Patek Philippe

Ref 5205R

Many of the headliners at Patek Philippe this year had a sportier, more casual focus (ie, the Ref 5470P 1/10th Second Monopusher Chronograph and the Ref 5326G Annual Calendar Travel Time). But Patek Philippe is first and foremost a maker of dress watches, and that’s often what it does best. Case in point: the sophisticated and rich update to the 40mm by 11.36mm Ref 5205R Annual Calendar (US$55,592) in 18-carat rose gold with a new degrade olive-green dial. The shade has been popular in watchmaking for some time, but here the execution is exemplary.

If any brand can prove that a simple colour update has huge significance, it’s Patek Philippe. Last year’s olive-green iteration of the company’s now discontinued Nautilus Ref 5711/1A-014 was such a hit that it currently goes for over 20 times its original retail price of US$34,893 on the secondary market. And you may have heard about a US$6.5 million blue Patek Philippe x Tiffany & Co Nautilus Ref 5711? The difference here is that the annual calendar is more than a fashionable design piece – the high complication was invented by Patek Philippe in the 1990s. No hype needed.