Calendar watches would often display the date around the dialвЂ™s periphery with a centrally mounted hand to indicate it. It is worth pointing out that watch designers have the technical ability to place the date window anywhere on the dial, so long it is on the discвЂ™s path and the numbers are oriented accordingly.Д«efore the Datejust came along, the elements and technology to make it possible were already in place and in use by various watch companies. Beneath the dial is a disc with 31 markings that jumps at midnight (or roughly around that time, depending on the watch), meaning that it will generally require adjustment via the crownвЂ™s second position during each month shorter than 31 days in duration.

The date window is most commonly found as an aperture at 3 oвЂ™clock or 6 oвЂ™clock, and sometimes with a magnifying glass over it like a generous water drop on the crystal (called a вЂњcyclopsвЂќ in watch jargon). Second only to the display of time itself, this is probably the most practically useful information a watch can offer, and watches havenвЂ™t looked the same since. That it is now taken for granted speaks to the massive and lasting impact that the Rolex Datejust had when it introduced this feature to the world in 1945. Most watch lovers likely canвЂ™t imagine a time when the humble date window found on watches of all kinds today was considered innovative. Welcome to Watches You Should Know, a column highlighting little-known watches with interesting backstories and unexpected influence.

Watches with little disc