Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar

A perpetual calendar is like a small computer on your wrist. Think of it this way: Imagine a watch that keeps track of not only the time, but also the date, the day of the week, and the month, tells you whether it’s a leap year or not, and what the current phase of the moon is. Oh, and one more thing — imagine it does all of this mechanically, using springs and gears, and that you only have to adjust it once every century or so. Crazy, right? Patek has been making such watches since the Second World War, and continues to make some of the most superlative quantieme perpetuelles on the market. This particular example, a Reference 5327J-001, is a recently discontinued contemporary model in yellow gold that displays its grand complication in a decidedly understated fashion - very much our jam! Housed in a 39mm 18K yellow gold case with a signed crown, sapphire crystal, and a stepped bezel, this elegant 5327 features an ivory-toned lacquered dial with applied 'Breguet’ indices, a matching gold 'feuille' handset, and a trio of subsidiary registers displaying day, date and month, leap year and moonphase indicator.  Powered by the self-winding Patek Philippe Calibre 240 Q movement, it comes paired to a signed brown alligator leather strap with a signed, 18K yellow gold deployant buckle. It also includes inner and outer boxes. Why Patek Philippe chose to discontinue this configuration in yellow gold is beyond us! The case material and dial layout is a wonderfully traditional configuration which calls back to numerous models in their historical catalog, and the inclusion of applied Breguet indices are properly mouth-watering for any vintage enthusiast. We could see a near future in which the 5327J is a properly collectable timepiece - but regardless of future value, it is utterly beautiful!