With its new Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph replica Ref. 5905P , Patek Philippe brings a reference to replace the 5960 precious metal references. The 5905 begins with a meanignfully upsized case (42mm vs. 40.5mm), still gracefully rounded with gently curved lugs — crafted of platinum. The dial — available in navy blue and black versions — reflects the design of the Ref. 5205 Annual Calendar launched in 2010 but with new colors and other details including now being a 60 minute chrono rather than 12 hour. All in all, I think it is much improved as the changes enable the subdial to be simpler and thus easier to read. to I’ll break it all down, below.The Dauphine style hour and minutes hands are faceted and have a Superluminova coating on the center ridge; the 5-minute markers are luminous as well.
The outermost scale for the chronograph hand is adjoined by a crisply graduated minute scale. Patek Philippe Annual Calendar replica 5905P is followed by a broad ring that accommodates the applied white-gold hour markers and – between 10 and 2 o’clock – the three aperture displays of the Annual Calendar. The date aperture at 12 o’clock is somewhat larger and embedded in a polished white-gold frame. At 6 o’clock, it is complemented by a large 60-minute chronograph counter and a small window for the day/night indicator just below the arbor of the hand.
Mechanically the new 5905P is virtually identical to the 5960, though it is a 60-minute chronograph rather a 12 hour chrono as the 5960 was. The round display back exposes the large and heavy 21K gold winding rotor atop the finely finished caliber CH 28-520 QA 24H. The caliber combines the function of a flyback chronograph with that of the Annual Calendar, both of which are highly popular complications. The caliber has a silicon Spiromax hairspring and provides 55 hours of power reserve.
The patented Patek Philippe Annual Calendar is a full calendar that automatically recognizes 30- and 31-day months, requiring only one manual correction each year at the transition from February to March (assuming the watch is kept running, of course). It displays the day of the week, the date, and the month, and it controls the day/night indicator. The chronograph mechanism of the new Ref. 5905P is just as modern. It remains true to the traditional column wheel for handling the start, stop, and reset commands. However, it controls the clamp of a vertical disk clutch rather than the lever of a horizontal wheel clutch; according to Patek, this eliminates the risk of hand bounce or recoil when the chronograph is activated, because it does not rely on meshing wheels. Since the disk clutch works in a practically wear-free manner, the chronograph hand can double as a running seconds hand that does not negatively influence the rate accuracy of the movement. This is why the subsidiary seconds indication, commonplace in most chronographs, was omitted.
List price on the 5905P is about $78,000.
Did You Know?
A short review of the long history of Patek Philippe calendar chronographs
Patek Philippe wrist chronographs have ranked among the most coveted timepiece types since the 1920s. Hardly any other manufacture devoted so much attention to short-time measurements, not only with respect to technical facets but also as regards the level of perfection in finissage. Even though the movement blanks were sourced from the best external producers for decades, they were hardly recognizable after they had been completed and finished by Patek Philippe. They were like uncut diamonds of the finest quality that revealed their true beauty only in the hands of Patek Philippe’s masters.
Ninety years ago, Patek Philippe was one of the first manufactures that began endowing best fake Patek Philippe Grand complication wristwatch chronographs with additional functions. Presented in 1923, its first wrist chronograph already featured the split-seconds function. A World Time chronograph with a pulsimeter and an asthmometer (respiration rate counter) premiered in 1940. A year later, Patek Philippe began to regularly produce the Ref. 1518 wrist chronograph with a perpetual calendar. Today, this model ranks among the highlights at international auctions.
Patek Philippe is also acclaimed for its wristwatches with full calendars that apart from the date display the day of the week and the month as well. Particularly sought-after: the perpetual calendar that Patek Philippe first presented as a wristwatch in 1925. And, as mentioned, as a perpetual calendar chronograph in 1941.
During the last 20 years, Patek Philippe infused fresh impetus into these legendary models, to the delight of the international watch lovers community. 1996 marked the debut of the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar with day, month, and date displays, which only needed to be corrected once a year at the end of February. Its totally new movement architecture made it even more affordable than the manufacture’s perpetual calendars. In 2006, Patek Philippe presented the first self-winding chronograph that it had developed and would henceforth manufacture entirely in-house. The special twist: It was combined with an Annual Calendar that perpetuated Patek Philippe’s great heritage in calendar chronographs in a new way. This movement, in a new caliber version designated CH 28-520 QA 24H, now runs in the latest model, Patek Philippe’s Ref. 5905 Annual Calendar Chronograph. via Patek