What is interesting about the title prima ballerina assoluta or, in English, “absolute first ballerina”, is that there is no specific pathway to this greatest of honour. A ballet company can decree it; public opinion and consensus can formalise it. It can even be conferred by one legendary dancer on another, as was the case when Rudolf Nureyev referred to American dancer Cynthia Gregory as “America’s prima ballerina assoluta”. In the case of Phyllis Spira, she was given the title by the president of South Africa in 1984. Perhaps it is this nebulousness that makes this honour so rare. In the history of ballet, there have only been a total of 13 prima ballerina assolutas. But when it comes to the creation of complicated watches — and, in particular, the perpetual calendar — it is for good reason that Patek Philippe is the unrivalled prima assoluta of the watch world.
Among the many significant horological milestones throughout the Genevan watchmaker’s history, Patek Philippe was the very first in the world to create a perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1925. Other industry firsts for Patek include: a retrograde perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1937; a perpetual calendar wristwatch in series in 1941, with the legendary reference 1526; a centre sweep-seconds waterproof perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1944 with the reference 1591; a self-winding perpetual calendar in 1962 with the iconic reference 3448; a perpetual calendar chronograph in 1941 with the legendary reference 1518. Today, Patek Philippe still offers the widest and richest array of perpetual calendars in all of Swiss watchmaking.
THE MAKINGS OF AN INSTANT ICON
As if to remind us all of its incredible unassailable history with the
