The Creation of a Complication
With the new Ref. 5212A, Patek Philippe introduces a new complication and a retro aesthetic born from a handwritten font style.
Throughout their venerable history, Patek Philippe has long been known for their expertise in developing in-house movements and creating iconic timepieces with masterful complications. The storied Swiss watchmaker has developed a broad spectrum of calendar functions, from the simple aperture date to the extremely complex secular perpetual calendar. Now, Patek Philippe is taking a step forward by expanding its collection with the addition of a newly-developed weekly calendar function. In addition to showing the day of the week and the date, the new Calatrava Weekly Calendar Ref. 5212A also shows which week it is in the year.
AN UNMISTAKABLE AESTHETIC
This timepiece expresses its uniqueness via a silvery opaline dial with an unusual layout featuring five hands extending from the center of the dial. The day of the week is displayed by a hammer-shaped hand with a red hammer-head on a circular scale in the middle of the dial. A second hand of the same design delivers the week number and month readings on two concentric scales at the periphery of the dial. Beyond its sheer functionality and charm, what’s more impressive is how legible the watch remains even with so much information on the dial.
Patek is exceptionally good at presenting complicated information in extremely elegant and intuitive ways. The typography on the dial is based on the handwriting of a Patek Philippe designer, making the letters and numbers unique while adding a poetic personal touch. The 40mm case is crafted in stainless steel, a rare metal for Patek Philippe, making this new Calatrava Weekly Calendar even more appealing.
MECHANICAL MASTERY
To display this new function, Patek Philippe endowed the Ref. 5212A with a newly-developed automatic movement—the caliber 26-330 S C J SE. Based on their popular caliber 324, this new movement features a completely reworked and refined self-winding mechanism that sports several innovations and optimizations that improve its performance and dependability. The sapphire-crystal case back reveals the refined architecture and painstaking detail of the hand-finished movement.
