Patek Philippe

Back in 1851, Antoine Norbert de Patek ventured to the North American market in search of the right retailer for his complicated pocket watches. Upon visiting the Tiffany boutique in New York, a firm handshake between him and Charles Lewis Tiffany started a now legendary collaboration between the two brands. To date, the two firms have worked together for over 170 years, and Tiffany & Co. remains the only official retailer in the United States entrusted with their signature stamped on a Patek Philippe timepiece. In 2008, Patek Philippe unveiled its first American salon at the Tiffany & Co. flagship boutique on 5th Avenue in New York. Five years later, a very limited run of only 100 examples of the annual calendar Reference 5396 were produced to commemorate this partnership.

The annual calendar complication was pioneered by Patek with the introduction of the Ref 5035 in 1996, filling a gap between the relatively simple triple calendar complication and the ultra-complicated perpetual calendar complication. The versatility of the cal. 324S QA that Patek developed meant that it could be fitted to a number of various models with differing displays. In the case of the 5396, the design language from one of the most beautiful perpetual calendars, the ref 3448, was the inspiration, with two windows near 12 o'clock and moonphases near 6 o'clock encircled by a 24-hour ring, different from the 3448 where the ring denotes the date. The dial is distinctly Patek, with polished ‘Breguet’ numerals applied to a jet black high-gloss dial, with vintage-inspired feuille-style hands, in this iteration with luminous infills, and with the distinctive 'Tiffany & Co’ stamp sitting above the phases of the moon indicator. The final result is a perfect blend of classic and modern and was highly acclaimed by collectors at launch. So far, only a handful of these beautiful watches have returned to the market, and their desirability remains very strong. The current example, offered for sale for the first time, is in very good condition and is accompanied by its full suite of accessories.