Patek Philippe

Bringing the Forties roaring up to date

In 1925, Patek Philippe unveiled the world’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch, designed to allow the calculation of the day of the week for any given day in the future. It was a breakthrough moment in watchmaking. Although other brands have since mastered the technique, Patek Philippe remains the leader in this particular complication.

Today, Patek’s advanced automatic perpetual calendar wristwatches deal with irregular months of 28, 30 and 31 days with ease and adjust the date display accordingly. They can foresee leap years without any adjustment thanks to the intricately-crafted, specially adjusted date wheel, the 48-month cam. All you need do is wind it occasionally and you’re good to go (at least until 2100, which isn’t a leap year).

For 2017, the brand has reinvigorated its perpetual calendar category with the release of the Ref 5320G-001. On the surface, the watch has been inspired by the dial layouts of two landmark mid-century Patek Philippe perpetual calendars — the Ref 1518, from 1941, a perpetual calendar with a chronograph; and the Ref 1526, from 1942, a perpetual calendar without a chronograph. Both featured an unusual combination of a double day and date aperture at 12 o’clock, plus a sub-dial at six o’clock for the moon phase and analogue date — it’s the same layout which can be found on the dial of the Ref 5320G-001.

The look of this watch plays to the retrospective mood of the moment. Numerous brands have released reissues of classic timepieces for 2017 — from Omega’s reinvigorated Railmaster, first on sale in 1957; to Longines’ Flagship Heritage reissue, also originally released in 1957. Patek’s watch, with its elegant cream lacquered dial and gold applied Arabic numerals may appear retro, but the construction is entirely modern. It’s one of the most advanced, technically complex new timepieces released this year.

“For any watch connoisseur the Ref 5320G is the epitome of Patek Philippe’s craftsmanship and know-how,” says Mark Hearne, managing director of Patek Philippe UK. “The contemporary vintage style of the piece, so very obviously inspired by the Forties, has been extremely well-received not only by collectors and aficionados but newcomers to the brand, too.”

Assembled entirely in Patek Philippe’s Geneva manufacture, the watch contains a calibre 324SQ movement (S for seconds, Q for quantième perpétuel — “perpetual calendar” in French) which is furnished with an oversized central 21-carat gold rotor to provide all the hefty kinetic power such a complex watch requires. As a consequence, the watchmaker guarantees — as per the Patek Philippe Seal (the strictest set of benchmarks) — that the 5320G-001 will lose no more than three seconds and gain no more than two seconds per day. The moon phase indicator, situated at 6 o’clock, only needs to be manually corrected once every 122 years — so most likely not within your lifetime.

“Patek Philippe are the masters of perpetual calendars,” says Brian Duffy, CEO of Aurum Holdings, the owner of Britain’s biggest watch retailer. “With the stunning cream lacquered vintage-inspired dial and moon phase, the Ref 5320G created a frenzy of interest at Baselworld this year.”

Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe and fourth generation member of the family which founded and still owns the brand (proving, with gusto, Patek’s famous advertising slogan: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation”), is equally effusive about the latest addition to the stable.

“Our aim in creating the Ref 5320G was to bring new interest and new customers towards perpetual calendars. The perpetual calendar is a classic type of complication, we have models in regular collections since the mid-Eighties, such as the famous, ultra-thin, automatic Ref 3940,” he says.

“The new contemporary vintage design approach of [the] Ref 5320G inspired by Patek Philippe models from the Forties and Fifties did catch the attention of younger clients as well as our established ones,” Stern says. “It is seen as a totally new watch. There is always a risk when revisiting well-established long-term success models, a risk I am always ready to take.”

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