Thierry Stern, the leader of the most respected high watchmaking manufacture on the planet — Patek Philippe — is in a good place creatively. By now, every devotee of the horological arts knows the story of how he was given the challenge to design the replacement for the iconic Ref. 3970 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph by his father, the legendary Philippe Stern. The watch he created, the Ref. 5970, surpassed even his father’s loftiest expectations. Launched in 2004, it is to my mind the most beautiful watch ever made that features these two complications together. Eighteen years and innumerable watches later, Thierry Stern recounts the following story with a smile, “Picasso was known to be able to draw a perfect circle in one continuous line. (An act that was an homage to Tuscan painter Giotto di Bondone.) He would amaze people with this act of skill. One day, someone said to him, ‘It’s incredible that you are able to draw this perfect circle in just a few seconds.’ Picasso responded, ‘What you see in front of you is the circle. What you don’t see is the 40 years that it took for me to get here.’ I’ve been designing watches now for 30 years at Patek Philippe — originally together with my father and eventually on my own. I’ve reached a point where I really enjoy the process. It comes naturally now but only after decades of work.” And he gestures — naturally — to the stunning new Patek Philippe Ref. 5326 Annual Calendar Travel Time.
Look at the watch in question, the Ref. 5326, and your brain will start firing into overdrive, such is the vast array of appealing details you are suddenly taking in at once. The dial is utterly unique in the history of Patek, and the first question that comes to mind is where this decoration came from. The style of the hands and indexes as well as the shape of the case are all subtle nods to Patek’s history. Then, there is the ravishing Clous de Paris pattern engraved into the side of the case and which magically seems to flow under the sharply angled lugs. Finally, there is the notable absence of any alligator strap; this is replaced by not one but two decidedly modern calfskin straps — a beige option with nubuck finish and
