clifton that we told you about here. The B&M is available in stainless steel only, with two dial colors, being silver/white or blue. As you could see in that previous Clifton artcile, Baume & Mercier invested in some great mood photos.

Judging from the dial layout, both watches feature the exact same movement and/or calendar module. The stainless steel models are both priced just below $5k USD. Great watches, great value for money, so the choice for either of these two boils down to your personal taste.

More info through the Montblanc website here or the Baume & Mercier website here.