A model often overshadowed by “hot” watches or more complicated ones, the ref. 5905 combines a pair of useful complications into an everyday dress watch, but it was previously available only in a conservative, luxe guise of precious metal case and classical dial colours. But now Patek Philippe is changing up the feel of the model with the Annual Calendar Chronograph ref. 5905/1A.

Now cased in steel and matched with a three-link bracelet inspired by the Aquanaut, the ref. 5905/1A retains the sectored dial found on earlier versions of the model, but now in olive green – the same shade found on the Nautilus ref. 5711/1A-014.

Initial thoughts

Patek Philippe’s opening act for the year was the Nautilus ref. 5711/1A with an olive-green dial (and with the option of a diamond-set bezel), an immediate hit that has become one of the most sought-after watches of 2021. The Nautilus was already hot, as all sports watches with integrated bracelets are, but bestowing the most fashionable colour of the year on the “final edition” of the Nautilus ref. 5711 escalated its desirability to the stratosphere. That bodes well for the ref. 5905/1A.

The ref. 5905/1A will be instantly attractive since it caters to current tastes. Its inevitable desirability will overshadow its intrinsic qualities (and also the accessible price), which is a bit of a shame.

While intriguing it is not, the ref. 5905/1A is a good-looking watch, and one executed in a practical material while offering useful functions. And because of its material, the ref. 5905/1A is affordable as such things go, at least at the retail price.

That said, models like this should help divert demand away from the sports watches like the Nautilus and Aquanaut towards models like the ref. 5905/1A that perform just as well as an everyday watch.

Annual calendar and chronograph

Launched in 2015, the ref. 5905 replaced the ref. 5960, which was the brand’s first first chronograph with annual calendar that was in turn introduced in 2006.

Despite being similar in function and layout, the ref. 5905 was more elaborate in style than its predecessor. Instead of having “pump” pushers, the ref. 5905 featured rectangular buttons that sat along a gently concave case flank.

And the ref. 5905 was clearly designed in the same style as its more complicated brethren, namely the refs. 5207 and 5208 uber-complications, which added to its appeal. But perhaps because of the similar styling, the ref. 5905 gained the recognition it should have as a practical, mid-priced complication.

The familiar twi-window calendar found on the refs. 5905, 5207, and 5208

But the new ref. 5905/1A instantly vaults the references to the top of many wish lists. It has all the attributes of a sports watch – steel case and bracelet, along with an olive-green dial – though it is not a sports watch strictly speaking (its water resistance is 30 m for instance).

The facelift of the model is rejuvenating and shows that a complicated watch can look good in casual dress, albeit with just the right combination of materials and colours.

On top of the green dial, the ref. 5905/1A also gets a steel bracelet. It’s a sporty, three-piece affair that’s similar to the bracelet found on the Aquanaut ref. 5167/1A. The design sets it apart from the “brick” bracelet found on the ref. 5960/1A, the brand’s first-ever annual calendar-chronograph in steel.

The ref. 5905 and its predecessor share the same movement, the CH 28‑520 that combines a flyback chronograph and annual calendar.

Notably, the chronograph is modern in construction in featuring a vertical clutch, which is both more durable and precise than a horizontal clutch, and also allows the chronograph to be run continuously with no impact on timekeeping. But its utility comes at the price of reduced visual complexity, since the clutch is hidden under the bridges.

That said, the annual calendar mechanism is dated, having been launched in 1996, though has been a reliable performer and improved since its introduction.

Key facts and price

Patek Philippe Flyback Chronograph with Annual Calendar
Ref. 5905/1A-001

Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 14.13 mm
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: CH 28‑520 QA 24H
Functions: Hours, minutes, annual calendar, and flyback chronograph
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 45-55 hours

Strap: Steel bracelet

Availability: At both retailers and boutiques
Price: US$59,140; or 78,000 Singapore dollars

For more, visit patek.com.

A variant of a longstanding reference in the Patek Philippe catalogue, the Split-Seconds Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5204R-011 is only set apart by its slate-grey dial, but unusual nonetheless – it’s the sole model in Patek Philippe’s Grand Complications collection in that colour, where the predominant colours are silver, blue, black, and a splash of salmon.

Initial thoughts

Historically the split-seconds seconds chronograph with perpetual calendar in gold was often paired with a silver dial. But as the new World Time Chronograph ref. 5930P illustrates, Patek Philippe is continuing to add new colours into the regular catalogue, instead of reserving them for limited editions or special orders.

The rose gold version of this reference is already available with a black dial as the ref. 5204/1R, but matched with a weighty and flashy rose gold bracelet. The new ref. 5204R in contrast is a relatively low key watch, which will appeal to anyone who wants a “Grand Complication” that’s, well, low key.

The colour palette of the new ref. 5204R is a familiar because it works well. This makes the ref. 5204R the most appealing version of the model currently available; it is certainly more striking than the conservative model with a silver dial.

