Reply With QuoteFor someone as perpetually baffled as I am a date window is very useful, but I agree many aren't executed with much thought.Originally Posted by Corporalsparrow
I loathe them.
They are so rarely incorporated into the actual design of a watch. More often than not they are an afterthought. A hole on the face. Put there, not by a designer, but a marketing department.
Why…in this day and age when the date is so ubiquitous...does anyone need one? Why do watch manufacturers make something beautiful only to carve a chunk out of it. Longines, in particular, seem addicted to them.
And yet, many new watches still feel the need to include them.
I don't get it.
For someone as perpetually baffled as I am a date window is very useful, but I agree many aren't executed with much thought.
I'm lost without a date on my watch. I've had a couple of non-dates that I've really loved the look of, but ultimately moved them on as I got annoyed each time I went to write down the date (memory of a goldfish).
If a date window is well thought out and well placed then I am all for it.
What really grinds my gears is if it is the date wheel is a different colour to the dail (unless they very neatly replace one of the indices)
A bit of finishing around the hole makes a difference
I have to have a date. I absolutely love the PRS 14, but I'm on I think my fourth one and probably going to sell it as I can't live without a date on a watch.
I don't much like date windows, but then I don't have much reason to know the date. I live my life by term weeks, e.g., Monday, 1st week of Trinity Term. Or, as it is, Friday, with noughth week starting a week from Sunday. :)
Best wishes,
Bob
FIFY :)
Dates are there because someone once put one on a watch, and now people rely on them. People say "if you need a date, find a newspaper", I say "alright granddad, when was the last time today's newspaper could be found in every office, shop and public area?"
I agree though that some date windows are clumsily done. Longines especially, which puts a date on every watch these days because the one they made recently without a date, the original Legend Diver, sold only to a few die-hards. Doesn't mean they do it with style though.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Although some of my watches don't have dates on them - I must admit that for an everyday wear I prefer them to
I prefer watches with date, as I actually use it. Actually, day-date is even better, but rarely nicely implemented. Big date is visually most appealing to me.
I really like the date windows on my PRS-17c and white face Max Bill.
I like a date on a watch if it's well executed. Sadly a carbuncle above the date window is a deal breaker.
I`m rarely offended by a date window and probably half my watches have date windows.
Having said that I rarely re-set them to the right date when I put a watch on - so I guess that means I could possibly survive without them
I understand the sentiment and have two non-date oysters as I like the purity of the look. But in defence of the date, it is like a mirror image of the crown, so it does make a kind of design sense in balancing the watch. So I can go either way, and even learned to love the dreaded cyclops once I had one.
There was a while when I was total (on rolexes) cyclop hater and always saw it as a old mans loupe for the date. When time passed I realised submariner without cyclope is no longer submariner for me.
Can't wear a watch without one, but it has to be at 3.
I do like having the date, and really miss it when it's not there. It's the only thing I dislike about my Speedy in fact (I don't like any of the Speedy dates, the balance of the Moonwatch is for me just perfect).
Some are certainly done better than others.
The Spork has it right. Although it's at 4, it's small and subtle and doesn't stand out, and allows the balance of the 4 big index numbers which looks great.
PRS-3 again, subtle and keeps the balance of the dial:
Kronos- otherwise an excellent watch, but I don't like the date placement.
My tuppence worth, anyway!
I ordered my Stowa without a date window, as all of my other watches had them and I fancied something ultra-minimalist and clean faced....
...I do now slightly regret it, as it is frustrating to look for the date, not find it where I thought it would be, then have to fish my phone out of my pocket to check the date.
So...I like date windows, hate Cyclops eyes.
But it would look so much sweeter without it.A bit of finishing around the hole makes a difference
It is my prference to have a date on a watch, and all apart from 1 do. But I do agree that a lot look like they are just an after thought.
I think the window on my AT is well executed.
It's on every smartphone, on every website. Even this one.FIFY :)
Dates are there because someone once put one on a watch, and now people rely on them. People say "if you need a date, find a newspaper", I say "alright granddad, when was the last time today's newspaper could be found in every office, shop and public area?"
I agree though that some date windows are clumsily done. Longines especially, which puts a date on every watch these days because the one they made recently without a date, the original Legend Diver, sold only to a few die-hards. Doesn't mean they do it with style though.
I can't live without a date. Have had a couple of watches without dates, but they didn't last long. I may be in the minority here, but I think I prefer the date window to be another colour than the dial. Just looks right to me.
I beg to differ. Haf close your eyes and imagine it without. Better already!I do like having the date, and really miss it when it's not there. It's the only thing I dislike about my Speedy in fact (I don't like any of the Speedy dates, the balance of the Moonwatch is for me just perfect).
Some are certainly done better than others.
The Spork has it right. Although it's at 4, it's small and subtle and doesn't stand out, and allows the balance of the 4 big index numbers which looks great.
I sign a lot of documents during a day. And my lousy memory can't remember the right date sometimes (a lot of times), so I use my watch for that. I would never get up and look at a computer or take out my smartphone at a meeting, so for me it really is a necessity.
My Tudor Black Bay is the only watch I have out of two dozen without a date window.....and I find it annoying! Yes I know it would possiblty ruin the 'vintage look', but I like seeing a date/day window, not necessarily because I look at my watch to check the date, but I seem to be favouring non-chrono watches these days and I don't like a huge expanse of nothing on a dial!
I don't doubt that there are people who need a date window on their watch. Nothing at all wrong with that. But the fact remains that by far the greater number of new watches are released with them. Even many of these supposed reissues have them. It is a pandemic.
I have no problem with some watches having date windows. But all of them? (And yes, before you all start, I know there's a few out there without, although you'd be hard pushed to find one in a high street window).
The thing that really gets my goat are all the new watches that I-so-nearly-love-but-can't-because-they've-got-a-date-window.
I generally go for non-date watches, mainly because they are easier to set when worn infrequently in rotation. If it's likely to be worn more often then I might go for a date.
I generally don't like cyclopses, although on my GMTII I actually think it worse (can't explain why). Best implementation in my collection is the Sea Dweller.
I do find myself looking at my watch for the date quite a lot, and most of the time I'm disappointed... :)
The recent vintage inspired Longines really do look a bit crappy with the date. IMHO of course. The way I see it when companies dig into their past glories for a reissue, if the original came with a date window then play ball, but if it didn't then leave well alone. Of course dates seem to be a demand by most normal customers, but they might try the option to not have it as a special order. I'd pay a little extra for that option TBH. I can't see how it would be an expensive option for the manufacturers to have available. Two dials basically. One with, one without. Also the idea of "custom" appeals to WIS' and non WIS folks equally. I'd also add in the option of "aged" lume too, but that would be less economical and I'm mad so...
I like dates. I particularly like big dates if they are done well. Like these;
Last edited by java; 11th April 2014 at 14:23.
I respectfully disagree. If you have a date at 4, at least align it properly nicely between 4 and 5.I do like having the date, and really miss it when it's not there. It's the only thing I dislike about my Speedy in fact (I don't like any of the Speedy dates, the balance of the Moonwatch is for me just perfect).
Some are certainly done better than others.
The Spork has it right. Although it's at 4, it's small and subtle and doesn't stand out, and allows the balance of the 4 big index numbers which looks great.
Not a fan of how Patek does it, especially with the Aquanaut. E.g. the 5165:
It completely ruins the balance for me. Also the fact that it's a white wheel on a dark dial is horrible.
Big dates are lovely though!
Those in the 'we don't need a date' camp, don't really need a watch, if other alternatives are available.
I hate not having a date, but my daily wearer doesn't have one. I do look at my wrist for the date at least half a dozen times a day.
GO are very good. Lange unfortunately use an old JLC cast off which has one digit about two meters lower than the other.
I've never understood this completely. A date-less watch worn in rotation has to be wound and set, and if you're going to pop the crown out to wind it and set it, why not stop at the middle setting as well and sort the date out on the way?
