Pre-Owned ochs und junior ochs und junior anno-annual calendar 40991593/AS08954

There are certain brands that appeal to the hardcore among us, you know, the watch nerds, in a way that mainstream brands can’t. It might be because they run a humble operation, and make only so many watches per year, or they might have a polarizing design language that only real watch people truly “get.” Then there’s a brand like ochs und junior, who offer up an absolutely killer mechanical feature that nobody else can match. It might not even be a stretch to say, ochs und junior is the king of the watch nerd brands, and we mean that in the most complimentary way possible. 

From their day/night complication, to their moon phase, ochs and junior has a way of totally simplifying the entire display in a minimal, tasteful way. You would think things would get more complicated as you move up towards a more involved movement such as an annual calendar, but it doesn’t for ochs and junior. In the hands of watchmaker Ludwig Oeschslin, the complication is reduced to its most elemental form, both visually and mechanically. 

This particular ochs and junior dubbed the anno, is housed in a 39mm 2-piece, titanium case. It includes a greyed-brass dial that incorporates a combination of rotating day, date and month discs beneath with gold-filled indices, as well as a matching gold handset. 

Reading the date is remarkably intuitive, and involves noting a trio of roving dots that move around the dial. The large circle of apertures toward the perimeter of the dial provides the date, while the smaller circles at 12 and 6 provide readouts for the month and day of the week. It’s a largely visual representation of a traditional calendar, but gives you an immediate sense of where you are in a given month, week, or year.

Surprisingly, the most impressive thing about the watch is what is powering the annual calendar - an ETA 2284-2. With some ingenuity and mechanical savviness, the anno utilizes only three additional components to complete the annual calendar modification.

If you want the run-of-the-mill wrist watch, you already know what brands and models to ride with. But if you want to go against the grain, while showing off that you have impeccable design taste and an obvious knowledge of deep cut brands, then you don’t want to miss out on this gem from ochs and junior.