The third notable debut: one of the biggest successes of the manufacture in a totally new version is the new Ref. 4947/1A-001 Annual Calendar. The very first version of this queen among useful complications with a round case in steel and a metal bracelet. Patek Philippe invented the ingenious Annual Calendar mechanism that was patented in 1996. It requires only one manual correction per year and so far has been available in various ladies’ and men’s models in three gold colors and in platinum.
The light reflected by the polished steel harmonizes very elegantly with the night blue dial that with a horizontal and vertical satin finish evokes the beauty of Shantung silk. The course of time is tracked with applied Arabic numerals and leaf-shaped white-gold hands with luminous coatings. The Annual Calendar displays are quickly and easily legible. Two subsidiary dials between 9 and 10 o’clock indicate the day and, between 2 and 3 o’clock, the month; the date appears in an aperture at 6 o'clock. The extremely precise moon-phase display rounds out the calendar functions.
However, this useful and convenient complication has never come in a round Calatrava case in stainless steel. The new Patek Philippe Annual Calendar ref. 4947/1A features a 38 mm stainless steel case with a matching bracelet in the same metal. With a polished bezel and a diameter of 38 mm that matches virtually every wrist, the new Ref. 4947/1A-001 also stands out with its new, totally integrated steel bracelet. It consists of five rows of fully polished links and is fitted with a patented fold-over clasp secured with four independent catches.
The sapphire-crystal case back reveals the refined architecture and exquisite finissage of the automatic calibre 324 S QA LU movement. This 328-part automatic movement provides a power reserve of 45 hours when fully wound and features 21K gold central rotor.
Making a dial is less a branch of watchmaking, more a dedicated craft in itself. Since the dial is the part of the watch that speaks to us, it must be not only beautiful and harmonious but clearly legible. Dial makers and finishers use age-old hand-craftsmanship skills, alongside trade secrets passed down through generations. A dial for Patek Philippe takes four to six months of production process work, and from 50 to 200 operations, including decorative techniques, and these are some of the operations of the new Patek Philippe Annual Calendar ref. 4947/1A has gone through.
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