Patek Philippe

Mark in Paris
[Purist]
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Review: The understated and pure classic Patek Philippe 5496R Perpetual Calendar

The new 2015 Patek Philippe 5496R was not the kind of Patek Philippe watch that I was closely looking at. When considering perpetual calendar, annual calendar or 3-hands models, the 5296, 5396 and 5496 references had an integrated case shape (including lugs and bezel) that didn't attract my attention, especially next to other more "expressive" references from the catalogue.

The fact is that I didn't understand or feel the discreet refinement it represents.





The ref. 5496 is one of the four Perpetual Calendar-only types from Patek Philippe, together with references 5139/5140, the cushion-shaped 5940 and the 5159/5160.

We often hold a watch in our hands and expect it to be full of things to talk about. However, when you wear it on a daily basis, it is sometimes different (depending on the outfit of course) and I often find myself wanting this discreet thing I know to be beautiful but being myself the only one to notice.





Fortunately, I had the opportunity to try it lately and finally changed my mind quite significantly.

The model presented here is the rose gold version which was unveiled at Baselworld 2015.


CASE AND DIAL

The 5496R is a Perpetual Calendar model with retrograde date like the 5159 dial layout, but in a case profile like the 5296 (3-hands) or 5396 (Annual Calendar).





I usually prefer the Annual Calendar layout (two close registers at 12 o’clock placed beneath the brand name), I don't know why... maybe because I prefer how the square windows are packed and centered. However, this is still a very subjective perception.

The 5496 is equipped with the Perpetual Calendar and unusual retrograde date complication that are great assets of this reference. Indeed, it brings some more engineering imagination to a quite standard function (date rings or date subdials). I guess we would all like to look at the moment the hand goes from the last day back again to the 1 of the next month. If you wish to observe how the 28th or 29th skip directly to the 1st in the meantime, good luck! This is maybe a very important aspect of this Perpetual Calendar + Retrograde date combination and, hence, the difficulty to manage power and accuracy for their watchmakers. This being said, the dial of this watch is very well balanced too, from my point of view, and the registers are perfectly integrated into the overall picture.

What perhaps I can regret about the Annual Calendar Calatrava (same layout as 5726) is the 24-hour subsidiary dial: I would have preferred a more interesting type of indication at that location (date for instance, instead of the window). In that matter, the 5496 is perfect.





On another level, my main attraction to this understated model is how the bezel and the 39.5mm case look together from the side: straight and all polished but with very soft edges. The latter is a very important detail as it brings the little smooth touch to a rather strict design configuration. It is indeed a very "graphical" and vertical alignment (compared to the more classical roundness of other Calatravas) that I find very interesting and which I prefer to alternate brushed case and polished bezel (but this is just a matter of taste). The lightly tilted bezel top surface fits that style very well too.

Do you see that quite large and flat bezel surface? And its quite thick thickness? Most of the sketches using this style are usually as thin as possible. here they don't, which I find very interesting and more appealing.








As for the lugs, they are very clean but have also a curved external side which brings less rigidity to the design and a little sensuality. Please, have a look at the way the lug’s curve reaches and continues the case side's line and extends it in a contiguous way.

This is the perfection of curves that I see when I hold this reference.





As you can see, the dial has the silvery Opaline finish, Dauphine hands and gold applied markers. I think the Dauphine hands match the case really well and I wouldn't have liked Leaf hands with such a modern case compared to other rounder Calatravas’ design. It is not a classical model like the prior versions with roundness but more a 1950-60's sober and pure style.

You'll also notice the gold frames for the day and month windows: as I said before, I think on this point I prefer the painted registers' frame from the first Platinum version (which had a silver dial) as it helps lighten the dial.





The current Platinum reference (here below), with honey dial color (and not Salmon as implied by the official photographs), adopts the framed windows also.









I'm do not usually think about alternate dial layouts when considering a watch (I like or dislike whatever is available) but, in this case, the black dial would be a very nice alternative in the future. For instance, here is the Grande Complication 5216 to give you an idea of how it may look (with a shiny dial for me please!).





MOVEMENT

There is not much to say here as you've already seen this movement in many other references. The movement in S QR specifications is based on the reliable, accurate and nicely finished 324 caliber, except it is equipped this time with proprietary silicon-based spiral (Spiromax). Such a noble complication deserved this attention, for sure.

Contrary to the 5159/5160 references, there is no "officers" caseback here but the watch is sold with both solid and see-through displays.


CONCLUSION

Well, what else to say about this reference? This is a new gold version but it is part of a family in terms of existing design. Hence, the main purpose of this article is to shed a little more light on this more sober and understated case and show how Patek Philippe has been really able to offer a nice diversity of watches whether the client is looking for a smaller or bigger case dimension, a more classical or more modern look, whilst bringing evolutions to its movements (chronographs, Spiromax spiral etc...).





This is definitely a reference to consider and, if it came with the shiny black dial, it would be my favorite Perpetual Calendar-only reference from the current collection.

Some references are not the first ones we might look at or think about as we need more time to understand them. They will certainly appeal to a much smaller population of clients. The 5496 is definitely one of them and I'm curious to read what your feeling about this watch is?

Cheers, Mark

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This message has been edited by MTF on 2015-11-21 16:09:29