13 June 2017

The new Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Reference 5320G has an essential look. Very different from that of its many counterparts available on the market. The pure and elegant design is inspired by some pieces made by Patek in the forties and fifties: above all a model of 1941, updated in its proportions and details. The case is made of gleaming white gold: it has a diameter of 40 mm and a thickness of 11.13—and thus is thin for a watch with complications. And the credit for this must be given to the self-winding movement, whose complex architecture is the fruit of careful design on the part of the manufacturer’s technicians. The 21 carat gold rotor, silicon balance spring and perfect finishes are visible through the sapphire caseback. On the dial the day and month displays are in double windows, the analog date display also indicates the phases of the moon and the day-night function and leap-year cycle are shown in two small and symmetrical round apertures. It is worth pointing out the extremely refined contrast between the ivory-color lacquer background and the luminous material that coats the baton hands, cabochons and applied Arabic numerals, making them clearly legible even in the dark. Note too the marked convexity of the sapphire crystal (with parallel sides so that the view is not distorted from any angle), the chamfered flat bezel, the slender, three-tier lugs and the many sharp edges: details that complicate the construction of the case, but personalize its style.