In general I prefer the much bolder, classical style Dauphine hands, like on 2499 4th series, 5396 and 5496, all watches with similar baton hour markers to those on your watch. However, while it does take a little getting used to, for me Patek got the hands right on this model. Two reasons: Aesthetically they are a better match with the slender baton hour markers. And the wider Dauphine hands would cover more of the in line calendar which IMHO is what this watch is all about. So if I owned this watch and was given a choice of the current hands or Dauphine, without hesitation I would stick with the original.