With the Annual Calendar Travel Time, Patek Philippe showcases a very sophisticated GMT watch now merged with an annual calendar – the latter only needing one correction of the date per year at March 1 and was first introduced to the market in 1996. The combination of the two complications marks a premiere for the time-honored Swiss manufacture.
The technical ingenuity of this new Annual Calendar lies in the fact that it always indicates the exact date for the local time. In order to provide this functionality, the brand’s engineers have developed a new self-winding movement, Caliber 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H, with a Travel Time mechanism controlling the Annual Calendar and enabling the correction of the date, both forwards and backwards.
No less than eight patent requests have been filed for this microcosm that comprises of 409 parts and is equipped with a mini rotor. They relate to various elements improving precision, efficiency, reliability, security and user friendliness.
A real pleasure to look at is the vintage-style dial reminiscent of antique cameras thanks to its slightly granular surface. It is crafted entirely by Cadrans Flückiger in Saint-Imier, a dial specialist which has belonged to Patek Philippe since 2004. The colorway is a refined charcoal gray with a fine gradation to the periphery.
The time of day is shown by applied Arabic numerals in white gold with beige luminous coatings. The hours and minutes of the local time are displayed by luminous white-gold “Seringue” hands. The one skeletonized “Seringue” hand indicates the hours of home time. The three apertures of the Annual Calendar – day of the week and month at 12 o’clock, date at 6 o’clock – show easily legible black inscriptions on white backgrounds. Two small round windows marked “LOCAL” at 8 o’clock and “HOME” at 4 o’clock serve as day/night indicators for the local time and home time, respectively. This harmoniously balanced layout is complemented by the subsidiary seconds with the moon-phase indication at 6 o’clock.
Also new is the white-gold case with a diameter of 41mm. With its slightly chamfered bezel and the polished, inclined lugs, it underscores the sleek and timeless elegance of the Calatrava design. The middle part is adorned with Patek Philippe’s signature hobnail motif. This intricate pattern of tiny pyramids has been synonymous with the Ref. 3919 Calatrava “Clous de Paris” from 1985.
The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Travel Time (Ref. 5326G-001) is delivered with two calfskin leather straps, one in beige with a nubuck finish and and one in black with an embossed textile pattern. The watch will retail for $76,880.
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