The perpetual calendar has proven itself as the anchor of Patek Philippe’s line of grand complications since the first half of the twentieth century. The earliest serially produced references - the 1526 and 2497 – are among the most respected and lauded perpetual calendars to be manufactured by any watchmaking brand. After the advent of the reference 3448 in 1961, the first self-winding perpetual calendar from Patek Philippe, the manufacture consistently released automatic perpetual calendars in a variety of case shapes. In 1999, Patek Philippe launched the reference 5059, its first perpetual calendar housed within an “Officer’s” case with a hinged case back.

Replacing the reference 5059, the 5159 was released in 2007, with a 2mm increase in diameter and a dial featuring a hand-guilloché center. The pink gold version was in production from 2010 to 2019. The Roman numerals were updated as well, becoming more elongated, similar to the engraved reference 5160. The most striking element is of course the retrograde date indication. At the end of each month, the date hand automatically flies back to its original starting point – a very difficult function to reliably implement in watchmaking.

Fresh to the market, this reference 5159 from 2017 is offered complete with its original accessories and is a chance to own a modern classic with all the refinements of early-twentieth century design encasing the finest mechanics of the modern era.