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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The standout high-complication watches in Monochrome Watches’ April 23, 2024 recap were not pursuing one common definition of “best.” The six selections ranged from familiar complications combined in a single wristwatch to secular calendar engineering, extreme thinness, a reversible complication-heavy design and a one-off pocket watch. They are best understood as a curated 2024 showcase of different watchmaking challenges—not as a current market ranking.
What the six watches set out to do
| Watch | Its central watchmaking idea |
|---|---|
| A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Lumen | Bring a flyback chronograph, perpetual calendar and tourbillon together. |
| Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC | Push mechanical-watch construction to extreme thinness while retaining COSC certification. |
| De Bethune DB Kind of Grande Complication | Combine a reversible two-sided design with a broad set of complications. |
| IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar | Address Gregorian leap-year exceptions with a 400-year calendar mechanism. |
| Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon | Pair an ultra-thin construction with a flying tourbillon. |
| Vacheron Constantin Berkley Grand Complication | Build an exceptionally function-rich, unique pocket watch around a traditional Chinese perpetual calendar. |
The selections and descriptions below follow Brice Goulard’s Monochrome Watches recap, published April 23, 2024. Where the brand also provides supporting information, that is identified separately. Dimensions, prices, edition sizes and performance claims are dated source figures, not assurances of present-day availability or current records.
Six high-complication watches from the 2024 selection
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Lumen
This is the selection for combining three major complications rather than pursuing a single record: a flyback chronograph, perpetual calendar and tourbillon. The recap describes a Honeygold case and a tinted sapphire dial that reveals parts of the movement while allowing luminous components to show through.
Monochrome lists calibre L952.4, reference 740.055FE, a 41.5 mm by 14.6 mm case and a 50-hour power reserve. It describes the watch as a 50-piece limited edition and gives an approximate price of EUR 600,000 in its 2024 coverage. Those specifications and price are attributed to the recap; no relevant official A. Lange & Söhne source is established here.
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#1 Best Overall
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC
The Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC makes thinness the engineering headline. Monochrome’s 2024 recap gives its thickness as 1.70 mm and calls it the thinnest mechanical watch at the time of publication. That is a historical record claim, not a statement about the thinnest watch today.
The recap lists reference 104081, calibre BVL 180, a 50-hour power reserve and a 20-piece limited edition, with a stated price of EUR 600,000. It also identifies the model as COSC-certified. Bulgari’s official Ultra page independently lists reference 104081 within the Ultra family; the recap is the source for the 2024 thickness, certification and edition claims.
De Bethune DB Kind of Grande Complication
De Bethune’s design stands apart for its reversible, two-sided titanium case and floating lugs. The recap describes a complication set comprising a perpetual calendar, spherical moon-phase display, jumping seconds and a high-frequency 30-second tourbillon. The arrangement makes the watch’s two-sided construction part of the experience, rather than simply a case detail.
Monochrome lists calibre DB2529, reference DBK2TV2, a four-day power reserve and a CHF 400,000 price. De Bethune’s official press material independently describes the perpetual calendar, spherical moon phase, titanium tourbillon and jumping seconds; the detailed dimensions and price are attributed to the recap.
Rank #3
- Complications mechanical watch：provides the various in dications of the conventional calendar such as the date,the date,the week,the month and the year
- Case size diameter: 42.7 millimeters, thickness: 13.8 millimeters
- The mirror on the watch is made of mineral glass , making it look clear and transparent
- Men's mechanical watch:Self-winding automatic movement . Powered by everyday movement of your arm
- It has luminous, but need to absorb the light source, its waterproof 30 meters, can withstand rain water splash, rather than hot water shower and sauna
IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar
The Eternal Calendar addresses a limitation in ordinary perpetual calendars: the Gregorian calendar’s century-year exceptions to the leap-year rule. According to Monochrome, a 400-year gear accounts for those exceptions, so the calendar requires no adjustment before late 3999. The recap also reports a moon-phase deviation of one day in 45 million years and says two gears were added to the gear train.
The model is identified in the recap as reference IW505701, with calibre 52640, a 44.4 mm by 15 mm platinum case and a CHF 150,000 price. These specifications and precision figures are the recap’s claims; no relevant official IWC page is established here.
Rank #4
- Complications mechanical watch：provides the various in dications of the conventional calendar such as the date,the date,the week,the month and the year
- Case size diameter: 42.7 millimeters, thickness: 13.8 millimeters
- The mirror on the watch is made of mineral glass , making it look clear and transparent
- Men's mechanical watch:Self-winding automatic movement . Powered by everyday movement of your arm
- It has luminous, but need to absorb the light source, its waterproof 30 meters, can withstand rain water splash, rather than hot water shower and sauna
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon
Piaget’s 2024 150th-anniversary Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon combines an exceptionally thin profile with a flying tourbillon. The official Piaget product page specifies a 41.5 mm cobalt-alloy case, a thickness of 2 mm and water resistance of 20 m. Piaget also says it redesigned 90% of the original Altiplano Ultimate Concept’s components.
Monochrome specifies calibre 970P-UC, a 40-hour power reserve and the blue PVD-treated cobalt-alloy version. Its characterization of the watch as the world’s thinnest tourbillon applies at the time of that 2024 recap, not as an independently updated record claim.
Best Value
- Professional helium valve on 2 o'clock, in order to be able to lead during external pressure reduction (e.g. emerging) the accumulating helium fast enough from the clock
- High quality automatic movement with analog display
- Synthetic sapphire glass and Stainless steel strap band,Fashion Aviator Military Style For Men, With Days/Week function
- Luminous hands and figure (need to absorb light energy storage)
- This watch is very individuality, can be used as a gift to the handsome boy, boyfriend, Valentine's Day. Business gifts are also possible
Vacheron Constantin Berkley Grand Complication
The Berkley is the selection’s unique commission: a double-sided white-gold pocket watch with calendar, astronomical, chronograph, alarm and chiming functions. Monochrome reports 63 complications, 2,877 components, 245 jewels and 31 hands. These counts describe the watch as presented in the 2024 recap.
Vacheron Constantin’s official page says the project involved 11 years of development, including one year devoted to assembly. It identifies the traditional Chinese perpetual calendar as a central innovation and describes calibre 3752 as mechanically programmed through 2200. The brand also notes a triple-axis armillary tourbillon. Taken together, those details make the Berkley less a conventional wristwatch comparison point than a bespoke demonstration of how far a calendar-led complication project can be taken.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read this selection
The six watches address different engineering problems, so a single winner would flatten the point of the roundup. Lange concentrates three familiar major complications in one wristwatch; IWC’s distinction is long-range calendar correction. Bulgari and Piaget both make thinness central, but Piaget adds a tourbillon. De Bethune pairs a reversible case with a broad complication set, while Vacheron Constantin’s one-off pocket watch puts an elaborate traditional Chinese perpetual calendar at the center of an unusually extensive programme.
For historical context, Brice Goulard summarized the selection’s priorities as “the art of watchmaking, whether it’s about breaking records, improving an important complication or making things thinner than ever before.” That framing fits the range better than treating “best” as a single technical score.
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The principal source for the six-watch selection is Brice Goulard’s Monochrome Watches recap, published April 23, 2024. Official brand material provides additional support for the De Bethune DB Kind of Grande Complication, Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, Bulgari Ultra family reference and Vacheron Constantin Berkley Grand Complication as noted above. Not every detail in the recap is independently established by an official brand source here; in particular, the Lange and IWC specifications are attributed to the Monochrome recap.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
