The Joy of the Snap, With 5 of Today’s Finest Retrograde Watches

I’ve always been a big fan of watches that have something moving on the dial, other than the smooth and consistent running of hour, minute and second hands. Whether it’s a dial-mounted balance wheel, a tourbillon escapement or even a winding rotor, I just love to see some type of action that goes beyond pure telling of time. One such expressive display that gets me excited is the Retrograde function, which can come in many forms, as you know. From single to double and even triple or more retrograde displays in a watch, there’s something special about that instant “snap” to zero at the end of a scale. And for the sake of showcasing just how cool it can be, we’re taking a closer look at five of the best watches with retrograde indications in recent months.

Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide

The Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide is a very delectable and brilliantly executed nod to the brand’s early days. Set into a 38mm wide rose gold case is a blue base dial with a dual retrograde display for the perpetual calendar mechanism. On the left, you can see the day of the week, and on the right, the date of the month. Both hands jump back to the first position upon reaching the end of their respective scales, so you can enjoy multiple “jumps” over the course of a month. Limited to 28 pieces and worn on a blue calfskin leather strap, the Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide retails for EUR 138,000 including taxes.

For more information, please visit RogerDubuis.com.

Quick Facts – 38mm x 11mm – 18k pink gold case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – bi-retrograde dial with blue lacquered base – mother-of-pearl scales – gold hands & indices – calibre RD1472, in-house – automatic winding – 28,800vph – 48h power reserve – 307 components – Poinçon de Genève – blue calfskin leather strap with rose gold folding buckle – limited to 28 pieces – EUR 138,000 (incl. VAT)

Breguet Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035BB

As part of last year’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the Breguet Tradition Reconde Rétrograde 7035BB is one of the subtlest retrograde watches on the list. Maybe not in movement architecture, which has always been based on the Souscription watch from 1796 for the Tradition, but certainly for its retrograde function. Placed next to the off-centred dial, a single hand travels upwards along a 60-second scale, before jumping back down and starting all over again. Simple, clever, and tasteful. And the rest? That isn’t half bad either! Worn on a blue alligator leather strap, this Breguet Gold watch is limited to 250 pieces and has a price of EUR 50,400 incl. VAT.

For more information, please visit Breguet.com.

Quick Facts – 38mm x 12.6mm – Breguet Gold case – fluted caseband – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – off-centred hour & minute dial with guilloché & grand feu enamel – offset retrograde seconds display – exposed central barrel & escapement – Calibre 505SR, in-house automatic – 21,600vph – 50h power reserve – navy blue alligator leather strap with Breguet Gold buckle – limited to 250 pieces in special anniversary box – EUR 50,400 incl. VAT

Maurice Lacroix Master Aikonic Triple Retrograde

On the lest exorbitant side of the spectrum, yet mechanically still impressive, comes the Maurice Lacroix Master Aikonic Triple Retrograde. Bridging the brand’s Masterpiece and Aikon collections, the Aikonic Triple Calendar is a modern sports watch with an openworked movement construction and, unsurprisingly, a triple retrograde display. At the top, there’s a 24-hour dual time display, on the right, there’s a day of the week indication, and at the bottom, you have the date. All this is packed in a steel case with a ceramic bezel and worn on an integrated black rubber strap with a steel pin buckle. The price is CHF 6,450, and it’s not limited.

For more information, please visit MauriceLacroix.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 13mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – ceramic bezel with claws – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – anthracite dial, vertically brushed – openworked triple etrograde displays with blued hands – applied markers & hands with SLN – Calibre ML291 (Sellita SW200 base) – automatic winding – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – integrated black rubber strap with pin buckle – not limited – CHF 6,450

Bovet Récital 21 Retrograde Sapphire Green

Bovet already made quite an impression with its Récital 21 Retrograde Perpetual Calendar in 2019, but returned with an even sleeker version last year. Now fitted with a transparent green (or blue, or brown) sapphire crystal dial, it becomes a very different beast. It still relies on the in-house Calibre 13DM05-QPR, yet removes the small seconds display from the equation. The retrograde date function is displayed on an arched scale printed on top of the green dial, with a central pointer hand indicating the correct date. Limited to 60 pieces per colour, it’s worn on a dial-matching alligator leather strap and retails for CHF 92,000 excl. VAT.

For more information, please visit Bovet.com.

Quick Facts – 44.4mm x 15.4mm to 10.25mm – grade 5 titanium “sloping” case, polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – smoked green, blue or brown sapphire crystal dial – month, day & leap year cutouts – retrograde date function – luminous markers & hands – Calibre 13DM05-QPR, in-house – manual winding – 464 components – 21,600vph – 120h power reserve – dial-matching alligator leather strap with titanium buckle – limited to 60 pieces per colour – CHF 92,000 excl. VAT

Ostuka Lotec No. 8 Jumping Hour & Retrograde Minute

Quite new to the firmament yet causing an incredible buzz in the community is Otsuka Lotec, the brand by Japanese indie watchmaker Jiro Katayama. Using steampunk and industrial gauges as inspiration, its latest creation is the rectangular No.8, which pairs a jumping hour function with a retrograde minute display. Yet it’s no ordinary display, as the pointer comes up from the back and sticks its small red pointer through a spacing between the main dial and a floating arch. Clever, easy-to-read, and downright cool! With purchases restricted to Japanese-issued credit card users with an address in Japan only, the No.8 is rather hard to obtain outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. The price is set at JPY 990,000 (approx. EUR 5,390)

For more information, please visit Otsuka-Lotec.com.

Quick Facts – 31mm x 47.8mm lug-to-lug – 10.8mm height – stainless steel case, straight-grained – curved sapphire crystal – solid caseback – offset crown – shaped dial plate – jumping hours, retrograde minutes, running seconds – semi-exposed retrograde mechanism – Miyota 90S5 base calibre, automatic – in-house display module – 28,800vph – approx. 32h power reserve – black rubber strap with steel pin buckle – restricted to Japanese-issued credit card users with a Japanese address only – JPY 990,000 (approx. EUR 5,390)