The idea of having two versions of a watch, with and without, is extremely rare. Very few manufacturers do it - Rolex is about the only one that makes watches available with and without (Sub, some Oysters). Even brands like Sinn, who allow a certain degree of special-order variation, don't make date-free watches available. I'm not saying that the need for a date should trump aesthetics completely - some watches are rather spoiled by it (see below).
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
You're quite right of course. But 'need' isn't why most of us wear watches, we wear them because they're one of the few forms of jewellery men can credibly wear. And given that they're jewellery, why wreck the design with a date window?
Date windows are a waste for me, as I cannot see the date without stopping to put on reading glasses. So I prefer the purity of a dial without. If there must be one, then it should be part of the dial like the Sinn above, and Temption always do with their watches. There are Pateks and APs which for me are ruined by the date window.
Yes, I think they do work quite well. Clearly the days window was part of the original design brief, and so have been 'designed' into the watch. That Longines however, is hideous.I like dates. I particularly like big dates if they are done well. Like these;
Like this;
I think GO have to be the undisputed masters of the big date.
Problem solved:
You asume that they are jewellery to everyone, because they are to you. They are supposed to serve a function (telling the time), often several functions, and displaying the day of the month is the next most common thing to the time. Some people want functionality with their "jewellery"!
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
No date = me no buying.
I cant stand date windows and will now only buy watches without
I usually know the date and I cant see the damn things properly anyway. They invariable ruin the symmetry and general appearance of a nice dial
The Seiko that my wife bought me last year not only had a date window but day display as well - even worse!
Fortunately I was able to have the dial changed........
Agree with that 100%.Sinn generally gets it spot on...
I suppose we all have different needs. EG half the time my addled brain is foggy on what day it is never mind date.So I would rarely require knowing the date. Plus since I have an iphone I have the date close to hand should I need it. Of course this plugs into what you say B, as it also has the time. Though when I do need to know the date it's not as urgent a requirement as knowing the time by a flick of my wrist.
I have three watches out of my lot that have a date(one also with day. In Italian. I like confusing myself...) and I like their layout. They were designed with the date from the get go. The Glashuttes take that inherent design so much further. Lovely dials. On my older vintage stuff I can't imagine adding in a date without subtracting something from their design as they never had one in the first place if you know what I mean. They usually look like an afterthought. So when I see something like the Longines Avigation big crown below.
The date window feels jarring.
Absolutely and without question.
Assume? Yes I have assumed. I'd also assume that 99.9% of people don't need a chronograph. 99.9% of diver's watches never go deeper than the deep end of the pool. 99.9% of people don't need a tachymeter, pulsometer, world time zones or to know what stage of lunar cycle we're at. And given that numbers of smart phones are reaching saturation point, not many people actually NEED a watch to tell the time. But that's a different debate.
Fine in the warmer climates/months, when wearing short sleeved shirts, but somewhat impractical when long sleeved clothing is worn.Problem solved:
Then there's the need to change the date manually each morning – you really haven't thought this idea through too well, have you?
If only there was something on the watch itself, which kept track of each new day's date automatically. Hmm……….could you not invent something like that instead?
Perfect….!Problem solved:
Completely agree with all that and, is it just me, or does the Patek's not even line up properly? It looks like the date wheel is too small a diameter for the size of the date window, in that shot at least.I respectfully disagree. If you have a date at 4, at least align it properly nicely between 4 and 5.
Not a fan of how Patek does it, especially with the Aquanaut. E.g. the 5165:
It completely ruins the balance for me. Also the fact that it's a white wheel on a dark dial is horrible.
Big dates are lovely though!
Date isn't a must have for me and, as I often wear a different watch each day, not having one means I don't have to reset it.
I quite like the idea of a date subdial, but I don't have any watches with one.
Some of my favourite watches don't have a date window, but others do. That said, some examples being lauded here seem particularly bad examples...
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Indeed not, no - but second to the time comes the date, it just does. Compared to the majority of people who probably don't need the extra complication of moonphases and so on, we can assume that of the people who wear a watch, nearly 100% do so because they want to know what time it is without fishing around for an old-fashioned pocketwatch a smartphone. I don't see any logic that says they can only have the time displayed, only an aesthetic preference.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
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