Retrograde watches take an avant-garde approach to telling the time. A retrograde complication is an indication where the corresponding hand snaps backwards or counterclockwise once it reaches the end, and can be applied to the day, date, month, minutes, seconds, or power reserve — while the latter is popular, retrograde hour and minute complications are more striking due to the frequency with which you can watch the function at work. Due to the hand ‘jumping’ backwards or counterclockwise, watches with a retrograde display do not need to indicate information in the typical 360° fashion and can instead use an arc format, making for a visually striking timepiece.
Despite its striking motion, the retrograde complication is not considered an overly complex one, as the general architecture of the movement remains the same. Despite the arc format of information, difference in execution only appears at the display stage, with the mechanism employing a mechanism consisting of cams, rakes, pawls, and springs to enable the relevant hand to instantaneously return to its original position.
Retrograde complications are often paired with jumping-hour complications. As jumping hour watches often don’t have an hour hand (instead opting for a digital display), the use of a retrograde minutes display can contribute to a more harmonious dial layout.
History of retrograde watches
Abraham-Louis Breguet, founder of lauded Swiss manufacture Breguet, was among early adopters of the retrograde complication. In the 18th century, he used retrograde displays for functions such as the date and equation of time before the complication lost its appeal. Vacheron Constantin was also notable for its use of retrograde displays, which it incorporated from the mid-1930s onwards.
Retrograde time displays on linear sector dial watches appeared from the 1970s onwards, with the creation of timepieces like the LIP Secteur which debuted at the Basel Fair in 1973 and the Wittnauer Futurama, which the Swiss-founded brand claimed was the first of its kind (it’s unknown whether this or the LIP version was released first).


The following year, in 1974, the Le Phare Sectora made its debut and was iterated a few times until 1981, when the parent company—Le Phare-Sultana SA—retired the brand and introduced a new name into the market. That brand, Jean d’Eve, sought to reflect a more upscale aesthetic and released several stylish quartz models. The success of its first dew models allowed the brand to return to experimenting with more complicated models, releasing the Jean d’Eve Sectora in 1984. This time, the timepiece featured an asymmetric case with a linear display that went from 0 to 12 o’clock from top to bottom. A smaller women’s version was introduced in 1987.
However, retrograde complications didn’t widely catch on until the early 1990s, when noted Swiss watchmakers rediscovered the allure of the creative display. The likes of Gerald Genta, Roger Dubuis, Franck Muller, and Daniel Roth cemented their status as master watchmakers in part through their retrograde models.
The best retrograde watches in 2025
1. Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Day-Date




Type of retrograde display: day, date
This elegant timepiece sees a retrograde complication applied to both the day and date indicators, while the hours and minutes are presented in the conventional format.
Price: $82,500AUD
Model: Patrimony Day-Date
Movement: Automatic
Power reserve: 40 hours
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Diameter: 42.5mm
2. Chanel Monsieur




Type of retrograde display: minutes
Chanel’s watchmaking division is not to be ignored. The Chanel Monsieur sees a retrograde minutes display complement a jumping hour complication, meaning the minute hand will snap back to zero upon completion of one hour. The opaline dial also houses a small seconds subdial in the centre. It’s powered by the hand-wound calibre 1, which is Chanel’s first in-house movement.
Price: from $84,300AUD
Model: Monsieur
Movement: Manual winding
Power reserve: 70 hours
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Diameter: 40mm
3. Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux




Type of retrograde display: hours, minutes
This haute horology timepiece features both a retrograde hours and minutes display, each on the upper half of the dial. The innovative display sees the hours on the left and the minutes on the right, with a woman standing on a bridge pointing an umbrella at the former and a man at the latter. Moving closer with every passing minute, the retrograde display sees the lovers unite at midnight (and noon), making for a decidedly romantic take on the complication.
Price: $381,000AUD
Model: Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux
Movement: Automatic
Power reserve: 36 hours
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Diameter: 38mm
4. Breguet Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597




