Patek Philippe doesn’t do gimmicks. It doesn’t bother with ambassadors. It doesn’t even do social media. For a brand as storied as this one, it leaves the watches to do the talking. Of course, the record-beating auction prices don’t harm its reputation, either.
When it comes to its grand complications – its ‘fanciest’ watches, if you will – the house is renowned for its perpetual calendar. This is a movement that only needs to be adjusted once a century.
It’s a funny story (OK, not funny ‘haha’) but while Patek is considered to have produced the first wristwatch with a perpetual calendar in 1925, the house employed a movement from a ladies’ pendant watch. So it’s Breguet which stakes a claim to the first ever perpetual calendar movement designed for a wristwatch – back in 1929. We’re nitpicking, as the pedigree of Patek’s perpetuals is beyond doubt.
Take the Ref. 5320G, launched at Baselworld 2017. It finds an unobtrusive solution to displaying the day and month by positioning them above the nomenclature on the dial, with a moonphase and date below at six o’clock; and a charming sports-vintage aesthetic thanks to its lacquered cream dial and elegant three-tiered lugs.
For more info: patek.com
