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, and also 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? Perpetual calendars are Patek Philippe’s speciality — it’s been making them in series since the 1940s. This particular quantieme perpetual, a Reference 5140J-001, is a true beauty. Housed in a 37mm yellow gold case, it features a sapphire crystal, sapphire exhibition caseback, yellow gold signed crown, and a beautiful, white dial with applied indices and a matching dauphine handset. Powered by the Cal. 240 Q automatic movement with micro-rotor, it’s absolutely a piece of horological art — the type of timepiece that gets passed down through the generations. This watch builds on the blueprint of the Reference 3940, which is one of the most successful and important references in Patek's history, but grows the case diameter from 36 to 37mm, which may not sound significant, but actually make a big impact on the wearing experience. Any old wristwatch can tell the time. Few truly define it.