Patek Philippe

Launched in 2021, in platinum only, the reference 5236 introduces an entirely fresh approach to the perpetual calendar display in a production wristwatch: the linear calendar. This complex configuration not only results in a cleaner aesthetic but also significantly enhances date legibility, neatly aligning all date information in a single row, akin to reading a date on a mobile phone.

The inspiration for this innovative movement stems from a vintage pocket watch, the reference 725/4, which also featured a similar layout (albeit in the "American" style of month, date, day, rather than the European style of day, date, month as seen in the present model). Despite the visual resemblance, the calendar module of the ref. 5236 is entirely novel—a horological masterpiece comprising 118 additional components compared to a 'standard' perpetual calendar, incorporating exclusive technical solutions tailored for this complication. One striking difference between the pocket watch and wristwatch designs is the display system. The pocket watch boasts three separate disks for the day of the week, date, and month. Translating this triple-disk arrangement to the wristwatch posed a challenge. It would have necessitated either an excessively large disk, making it unwieldy to fit within the case and beneath the dial, or a disk with double-digit dates so minuscule they'd be nearly illegible. Therefore, Patek ensured that all four display disks would lie on a single plane, also allowing for a flatter overall profile. Additionally, the case design draws its inspiration from vintage references, specifically the ref. 3448 and 3450, and builds upon the 40mm case of the Regulator reference 5235, elevated to 41mm for this rendition.