Watchmaking Mastery
Over the decades Patek Philippe has led the way in watchmaking mastery, pioneering grand complications such as the perpetual calendar
Grand complications represent the pinnacle of watchmaking and Patek Philippe has created an extensive collection featuring these, that is in regular production. To create such complex timepieces is testament to the Geneva watchmaker’s unrivalled expertise.
While their technical complexity is unquestionable and of paramount importance, it never comes at the cost of aesthetics. It is an elegant balance that lies at the heart of Patek Philippe’s ethos on grand complications.
As classic grand complications of importance, perpetual calendars have historically featured prominently in Patek Philippe’s collections.
It was back in 1889 that Jean Adrien Philippe’s talent for mechanical invention resulted in a Swiss patent that protected the design of Patek Philippe’s perpetual calendar mechanism, which never failed to amaze. Here was a small timepiece that was kept in the pocket that could predict the future – which is what the perpetual calendar does. It tells the wearer the day, time and state of the moon taking into account months of varying length.
In 1925, the manufacturer presented the first perpetual calendar wristwatch with a highly elaborate complication – today the watch is on display at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.
It was a coming of age for the wristwatch, which was crafted based on a case and a movement for a ladies’ pendant watch that had been manufactured in part in 1898.
The perpetual calendar wristwatch was something that established Patek Philippe as the grand master of complications.
The perpetual calendar display positioned a quartet of sub-dials symmetrically placed like a compass including the moon phase indication at three o’clock. Back then the rose-gold case was plated with yellow gold – the bezel emphasized with a black enamel fillet and the strap lugs decorated with engravings.
Leading the field, the marque capitalised on its expertise in incorporating the perpetual calendar within the confines of a wristwatch.
Over the decades Patek Philippe has produced stunning collections featuring the perpetual calendar, all of superior elegance.
The self-winding Ref. 5496 (pictured at the top of the page) shows the enduring popularity of the retrograde date indicator established in 1937 and further refined in 1993. Here the layout remains mostly unchanged except for a larger 39.5 mm case size. The platinum Ref. 5496, powered by the 324 s qr, was launched in 2011. The 2015 model in rose gold is shown here.
Patek Philippe perpetual calendars offer a wide range of design elements with analogue or aperture displays and dial configurations. Models with the famous self-winding ultra-thin caliber 240Q movement, such as the Ref. 5327, can be recognised by their day, date and month displays in three separate subsidiary dials.
It comes in a Calatrava case with beautifully scalloped lugs and applied Breguet numerals.
The yellow and rose gold models feature ivory lacquered dials with recessed counters. The white gold version has a blue sunburst dial. The watches come with a sapphire-crystal case back and an interchangeable solid gold back.
Water-resistant to 30m the model comes with alligator strap with square scales, hand-stitched, with fold-over clasp.
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