Type of retrograde display: date
Type of retrograde display: minutesThe Breguet Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597 blends contemporary and traditional aesthetics. The open-worked dial features an off-centre hours and minutes subdial at 12 o’clock, as well as a retrograde date display on the lower half of the dial.
Price: $64,200AUD
Model: Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597
Power reserve: 50 hours
Movement: Automatic
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Diameter: 40mm
5. Franck Muller Cintrée Curvex Retrograde Hour Tourbillon




Type of retrograde display: hours
Combining a 220° retrograde hour display with a tourbillon and wrapping it up in a tonneau case, the Franck Muller Cintrée Curvex Retrograde Hour Tourbillon is a timepiece that was made to be seen.
Price: $POA
Model: Cintrée Curvex Retrograde Hour Tourbillon
6. Bovet Récital 21




Type of retrograde display: date
A perpetual calendar with a retrograde date function, the Bovet Récital 21 is housed inside the manufacture’s signature ‘writing slope’ case. The days and months are displayed in vertical apertures at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock respectively, while the leap year cycle is displayed in a circular aperture at 3 o’clock. A central subdial displays the minutes and hours, and is encircled by the retrograde date.
Price: $POA
Model: Récital 21
Movement: Manual winding
Power reserve: five days
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Diameter: 44.4mm
7. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar




Type of retrograde display: date
Anything you can do, Bulgari can do thinner. The Italian manufacture applies its ultra-thin watchmaking prowess to the perpetual calendar complication, which features a retrograde date display at 12 o’clock.
Price: $59,000USD (approx. $96,600AUD)
Model: Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar
Movement: Automatic
Power reserve: 60 hours
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Diameter: 40mm
7. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph




Type of retrograde display: 30-minute chronograph counter
A cursory glance at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph will have you wondering what it’s doing in an article on retrograde watches. But, flip over the unassumingly elegant sun-brushed time only dial to reveal the secondary skeletonised dial and it all starts to make sense. The skeletonised dial plays host to the timepiece’s namesake chronograph function, with a retrograde display used to showcase the chronograph’s 30-minute counter.
Price: $40,200AUD
Model: Reverso Tribute Chronograph (ref. Q389848J)
Movement: Manual winding
Power reserve: 52 hours
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Diameter: 49.4 mm x 29.9 mm
8. A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar




Type of retrograde display: day
Did you know that in Germany, the week starts on Monday rather than Sunday? It’s that kind of hard hitting information that’s present on the dial of the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar. One of the most classically beautiful retrograde watches, it features an asymmetrical dial layout with a retrograde date display on the left periphery, while a moonphase display, oversized date window, and an off-centre time display hold court on the dial.
Price: approx. $160,000AUD ($104,500USD)
Model: Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar (ref. 345.033)
Movement: Automatic
Power reserve: 50 hours
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Diameter: 41.9mm
9. Longines Master Collection Retrograde




Type of retrograde display: day, date, small seconds, 24-hour second time zone
One of the most handsome contemporary retrograde watches on the market, the Longines Master Collection Retrograde packs an impressive amount of value into a sub-$10k watch. If you can’t get enough of retrograde displays, this timepiece has you covered. The surrounding the central hours and minutes display are a whopping four retrograde displays: the day at 12 o’clock, date on the right periphery of the dial, small seconds at 6 o’clock, and a 24-hour secondary time zone on the left periphery of the dial. A guilloché finish on the silver dial and blued hands complement the steel construction of the Longines Master Collection Retrograde and make for a retrograde watch worth showing off.
Price: $6725AUD
Model: Master Collection Retrograde (L27384716)
Movement: Automatic
Power reserve: 48 hours
Water Resistance: 30 meters (3 ATM)
Case Diameter: 41mm
Enjoyed this article on retrograde watches? Check out our watch guides here; covering everything from the types of watch movements to watch styles and complications.
Words by Theo Rosen