Patek Philippe Annual Calendar

In 1991, the soon-to-be graduates at the Geneva School of Engineering were presented with their final project prior to receiving their diploma: to simplify the perpetual calendar. Although the task was easier said than done, their work led to the inception of the annual calendar complication, patented by Patek in collaboration with the bright engineering minds at the GSE. Five years later, Patek debuted the Reference 5035, the world’s first-ever annual calendar movement that finally bridged the gap between a triple date function and the formidable quantième perpétuel. (An annual calendar requires adjusting once per year at the end of February, while the perpetual calendar requires no adjustment for many years.)  This piece, a handsome modern interpretation of the Patek Philippe Complications Annual Calendar, transports us forward to the 2010s. A Reference 5396/1R-001, this lovely timepiece features a 38.5mm 18K rose gold case with sculpted, contoured lugs, a concave bezel, a signed cro