As we turn the calendars from winter to spring, we re-present this review of a notable calendar watch. The Patek Philippe‘s Ref. 5146 is an annual calendar watch with a moon-phase display. Original photos are by WatchTime’s Nik Schölzel.
In 1996 Patek Philippe became the first watch manufacturer to present an annual calendar watch, Ref. 5035. Its Ref. 5146 Annual Calendar, launched in 2005, has a classic feel, with its moon-phase and two subdials for day and month. It also provides the convenience of an easy-to-read window date display. The less important displays (month and day) are not so easily legible. There is also a power-reserve display at 12 o’clock. The silver-colored hour and minute hand do not present much contrast with the gray dial but they are, fortunately, coated with luminous material.
The calendar displays are set using four pushers on the sides of the watch case. The date requires about an hour and a half to advance.
The multilevel bezel makes the watch appear smaller than it is, which is actually 39 mm in diameter. The perfectly executed finishes are what catch the eye: the markers are polished as carefully as the case, even in inaccessible places. The movement’s finishing is also impeccable: beveled and polished edges, côtes de Genève, a gold rotor, and perfectly polished screws. The complexity of the finishing justifies the watch’s price of $36,500.
SPECS:
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds; power reserve; annual calendar with date, day, month, moon-phase
Movement: Cal. 15 S IRM QA LU, automatic; 21,600 vph; fine regulating system with poising weights; power reserve = 48 hours
Case: Rose gold, sapphire crystal, fully threaded caseback with sapphire window; water-resistant to 30 meters
Price: $36,500
This article was originally published on December 10, 2013, and has been updated.
Love it.