Hands-on + Video: Epoch Automatic Calendar

Text: Albin Johansson
Image: Aleksandar Mladenovic

Swedish Epoch continues to present pleasant models. We have in an exclusive collaboration taken a closer look at the whole collection in the automatic calendar series, but also at their sister series President which has a lot to offer in a similar style. What we got to see is a broad collection with something for everyone.

A resumed collaboration

The Automatic Calendar was created together by the Swedish watch legends Mikael Sandström and Christer Sjöö (watch enthusiasts probably recognise the surnames). The result became a collection with soberly designed watches that tighten up the whole with fun complications and dials. But at the same time with a breadth in the collection so that there is something for everyone.

Case and design

The watch measures a classic 40mm and has a case in stainless steel. Despite double complications in the form of day and date the watch is no higher than 12mm which works well on most wrists. The case has a brushed finish which breaks nicely against the dials.

The Automatic Calendar is delivered either on a steel bracelet with matching finish or a quality leather strap. The bracelet has relatively short link pieces which makes it easier to adjust to fit the wearer as well as possible. A good looking detail is the polished centre links which give a nice contrast in the bracelet.

Dials for all tastes

The dials exist in several different executions and colours. On the Automatic Calendar series we find darker and lighter dials in the form of black and silver. But there are also several choices for those who want more action in the dial. The one that stands out the most is the limited one in orange, and there is also a light porcelain dial that the editorial team likes a little extra. The last model has gold coloured indices which becomes a look that stands out in the series.

Day and date

At 6 o'clock we find both day and date display which is one of the more interesting details on the watch. Epoch has used the surface on the dial very well where way the day and date disc almost look like they sit together. We also think it is fun with the day display in Swedish. The hands for hour, minute and second are simply designed without taking up too much attention which is a good design choice since quite a bit is happening on the dial otherwise.

See the whole Automatic Calendar series here.

President

When we write about the Automatic Calendar we must of course take a look at the sister series in the form of President. The story behind this series which is very similar to the Automatic Calendar is strongly connected to Epoch's business model (and it has some unique details in the design). President was developed as an offering to companies that want to give anniversary gifts to employees. There are a number of dials in a more colourful style such as blue and green. An important part of the dial is also that Epoch has chosen baton indices instead of partly Arabic numerals as the Automatic Calendar has. Beyond these the differences are small. Anyone who is interested in the one series should also take a look at the other before deciding.

On the wrist and closing thoughts

Both the Automatic Calendar and the President are well thought out watches. The size is excellent for a watch that you should be able to wear daily in most environments. You can tell that the watch has been developed with this in mind since it is also water resistant down to 100m, you really never need to take it off the wrist. We like the design of the day and date complication a little extra since it is an odd but good looking design choice to put them on top of each other further down on the dial. The movement from Sellita is very reliable, and the price tag of around 14000kr for a watch with this level of quality from a Swedish manufacturer is something we like very much.

Technical specifications

Brand: Epoch
Model: Automatic Calendar / President

Diameter: 40mm
Thickness: 12mm
Case material: Stainless steel

Bracelet: Steel or leather strap

Movement: Sellita SW240
Complications: date and day
Winding: Automatic

Price: Between 13850kr and 14295kr

Read more about the watches at Epoch