« A Popular Complication in Many Forms »
A date display has long since become standard on many watch models. In everyday life, however, it is often helpful if a glance at the dial of your wristwatch also tells you the current day of the week. In the age of cell phones, smartphones and tablets, the need to build such a function into a wristwatch may have lost some of its practical importance, but as a small yet refined complication on fine mechanical luxury watches, it remains as appreciated as ever. In this article, we introduce our readers to a selection of luxury watches with a day display from renowned manufactures such as Breitling, Chopard, Omega, Rolex and Tag Heuer.
The Day-of-the-Week Complication – Different Solutions to the Same Problem
There are several ways to display the day of the week on a wristwatch. One relatively common approach is a display placed directly ahead of the date window – usually at 3 o'clock. This position has the advantage that the day and date appear right next to each other and can be read at a single glance. An alternative is a separate window showing the day of the week spelled out in full, which watch enthusiasts regard as a particularly stylish and elegant solution. In addition, there are various watches that indicate the day by means of a hand, for example along the edge of the dial, on a separate scale or on a small subdial.
A well-known example was Chopard's Monte Carlo Daydate, which showed both the day of the week and the date with small hands on subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock.
Rolex Day-Date: A Classic with the Day Spelled Out in Full
One classic featuring the day-of-the-week complication is the Rolex Day-Date. It is considered an especially prestigious status symbol, has been worn by countless prominent figures past and present, and is particularly easy to recognize thanks to its distinctive look. Its day window is curved like a segment of a circle and sits in a particularly prominent spot at the top center of the dial. To make room for it, the crown, which usually replaces the 12 on Rolex watches, was moved a few millimeters further down.
The Day-Date collection is among the manufacture's most exclusive model lines and is known for its generous use of gold in various hues as well as platinum. The dials in this line are partly smooth, partly finely guilloché, and in addition to classic white, black or silver, they are also offered in various shades of blue, brown, gold and green.
Breitling Transocean Day & Date: A Business Watch with Understated Elegance
If you don't want to do without the day-of-the-week complication but prefer a more discreet look than the relatively opulent Rolex watches, you'll find what you're looking for in the Breitling range, among others. At first glance, the Transocean Day & Date offers a very similar solution, but in a noticeably more understated form. Available in several versions, the watch stands out for its simple, almost purist elegance. It makes a perfect business watch and can be worn on either a stainless steel Milanese bracelet or a black or brown leather strap.
There is also a bracelet version with stainless steel links that feature relatively large holes in the middle. Besides its distinctive design, this bracelet offers the advantage of considerably better breathability for the skin.
Constellation and Seamaster Aqua Terra: Omega Watches with a Day Display
Omega offers its customers no fewer than two watch lines with the day-of-the-week complication. The first comprises models from the Seamaster Aqua Terra 150 M Day-Date line, which is available in numerous versions, from stainless steel to solid gold. Like the entire Aqua Terra line, these watches stay true to their maritime DNA, which shows not only in their water resistance of up to 15 bar but above all in the distinctive dial design. Its striking striped pattern evokes the teak decks of fine luxury yachts or historic sailing ships.
With the date display positioned at 6 o'clock, directly opposite the day display, the dial gains a pleasing symmetry and a particularly balanced look. This watch line is undoubtedly elegant enough to be worn as a dress watch, yet at the same time it looks sporty and modern enough to go just as well with any casual or sporty outfit.
The Constellation Day-Date, on the other hand, represents an entirely different style and is best described as a dress watch with a highly individual design. With a case diameter of 38 millimeters, it is relatively small for a men's watch, but thanks to its solid metal bracelet, it doesn't come across as too dainty.
Two Different Approaches to the Day Display at Tag Heuer
Tag Heuer, a luxury watchmaker with a long-standing affinity for motorsport, offers two different versions of the day-of-the-week complication in its range. The Carrera Calibre 5 Day-Date collection, for instance, includes models that show the abbreviated day and the date in a double window at 3 o'clock.
These stainless steel watches look as elegant as they are uncluttered and are ideal for adding a subtle sporty touch to business attire or evening wear. They are offered with either a black or a blue dial.
On some models of the Link Calibre 5, Tag Heuer chose a different solution for the day display, placing it directly below the date display at 6 o'clock. Here, too, the day window is shaped like a segment of a circle, but it forms a single unit with the date window.
More Watches with a Day Display from Other Brands
The two windows are arranged the other way around on the Oris BC3 Sportsman Day Date, where the date appears at 6 o'clock with the abbreviated name of the day above it.
The same brand's Artix Pointer Day, Date also shows the day of the week on its dial – but here, the names of all the days are permanently visible on a circular scale on the dial, and a specially shaped, color-accented hand "underlines" the name of the current day.
Day-Date Versions Are Here to Stay in Watchmaking
The day-of-the-week complication can also be found at a number of other brands in the luxury watch segment, in some cases even on watches selling for three-digit euro prices.
For example, there are corresponding versions of the Hamilton Khaki Field, the Hamilton Jazzmaster and the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot. Maurice Lacroix, too, offers several watches with this useful additional function in its Les Classiques series.
The list of brands and models featuring the day-of-the-week complication could go on. What they all have in common, no matter which price bracket of the luxury segment they belong to, is that they turn reading something as mundane as the current day of the week into an experience – at least for true watch lovers, who accept their cell phone or smartphone for this purpose as nothing more than a backup at best.
