One of several strong new releases from Patek Philippe this year, the Calatrava 8-Day Ref. 5328G is a simple day-date watch distinguished by an all-new manually wound, eight-day movement.

Carrying on the contemporary aesthetic of the Calatrava ref. 5226G and Annual Calendar ref. 5326G, the new watch features a grained fumé dial and an 18k white gold case with a middle fully encircled with clous de Paris guilloche. The ref. 5238G is purposeful in its design, which gives it a casual, almost tool watch-like appearance that offers a pleasing contrast to its overtly luxurious case and movement.

Initial thoughts

Patek Philippe put on a good show at Watches & Wonders this year, and the ref. 5328G might be my favourite of the bunch.

The watch has a strong presence thanks to its hobnail case band and instrument-like dial, but it really stands out when you turn the watch over and see the vintage-inspired bridge architecture. Patek Philippe is usually pretty utilitarian when it comes to movement design, so it’s nice to see them let their hair down and have some fun with this one.

The fumé navy blue dial features an asphalt-like texture first seen on the ref. 5226G introduced in 2022. The ref. 5328G also benefits from this predecessor’s lumed syringe hands and clean Arabic numerals, which give it the earnest, purposeful feel of a deck watch. Patek Philippe is not known for its typographical expertise, but here even the numerals on the date ring strike the right tone.

The watch feels reassuringly dense in the hand and on the wrist, making it feel compact despite its 41 mm size and 10.52 mm thickness. The case is white gold, and features a case band that’s been decorated with the brand’s signature hobnail pattern. While Patek Philippe does not have a monopoly on clous de Paris, it’s more synonymous with the brand than any other. The case band is finished all the way around, which means the lugs are integral to the case back and float over the center of the case, a lovely detail first seen on the ref. 5226G.

The cal. 31‑505 8J is a new movement, but it has its roots in a couple of rectangular movements from the early 2000s. As its ‘8J’ suffix suggests, the movement runs for more than 192 hours, or 8 jours, on a single wind. That’s quite a feat for a movement that ticks quickly, at 4 Hz. This performance is achieved thanks in part to the brand’s latest silicon technology.

Functionality aside, the 32 mm movement is especially noteworthy for its attractive architecture that recalls the golden age of Patek Philippe.

The ref. 5328G is priced at US$70,700, which is a lot of money for a simple day-date complication, instantaneous or otherwise, even counting the eight-day power reserve. But there’s nothing else quite like it (and there’s no other brand quite like Patek Philippe).

The watch has a unique character thanks to its instrument-like dial, extravagant hobnail case band, and graceful movement, while the brand is the preeminent high-end watchmaker by some margin. I can imagine the ref. 5328G will be in-demand even at this price.

Long duration lineage

The heritage of the cal. 31‑505 8J dates back to the rectangular cal. 28-20, first introduced in its 10-day configuration in 2000 in the ref. 5100 “Manta Ray”. In 2013, a variant of the movement was brought back out of retirement and fitted with an instantaneous day-date module in the Gondolo 8 Days ref. 5200.

Of course, the cal. 31‑505 is round, so the constituent parts have been rearranged, but there is a clear functional lineage to these rectangular predecessors.

The Gondolo 8 Days ref. 5200G. Image – Patek Philippe

This rectangular origin can be seen in the arrangement of the functions, which are aligned top-to-bottom through the center of the dial. The power reserve sits at 12, with running seconds and a date pointer at six.

The white-painted hands improve legibility at arm’s length but tend to look uneven under magnification. The lower sub-dial is further endowed with a window for the day of the week.

This origin also explains its old school operation. Specifically, the day and date indicators are not set by the crown, but rather by recessed pushers in the case band. Modular construction or not, it would be nice to have the operations integrated into the crown to improve the integrity of the case and simplify usage.

These concerns aside, the movement layout is unusually beautiful for modern Patek Philippe, recalling the graceful curves and delicate finger bridges of great Patek movements like the cal. 23-300 that remain some of the most beautiful time-only movements ever made.

In fact, there is a direct resemblance in the curves and cutouts of the barrel bridge, the arch of the train bridge, and the individual cocks for the fourth and escape wheels. This architecture gives the cal. 31-505 a distinctly elegant, vintage feel.

A beneficiary of Patek Philippe Advanced Research

But the cal. 31-505 is modern Patek Philippe movement, which means it benefits from a silicon hairspring with an engineered terminal curve to improve concentricity. Thanks primarily to this technology, Patek Philippe certifies the movement to run between -1 and +2 seconds per day. Whether it’s rated to run this precisely throughout the power reserve or only for the first 24 hours is unclear.

Note both the thicker section of the silicon hairspring’s terminal curve and the plug-and-play silicon pallet fork.

The movement also features something a little more unusual, which is the full Pulsomax silicon escapement. In this design, both the escape wheel and the pallet lever are in silicon, reducing friction and eliminating the need for jeweled pallets.

When the brand’s Advanced Research team debuted this technology in 2008, they touted a 30% gain in efficiency, which no doubt helps the cal. 31-505 achieve its eight-day power reserve. Greater efficiency also means less torque is required, which is a good thing since the original cal. 28-20 was said to hold a full kilogram of torque within the movement.

The movement is finished to the same standard as Patek Philippe’s other mainline movements, but somehow it looks better because of the elegant bridge layout. The polished countersinks around the two large barrel jewels gleam, and the anglage, which is machine applied and then lightly polished by hand, creates an almost flawless border with the broad, even Geneva stripes. While not decorated to the same degree as Patek Philippe’s very best movements, I hope this focus on bridge design is something we’ll see more of from the brand in the future.

Concluding thoughts

The ref. 5328G is a watch that feels like more than the sum of its parts. There are individual aspects that I don’t like, such as the dial texture and case pushers, but the overall package offers a commanding presence that just works.

Key facts and price

Patek Philippe Calatrava
Ref. 5328G-001

Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 10.52 mm
Material: 18k white gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Cal. 31‑505 8J PS IRM CI J
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, and power reserve
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Hand wind
Power reserve: 192 hours

Strap: Calfskin with matching folding clasp

Availability: Now at retailers
Price: US$70,700 excluding taxes

For more, visit Patek.com.