By Jovan Krstevski
Well, this is to be expected, but the new Patek Philippe watch that truly captured many horology fans’ attention is no other than the new Reference 5320G Perpetual Calendar. This watch indicates the months with 28, 30, and 31 days and the leap years too. Wouldn’t this be handy on certain occasions, plus if you’re planning to let go of your digital calendar, then this watch is a must have.
Moreover, this new Patek uses a new complication that is somewhat based on the brand’s classic model for perpetual calendars since 1941 referring to a double aperture for the day and month at 12 o’clock and the analog date and the moon phases at 6 o’clock sub-dial.
Bearing the original signatures of Patek, the 5320G’s 40 mm case is made of white gold. Its styling is unique with a box-type sapphire-crystal glass clearly overlapping the bezel. This creates a kind of clarity with a little bit of a redundancy as a side effect as it increases the height of the case to a total of 11.13 mm. And of course paying homage to Patek’s past, the three-tier lugs were taken from the iconic Ref. 2405 releases in the 1950s. This plus the subtle placement of the crown bearing the Swiss cross logo gives the watch a distinctive personality.
As for the dial, we have ourselves a cream-colored dial with all the excitements of a perpetual calendar watch. The 5320G now comes with a standard small day/night aperture between 7 and 8 o’clock, it looks so small that one can miss it for a branding. Then the ingenious leap year cycle indication is opposite this location between 4 and 5 o’clock, subtle designs for a beautiful timepiece. The hands use a luxury of elements such as being sharp-tipped with luminous coats. The applied gold Arabic numerals are wonderful to read again paying tribute to another watch from the 1950s, the Ref. 1463 chronograph. The slender sweeping seconds hand also provides a very nice timer for split second measurements plus the clarity of the graduated seconds scale ensures proper reading. Another feature that somewhat immortalizes the 5320G is its moon phases indicator which has a requirement of a correction by one day in every 122 years.
Behind the sapphire-crystal caseback is the Calibre 324 S Q movement powering the watch. It beats at 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) giving the watch tops of 45 hours of power reserve. This movement showcases Patek’s great technologies such as bridges with chamfered and polished edges and of course unmistakable Geneva striping and gold-filled engravings. We can even see the Gyromax balance with the Spiromax balance spring made of Silinvar through the caseback. Nonetheless, the 5320G’s accuracy is purely dictated by its solid-gold rotor suspended between ball bearings which is the true heart of all mechanical watches. Patek Philippe Seal indicates an accuracy range of –3 to +2 seconds per day and the 5320G pretty much adheres to this strict quality control.
Finally, the Patek Philippe 5320G comes on a nice chocolate brown alligator strap featuring large square scales for a more traditional look. It uses a deployant buckle in white gold for ease of use and gives peace of mind for the wearer. The price point as of this writing is rumored to be somewhere between Euro 76,000 and US$ 82,000.
For more info, please visit patek.com