That said, I do wish Patek had taken the opportunity to redesign the dial slightly, perhaps with slimmer hands and a moon phase display on the top of the lower register. As it is, the moon phase display leaves the dial bottom heavy, especially given that the registers are positioned below the central, horizontal axis of the dial.

But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the watch is the calfskin strap, which is surely part of a gradual rollout by Patek Philippe of straps made from more sustainable materials, reflecting a broader trend within the luxury goods industry.

Radially brushed and slate

The dial of the new ref. 5204R is rendered in a slate grey and finished with a radial brushing, giving it a metallic, reflective finish. This contrasts with the grained, opaline finish of the earlier versions. But dial colour and finish aside, the new model is identical.

The case is 40 mm, with details inherited from earlier generations of Patek Philippe chronographs, namely the fluted lugs, concave bezel, and convex case band.

The ref. 5204R is equipped with the CHR 29-535 PS Q, a variant of Patek Philippe’s flagship in-house chronograph movement. A slim, hand-wind movement, it’s essentially the same calibre found in the ref. 5370P, but with the addition of a perpetual calendar module on the dial side. And the base calibre is the chronograph movement that underpins the refs. 5170 and 5270.

The thinness of the movement is notable. Despite the CHR 29-535 PS Q having both a split-seconds chronograph as well as a perpetual calendar, it is just 8.7 mm high. Typically such movement of this type are over 9 mm as, which was the case of the CHR 27-70 Q found in the ref. 5004 and the L101.1 of the Lange 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar.

Key facts and price

Patek Philippe Split-Seconds Chronograph and Perpetual Calendar
Ref. 5204R-011

Diameter: 40 mm
Height: 14.3 mm
Material: 18k rose gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: CHR 29‑535 PS Q
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, perpetual calendar, and split-seconds chronograph
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Hand wind
Power reserve: 55-65 hours

Strap: Calfskin printed with alligator scales, fitted to folding clasp

Availability: From now at both retailers and boutiques
Price: US$309,890; or 408,400 Singapore dollars

For more, visit Patek.com.

Patek Philippe just launched a trio of new chronographs, all variants of existing models. While the ref. 5905/1A in steel is the most affordable, the World Time Chronograph ref. 5930P-001 is surely the most striking with its emerald-green guilloche dial (which is a brighter shade than the olive green of the ref. 5905/1A or Nautilus ref. 5711/1A-014). And despite a dial colour that’s novel for a world-time model, the ref. 5930P does hark back to historical world-time watches with its silver cities ring.

Initial thoughts

The ref. 5930P is only a different take on an existing model, but it’s certainly a vivid new look. Past versions of the ref. 5930 were either subdued (which was the original in blue) or too much (the Singapore edition in red). The ref. 5930P in emerald green appears striking but just right.

A key point of appeal is the silver world-time ring that gives it a look that more closely resembles vintage world time watches, which is a good thing for anyone who appreciates historical Patek Philippe design. This contrasts with earlier versions of the ref. 5930, both of which had tone-on-tone world-time rings, making them less prominent.

Notably, Patek Philippe historically utilised such bright colours only on limited editions, so the ref. 5930P is an unusual watch amongst the standard offerings. That said, with green being the most fashionable colour of the year, it goes without saying that the ref. 5930P will be mostly unavailable for the near future.

Emerald green and silver

The ref. 5930 was first launched in white gold with a blue dial, which was then followed by a limited edition with a graduated-red dial made for the Watch Art Grand Exhibition 2019 in Singapore.

The key difference of the new ref. 5930P is the colour. The dial is decorated with the same spiral guilloche – engraved the old-fashioned way with a hand-operated rose engine – found on the standard model, but now in a bright, emerald green.

But in contrast to earlier versions of the model that had world-time rings in the same colour as the dial, the green dial here is matched with a world-time ring in silver, but bearing the city names in green. The result is a world-time dial that more closely resembles historical world-time models, which tended to have a contrasting dial colour and silver world-time rings.

Inspired by the cases of vintage world time watches like the ref. 2523, the case retains the same dimensions as before, though it is now platinum. It’s relatively compact for a chronograph at 39.5 mm in diameter, but this version will no doubt but substantially heavier due to the case metal.

The case has “wing” lugs modelled on those found on the world-time watches of the 1940s like there ref. 2523

The tiny diamond set in between the lower lugs indicates the case is platinum

And the calibre remains the CH 28-520 HU, an automatic calibre with both column wheel and vertical clutch, with the world-time mechanism being an add-on module on the front.

Key facts and price

Patek Philippe World Time Chronograph
Ref. 5930P-001

Diameter: 39.5 mm
Height: 12.86 mm
Material: Platinum
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Cal. 28-520 HU
Functions: Hours, minutes, flyback chronograph, and world time
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 50-55 hours

Strap: Alligator with folding clasp

Availability: At both retailers and boutiques
Price: US$100,540; or 132,500 Singapore dollars

For more, visit Patek.com.