The Chinese Calendar is complex, as it combines elements of both a solar and a lunar calendar, which are calculated separately and then synchronized. This is accomplished by the addition of an extra lunar or intercalary month. This 13th month, which allows the two cycles to coincide, occurs approximately every three years. Finally, the Chinese calendar divides the solar year into 24 solar terms, or breaths, which symbolize the agricultural calendar.

The New Year appears according to precise rules and takes the name of the month that precedes it. The calculation is complex but allows us to follow the seasons and to set the Chinese New Year at the arrival of spring, which varies between the end of January and the end of February in our calendar — between January 21 and February 19.

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which names the months and numbers the years, the Chinese calendar names the lunar years and numbers the months. The names of the years are repeated on a 60-year (sexagesimal) cycle, but the calendar including dates, days and months is calculated on the basis of astronomical observations. Because these calculations vary, it is impossible to make a “perpetual” Chinese calendar.

However, our creation goes as far as it is possible to go in creating the most complete, and most precise, Chinese calendar in the form of a timepiece. The numbering system of the time units is based on the combination of a decimal cycle, the 10 Celestial Stems, and a duodecimal cycle, the 12 Earthly Branches.

The 10 Celestial Stems serve the function of assigning elements to seasons and the planets — water, wood, metal, fire, and earth. The 12 Earthly Branches correspond to the signs of the zodiac: each is represented by an animal, which designates the years of the sexagesimal cycle and will influence the destiny and character of human beings born in that year.

The TONDA PF Xiali Complete Calendar has a 100m water-resistant stainless-steel case with alternating satin and polished finishes. Its signature fluted bezel is in 950 platinum and it is paired with a matching stainless-steel bracelet with folding clasp. The imperial red dial is hand-finished with a Grain d’Orge guilloché. The applied hour markers and skeletonized delta hour and minute hands are crafted in 18ct gold with rhodium plating. The second hand and calendar subdial hands are made of rhodium- plated steel.

The TONDA PF Xiali Calendar displays all the information on the dial. The 12-hour subdial shows the name of the year on the first level and the animal on the second level. The 3 o’clock subdial indicates the day number of the month and the indication if it is a long or short month. The 9 o’clock subdial shows the month number with an aperture indicating if it is a leap month. Finally, the 6 o’clock subdial features the blue aventurine moonphase display, which shows the position of the moon in the northern and southern hemispheres.