Released in 2019, the Patek Philippe Calatrava Weekly Calendar ref. 5212A breaks from the Calatrava collection's utilitarian and straightforward aesthetic, thanks to its moderately busy yet wholly functional and remarkably legible display. Inspired by the case of a historically important 1955 Patek Philippe ref. 2512, the ref. 5212A combines a vintage-inspired aesthetic with an entirely modern complication.
While the ref. 2512 that inspired the ref. 5212A's design is made of yellow gold, the ref. 5212A features a stainless steel case – a rarity for the Calatrava collection. Where the ref. 5212A's aesthetic is vintage-inspired is its two-tiered case and lug design – an aesthetic element borrowed from its 1955 distant cousin. This adds sophistication and elegance and is in line with the current direction of Patek Philippe's design, using more decorative lugs to make their dress watches more unique and interesting.
Sized at 40mm in diameter and 10.8mm thick, the ref. 5212A is a comfortable and elegant timepiece to wear thanks to its ergonomic dimensions, angled lugs, and classical calfskin leather strap.
Beyond its aesthetic design, the engineering forethought that has gone into the ref. 5212A is not to be overlooked. In keeping with its comfortable 'everyday' 40mm stainless steel case, the ref. 5212A features an incredibly legible silver opaline dial with black handwritten-style inscriptions and markings. Featuring a day, week of the year, and month display all alongside its hours, minutes, seconds, and date functions, the ref. 5212A is incredibly useful for anyone whose professional industry refers explicitly to the week of the year, like finance, supply chain management, and so on. This "useful complication", as Patek calls it, ensures the ref. 5212A is a practical choice as an everyday timepiece.
Powered by the brand new automatic cal. 26 330 S C J SE, the ref. 5212A features a 45-hour power reserve, a unidirectional model-specific 21ct yellow gold winding rotor, and a plethora of gorgeous finishing techniques that reveal themselves through the ref. 5212A's exhibition snap-on sapphire crystal case back.
Designed with ease-of-use in mind, the ref. 5212A utilizes a 53-week year layout so that when a 53-week year rolls around (once every 5-6 years), the timepiece does not require too much interference via the week number corrector at 10 o'clock and the day of the week corrector at 8 o'clock. An excellent timepiece with an original design and complication, it is a breath of fresh air to see a watch brand try something new, rather than the usual change of dial color we have seen too often in recent times.
