The rose gold Patek Philippe Replica Aquanaut Luce annual calendar, reference 5261R-001, is aimed primarily at women. But it could also appeal to men. The recommended retail price is 60,480 euros, of course in line with equal pay. The watch scores points with these fine details.

Pioneer of the annual calendar

There are several paths leading to the new Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce annual calendar, reference 5261R-001. They began in the early 1990s. At that time, people in Geneva were of course aware of the fact that no one could outdo the traditional family company in the field of calendar mechanisms for pocket watches and wristwatches. The first patent for a perpetual calendar dates back to 1889 and it was only thanks to Patek Philippe that this complication first found its way onto the wrist in 1925.

1941 brought the first small-series wristwatch with a perpetual calendar, 1962 the first with an automatic movement, and 1986 another calendar patent in connection with the reference 3940.

In this sense, mechanisms that theoretically do not require manual correction until 2100 undoubtedly represent the ultimate calendar solution. In the early 1990s, however, the view that it does not necessarily have to be “forever” began to emerge. A project initiated in this regard resulted in the Swiss patent number CH 685585 G on March 1, 1996.

The protected world premiere was a new type of mechanical memory that stores the different month lengths from March 1 to February of the following year. The developers did not program the variable length of the shortest month, with 28 days in normal years and 29 in leap years. Here, however, a small push of a button is enough to prepare the innovative calendar mechanism for another 365 days.

Compared to classic perpetual calendars, whose complex structure consists primarily of levers, pawls and locking springs, cams and racks, the annual calendar in question uses a sophisticated gear train and thus only rotary movements. The back and forth of the traditional perpetual calendar is eliminated.

Precisely crafted tooth profiles ensure smooth power transmission and only minimal friction. In addition, an intelligent insulator ensures that the date disc moves with almost no mechanical resistance. The moon moves precisely on its axis. It only deviates from the astronomical norm by just one day after a good 122 years. Despite the apparently simple function, the product developers have not skimped. The annual calendar module with moon phase display alone requires around 130 components.

The day of the week and month are displayed analogously using hands, as was the case with the first reference 5035. Alternatively, the hands can be replaced by rotating discs behind the dial. In any case, the date indication is through a window.

Aquanaut

The second path begins with the current Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern. His first design work debuted in 1997 in the form of the steel Patek Philippe Aquanaut, reference 5060A. This wristwatch was intended as a cheaper alternative to the Nautilus. The initial price was around 4,250 euros.

Philippe Stern, co-father of the Nautilus and then president of the company, described his son’s creation as a “modern wristwatch that is deliberately aimed at a younger target group”. We have described Patek Philippe’s long, successful period under Philippe Stern here.