Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: 2017 Reference No: 5396R Movement No: 7'057'958 Case No: 6'194'086 Material: 18K pink gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 324, 34 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: 18K pink gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp Dimensions: 38.5mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin dated September 11, 2017, product literature, leather wallet, setting pin, fitted wooden presentation box and outer packaging
Catalogue Essay
In 1996, Patek created the annual calendar as a simpler and more accessible alternative to the perpetual calendar. Patek Philippe, famed for mastering the perpetual calendar like no one else in the industry, came up with a novel concept: a calendar that would be nearly as useful as a perpetual calendar but would be simpler and most importantly, more accessible. They were granted a patent in 1996 for a calendar watch that required only one adjustment every year, during the transition from February to March, indicating that it was automatically identifying 30- and 31-day months — requiring just one adjustment per year, at the end of February.
The Patek Philippe 5396 annual calendar has been one of the most traditional and classical alternatives from Patek Philippe collection since its release in 2006. Offering a cleaner, more elegant and somewhat contemporary alternative to the more conservative annual calendar with subdials ref. 5146. Being released in a variation of silvery-white or grey dials (with appliques or Breguet numerals), Patek Philippe has opted to give this model a splash of color by pairing it with a pink gold case and a deep navy blue dial.
The dial is well-balanced, open, and clean. All the complication elements are centered on the 12-to-6 axis, giving room for a more aerial dial. The indexes are facetted appliques with a triangular tip. The minutes are also shown by gold dots, which is a Patek characteristic. With a beautifully proportioned diameter of 38.5mm, the Patek Philippe 5396R case is elegant yet modest. The present pink gold with blue dial variation is of immense charm and was in production for only two brief years: from 2017 to 2018. Preserved in excellent overall condition the present 5396R is certainly an opportunity to add a splash of color yet elegance to one's collection.
Since its founding in 1839, this famous Geneva-based firm has been surprising its clientele with superbly crafted timepieces fitted with watchmaking's most prestigious complications. Traditional and conservative designs are found across Patek Philippe's watches made throughout their history — the utmost in understated elegance.
Well-known for the Graves Supercomplication — a highly complicated pocket watch that was the world’s most complicated watch for 50 years — this family-owned brand has earned a reputation of excellence around the world. Patek's complicated vintage watches hold the highest number of world records for results achieved at auction compared with any other brand. For collectors, key models include the reference 1518, the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and its successor, the reference 2499. Other famous models include perpetual calendars such as the ref. 1526, ref. 3448 and 3450, chronographs such as the reference 130, 530 and 1463, as well as reference 1436 and 1563 split seconds chronographs. Patek is also well-known for their classically styled, time-only "Calatrava" dress watches, and the "Nautilus," an iconic luxury sports watch first introduced in 1976 as the reference 3700 that is still in production today.