As you know, the clock is designed primarily to show the time - hours and minutes. By the way, in the distant past, people did without even minutes: the most ancient tower clock had only one hand. As civilization developed, the pace of life accelerated, it took minutes, then seconds ... and then?
We all know that modern wristwatches are capable of showing very, very much, but if we leave all kinds of sophistication behind the scenes, then after hours, minutes and seconds, the next is, of course, the date. In its simplest form, its indication is carried out in numbers in a small window on the dial.
In the mechanism (whatever the source of energy - the mainspring or the battery, whatever the regulator is - a quartz crystal or a balance-spiral system), an additional wheel is provided that makes one full revolution in 31 days. And a digitized disk is placed on it - from 1 to 31. Everything is fine, with one exception: the size of the window is small, sometimes it is not easy to see these small numbers.
A complication comes to the rescue, which is called that: a big date. In this case, the wheels and, accordingly, the discs are two pieces. Most often, there are also two windows, located side by side. On the right we see units, on the left - tens, and as a result - a two-digit number. It is easy to understand that the left disk is digitized from 0 to 3, it makes a full revolution in a month, and the right one - from 0 to 9, it needs 10 days for a full revolution. Now the date can be seen perfectly, and the price of this improvement is technically not so high - engineers are able to design, and craftsmen can implement much more complex transmissions ...
Now let's take a look at five very nice models of wristwatches with a two-digit date indicator. Let's make a reservation right away that they are all quartz - but the more accurate and unpretentious they are, all are quite budgetary - but that are also attractive. And they are also very attractive in appearance, each model in its own way.
Seiko CS Sports
Stylish and practical watch in sporty style, but also for every day, with three hands and a big date at 6 o'clock. Steel case diameter 40,8mm, water resistant 100m (you can swim). The imposing khaki carbon-textured dial features an additional 12-24 scale to help you avoid confusing day with night. Lumibrite proprietary lighting, Hardlex proprietary glass. A very comfortable fluted crown, a secure screw-down case back, and a nylon strap in the color of the dial.
Jacques lemans london
The same equipment, the same dial layout, practically the same dimensions (40 mm) and the same water resistance (100 m) of the steel case, but the appearance is still noticeably different. Austrian watchmakers have released watches in a distinctly "urban" design, which is primarily determined by the deep blue color of the dial and large hour markers and Roman numerals. There is still some sporty touch, it is brought by the seven-row steel bracelet.
Adriatica strap
But this Swiss product looks completely different. And there are more functions: in the upper part of the intricately finished dial there is a hand indicator of the day of the week, and in the lower part it is visually balanced not only by a double date window, but also by a small seconds counter. Made with love! This also applies to the 45 mm steel case, with the baroque shapes of its bezel and the lugs of the “onion” crown. The sapphire crystal is also worth noting.
Our mini-hit parade will be completed by two models of more complex configuration: in addition to the current time and date (of course, a large one), they are also equipped with a chronograph function. This complication, which allows you to control the length of time intervals, is now very popular, it is in demand by professionals and amateurs, athletes and aviators, and, in general, speaks of the "advancement" of the owner of such watches. We have selected two models from opposite ends of Europe. Let's start from the West.
AVI-8 Hawker Harrier II
The name of the British brand unambiguously alludes to the pilot's style of its watches, often vintage, evoking associations with the dashboards of aircraft of the past. The very name of this model goes back to the vertical take-off and landing fighter-bomber, which entered service with the RAF in 1969. But in the design of the watch, one can clearly feel the "civil" influence, it is expressed in such sophistication as skeletonization, which reveals the "insides" of the watch.
42-mm steel case with black PVD-coating, leather strap with black stitching, reminiscent of the oblique cross of the English national flag, stopwatch accuracy up to 1/20 sec., Luminescence, large - even very high! - date at 12 o'clock ... Impressive!
NIKA Ego
The functions are the same, but the style is completely different. Russian designers have created a watch, although it is a man's watch (diameter 44 mm unambiguously speaks about it), but aesthetically extremely sophisticated. The very name of the model is Ego, i.e. "I" - testifies to this, the material itself - silver of 925-th test - categorically declares beauty and brilliance, and purely peaceful.
The silver dial with well-read blued hands of the current time and chronograph counters and, perhaps, even better readable with a large date at the 12 o'clock position, is matched. The black calfskin strap is crafted to look like an alligator and is more than harmonious here. The watch looks frankly expensive.
