Patek Philippe has introduced a surprising addition to their vaunted Calatrava family in the form of the new 5212A. The new watch is unique for a few reasons, and should bring some new attention to the often conservative family of dress watches. Thereās a lot to unpack with this seemingly simple watch, though.
First and foremost, youāll notice that A at the end of the reference which, in Patek parlance, signifies a steel case. This alone makes it special in the context of a Patek Philippe Calatrava, which are rarely constructed of the material (these are dress watches after all, they should be precious metal). The fact that its steel, and slated for regular production status could be telling, but donāt expect these sitting in cases at your local AD, at least for the foreseeable future.
Live image from Baselworld, taken by Atom Moore.
At first glance, the reference 5212 has a lot going on within the dial. Itās clearly a calendar watch, but not the one youād expect to find. And a closer look reveals a typography that appears to be handwritten, and thatās because it kinda is. The days, the months, the date, and even the weeks, are a recreation of handwriting, and each letter and number appears as an individually written, unique character.
Within the 5212 is a new automatic movement, the caliber 26-330. This isnāt your average calendar complication, however. Not only does it display the day of the week, the date, and the month, but it also displays the week within the year, out of 53. This will give an at-a-glance view of the progression of the year in a rather interesting manner. Whether ultimately useful or not, itās a first for the storied brand, and when combined with the above attributes, should make it all the more appealing to the collector crowd.
Pricing is set at $33,450, and dare we call that reasonable for a complicated Patek?
