Guinand Introduces the Kalender 31, a New Watch With a Genuinely Different Take on the Pointer Date

An idea that we think about a lot when it comes to watch design is symmetry. It’s the reason many have extremely strong opinions on things like date windows, Valjoux 7750 chronographs, and the complicated issue of dial text. And then there’s the pointer date complication, a very old school calendar that uses a hand mounted at the center of the dial to point toward the date, usually at the very edge of the dial, running along its perimeter. Thirty-one being an odd number and the most common number of days in a month, a pointer date is tough on watch lovers who demand symmetry, as you’ll never truly have an even scale between the minutes track and date track. It typically falls out of proportion more and more as you move through the month. Guinand, a watch brand based in Germany, has come up with an elegant solution to this problem that seems to be a first, and all it took was a few modifications to a Sellita SW220-1.

Guinand Kalender 31

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Gray
• Dimensions: 40.6 x 11.4mm
• Crystal: Sapphire        
• Water Resistance: 100 meters                       
• Movement: Calibre GUI-1 based on SW220-1
• Strap/bracelet: Leather
• Price: ~ $1,600
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Available to purchase now, delivery in August

The Kalender 31 uses a traditional pointer date system to indicate the date on days 1 through 30 of each month. But at midnight on the thirtieth, the pointer doesn’t advance to the first. Instead, it stays put, and a small red dot appears in the dial’s small aperture at 6:00. This red dot indicates that it’s the thirty-first (the counterbalance on the pointer hand even has an arrow pointing to it to drive this home). The changeover from the thirty-first day of the month to the first of the next month sees the red dot disappear, with the date pointer advancing to “1” as expected. The dial maintains a perfect visual symmetry, with a date indicator appearing at every other minute.

Guinand is able to achieve this by starting with a fairly pedestrian Sellita SW220-1, a simple automatic movement that comes standard with a day/date indicator and is used frequently as a base movement by the likes of Sinn, Oris, and many others. Guinand modifies the movement completely in house, and according to the brand it takes only 10 additional components.

The Kalender 31 itself, aside from the unique date complication, is an attractive casual watch with a sunburst gray dial. It lives somewhere in that space between what we typically think of as “dress” and “sports” watches, and is simply a versatile, stylish timepiece that can be worn in any number of situations. The case has a brushed finish all around, and is water resistant to 100 meters, so the Kalender 31 should certainly be able to hold up as a daily wearer if you choose to make it one. 

The Kalender 31 is available to order now from Guinand. The retail price is about $1,600 after currency conversion, with delivery expected in August. Guinand