I've always been a big fan of watches that have something moving on the dial, aside from the smooth and consistent movement of the hour, minute and second hands. Whether it's a dial-mounted balance wheel, a tourbillon escapement, or even a winding rotor, I just love seeing something that goes beyond just telling the time. One of these expressive representations that excites me is the retrograde function, which as you know can come in many forms. From a clock's single to double and even triple or even more retrograde display, the instant “snap” to zero at the end of a scale is something special. And to show how cool that can be, let's take a closer look at five of the best retrograde watches from the last few months.
Roger Dubui's Homage La Placide
The Roger Dubuis Homage La Placide is a very delicious and brilliantly executed nod to the brand's beginnings. Housed in a 38mm wide rose gold case is a blue base dial with a double retrograde display for the perpetual calendar mechanism. On the left you see the day of the week and on the right the date of the month. Both hands jump back to the first position when they reach the end of their respective scales, allowing you to enjoy multiple “jumps” over the course of a month. The Roger Dubuis Homage La Placide is limited to 28 pieces and is worn on a blue calfskin strap 138,000 euros including taxes.
For more information, visit RogerDubuis.com.
Quick facts – 38 mm x 11 mm – 18 carat rose gold case, brushed and polished – Sapphire crystal front and back – 30 m water resistant – Bi-retrograde dial with blue lacquered base – Mother-of-pearl scales – Gold hands and indices – Manufacture RD1472 caliber – Automatic winding – 28,800 vibrations per hour – 48-hour power reserve – 307 components – Poinçon de Genève – blue calfskin strap with rose gold folding clasp – limited to 28 pieces – 138,000 EUR (incl. VAT)
Breguet Tradition Second Retrograde 7035BB
As part of last year's 250th anniversary celebrations, the Breguet Tradition Reconde Rétrograde 7035BB is one of the most subtle retrograde watches on the list. Perhaps not in the movement architecture, which was always based on the Souscription watch from 1796 out of tradition, but certainly because of its retrograde function. Next to the off-center dial, a single hand moves up along a 60-second scale before jumping back down and starting again. Simple, clever and tasteful. And the rest? That's not half bad! This Breguet gold watch is worn on a blue alligator leather strap, is limited to 250 pieces and is priced at 50,400 euros VAT included
For more information, visit Breguet.com.
Quick facts – 38 mm x 12.6 mm – Breguet gold case – fluted case band – sapphire crystal front and back – 30 m water resistant – off-centre hour and minute dial with guilloché and Grand Feu enamel – offset retrograde seconds display – exposed central barrel and escapement – caliber 505SR, in-house automatic – 21,600 vibrations per hour – 50 hours Power reserve – navy blue alligator leather strap with Breguet gold clasp – limited to 250 pieces in a special anniversary box – 50,400 euros VAT included
Maurice Lacroix Master Aikonic Triple Retrograde
On the least over-the-top side of the spectrum, but still mechanically impressive, is the Maurice Lacroix Master Aikonic Triple Retrograde. Combining the brand's Masterpiece and Aikon collections, the Aikonic Triple Calendar is a modern sports watch with an openwork movement construction and, unsurprisingly, a triple retrograde display. There is a 24-hour dual time display at the top, the day of the week display on the right and the date at the bottom. All of this is housed in a steel case with a ceramic bezel and is worn on an integrated black rubber strap with a steel pin buckle. The price is CHF 6,450and it is not limited.
For more information, visit MauriceLacroix.com.
Quick facts – 43 mm x 13 mm – Stainless steel case, brushed and polished – Ceramic bezel with prongs – Sapphire crystal front and back – 100 m water resistance – Anthracite dial, vertically brushed – Openwork triple etrograde display with blued hands – Applied markers and hands with SLN – Caliber ML291 (Sellita SW200 base) – Automatic winding – 28,800 Vibrations per hour – 38 hour power reserve – integrated black rubber strap with pin buckle – not limited – CHF 6,450
Bovet Récital 21 Retrograde Sapphire Green
Bovet already made a big impression in 2019 with its Récital 21 Retrograde Perpetual Calendar, but returned last year with an even slimmer version. Now equipped with a transparent green (or blue or brown) sapphire crystal dial, it becomes a completely different beast. It is still based on the in-house caliber 13DM05-QPR, but does without the small seconds display. The retrograde date function is displayed on a curved scale at the top of the green dial, with a central hand indicating the correct date. Limited to 60 pieces per color, the watch is worn on an alligator leather strap that matches the dial and retails 92,000 francs excl. VAT
For more information, visit Bovet.com.
Quick facts – 44.4 mm x 15.4 mm to 10.25 mm – Polished grade 5 titanium “slanted” case – Sapphire crystal front and back – 30 m water resistance – Smoke green, blue or brown sapphire crystal dial – Month, day of the week and leap year cutouts – Retrograde date function – Luminous markers and hands – Caliber 13DM05-QPR, in-house – Hand-wound – 464 components – 21,600 vibrations per hour – 120 hour power reserve – alligator leather strap matching the dial with titanium clasp – limited to 60 pieces per color – 92,000 francs excl. VAT
Ostuka Lotec No. 8 jumping hour and retrograde minute
Fairly new to the firmament, but causing an incredible stir in the community: Otsuka Lotec, the brand of the Japanese independent watchmaker Jiro Katayama. The latest creation is the rectangular No.8, which draws inspiration from steampunk and industrial watches and combines a jumping hour function with a retrograde minute display. Still, it's no ordinary display, as the hand extends up from the back, sticking its small red hand through a gap between the main dial and a floating arc. Clever, easy to read and just plain cool! Since purchases are only possible on credit cards issued in Japan with an address in Japan, the No. 8 is rather difficult to obtain outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. The price is at 990,000 JPY (approx. 5,390 euros)
For more information, visit Otsuka-Lotec.com.
Quick facts – 31 mm x 47.8 mm from lug to lug – 10.8 mm height – stainless steel case, straight grained – domed sapphire crystal – solid case back – offset crown – shaped dial – jumping hours, retrograde minutes, running seconds – semi-exposed retrograde mechanism – Miyota 90S5 base caliber, automatic – in-house display module – 28,800 vibrations per hour – approx. 32-hour power reserve – Black rubber strap with steel pin buckle – Only for Japanese-issued credit card users with a Japanese address – 990,000 JPY (approx. 5,390 euros)
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