With the cancelation of Baselworld, it could have very well been a year in which Patek Philippe wouldn't launch a single new watch. However, that is fortunately not the case, as they introduce not one, but three new grand complications. While some are varieties on already existing watches, they all bring something new to the table that makes them very desirable.

IWC has crowned 2020 as the year of the Portugieser, and that means that we can welcome lots and lots of new additions to this collection. Some are just revamped versions of old favorites, but many are also entirely new watches, some with innovative complications.

Not all watches are created equal, and this is even the case when we are talking about Patek Philippe. Among its rich history, does reference 2497 hold a special place. This perpetual calendar was launched in 1951, together with reference 2499, which also features a chronograph. It took over from reference 1526 and set itself apart from its predecessor by its more lavish and generous styled case, which has a diameter of 37mm.

Jean-Claude Biver gave us very recently an insight into his private collection of watches. A unique experience, as the man who resurrected Blancpain and turned Hublot into a watchmaking powerhouse, is known for his exquisite taste. Now serving as non-executive President of the LVMH Group Watch Division, he is as retired as he will ever be and able to dedicating part of his time to sharing his passion for watchmaking as a whole. In collaboration with auctioneer Phillips, he is now selling four pieces from his private collection, allowing you to own a bit of Biver.

There was a time when the perpetual calendar was a complication that could only be found in classic, gold cases, fitted with alligator leather straps. They were revered and treasured, yet only worn when the activities weren't too strenuous or potentially damaging to its complex movement. Times have changed, and today is a gold cased dress watch not automatically the timepiece of choice anymore for the rich and accomplished. In their active lives, they need a watch that can keep up with the pace, yet the fascination for the perpetual calendar hasn't dwindled. When the brands combined both, by putting that revered complication in a sportive watch, something magical happened as the following four watches prove.

This year it has been fourteen years ago since A. Lange & Söhne launched their Datograph Perpetual, yet it is still holding a prominent position as one of the most desirable pieces within the collection of the brand. As with many of the watches from this esteemed brand, is also this timepiece an elegant and classic creation. Day, month, and leap year are indicated in a traditional way, with hands on subdials. In between them, we find a window for the moon phase display. The outsize date is perhaps the most eyecatching feature of this watch, placed just below the twelve o'clock position, in two rectangular gold-rimmed windows. With this complication does the Datograph Perpetual also honor that typical A. Lange & Söhne tradition of displaying the date in such an oversized fashion.

Few can afford them, but we all love them; the most complicated watches that the watch industry has to offer. For many brands, these watches serve as a way to show their technical prowess, and sometimes to develop technologies that we later see in less complex watches. Many of these highly complicated watches take years to develop and months to make. Their numbers are always quite limited, but they leave countless watch connoisseurs around the world in awe. This year the following watches did just that;

Even in today's time, with high-tech carbon composites and exotic alloys ruling supreme, there is still that undeniable appeal of 18 karat gold. It can be rather discreet when you opt for white gold, more outgoing in the warm tones of rose gold, or an instant classic when you go for yellow gold. Gold pleases its owner with more than just its visual splendor. It is also the heft of this material that makes you know that you are wearing something special. This is especially true with watches that not only feature a case made of this material but a bracelet as well. The following four watches go all in, as they show off the beauty that you get when you go for only gold;

A display that tells the current phase of the moon is among one of the earliest complications that were added to a watch. In today's world, not many people have a particular need to know the exact phase of the moon, but in the past, it played a far more significant role in everyday life. While the importance of this complication has changed over the years, its appeal hasn't. Even on modern watches, a moon phase indicator is among one of the most popular complications, yet a vintage watch with this feature has an appeal of its own.

The perpetual calendar complication has been around for several centuries and it is still going strong. In fact, most of the best luxury watch brands have perpetual calendar watches within their current collections and continuously offer new iterations. It’s easy to see the appeal of perpetual calendar timepieces; not only are they high-complication watches that flaunt the mechanical mastery of brands that make them but they also offer real-life practicality.

When it comes to dial colors, decades were ruled by black and silver as the most popular choices. They still rule supreme, but now need to give a bit of space to other colors as well. Blue has become a staple in more recent years, but grey and brown tones are getting more popular as well. Green might seem like a more extreme color, but also this one seems to be here to stay. While it will probably never dethrone black and silver, these four watches are bound to make anybody who sees you wear them, green with envy!

Steel is the new gold, and there is fierce competition among the top-tier Swiss brands to please clients with their sportive creations in this metal. For this Vacheron Constantin has the Overseas, a collection which was revamped in 2016. While the steel-cased time-only and chronograph versions might be the ones that are the most important regarding maintaining its market position in this field, there is also still a demand for more complicated versions, and also in precious metal, and Vacheron Constantin is happy to oblige to that with the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin.

Few watches are as well proportioned as the Langematick Perpetual from A. Lange & Söhne. With a diameter of 38.5 mm it is rather modest in size. Combined with a height of 10.2 mm it sits extremely comfortable on the wrist, yet still packs a punch because of its expressive design. The watch features a perpetual calendar with large date, moon phase and 24-hour indicator. All this information is presented in a very balanced and legible way, which is definitely an important part of the charm of this A. Lange & Söhne.

Can a classic be contemporary? Maybe not in the strict sense of the word, but with its reference 3797 Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon, is Breguet most certainly making a case that this is indeed possible. It utilizes traditional craftsmanship yet brings it together in such a way that this classic watch has a contemporary edge.

When you say Villeret, you touch the essence of Blancpain. With its double stepped bezel did it play an important role in the revival of not only Blancpain itself, but that of the Haute Horlogerie as a whole. This is even more so with the Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656, as the brand has been known especially since its rebirth in 1983 by Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet, for its calendar watches.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has a long-standing tradition of creating Grand Complications that make sure that your heart skips a beat. Even without seeing the watch itself, their latest creation fills you with anticipation, in particular, because of the last three words of its name: Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel.