1997 NOS Patek Philippe Ref. 5035R 'Annual Calendar' Full Set

For watchmaking, the 1990s was an era that pushed many brands to update themselves as, even having survived to the ‘quartz crisis’, they found themselves facing a disillusioned clientele. This also included Patek Philippe.

 

At that time, the Swiss manufacturer saw a gap to fill between their 9.000 € Calatrava and their 45.000 € Perpetual Calendar. So, Patek’s R&D teams got back to the drawing table and designed a practical complication that wasn’t as costly, giving birth to the first Annual Calendar wristwatch; the Ref. 5035 and its automatically-wound, in-house Caliber 315 S QA.

 

Released in 1996 for around 17.500 €, the Ref. 5035 was presented as a game changer. Offering the feel of complicated watchmaking but with a noticeably lower price tag than other Haute Horologerie watches, or better described as "serviceable complication" by Philippe Stern itself, the Ref. 5035 was received to great applause.

 

And so, little time after, it was crowned with the "Swiss Watch of the Year" awarded by the Swiss magazine Montre Passion, as it was a huge accomplishment in both movement design and market fit by Patek Philippe.

 

First released in 18K yellow gold, it was also produced in the usual precious metals, but never in steel, being finally discontinued in late 2004.

Coming directly from the private collection of the original owner, the Ref. 5035R offered for sale here is one of the very early batches from 1997 and remains in unbeatable condition; New Old Stock (NOS).

 

The dial is extremely legible and perfectly balanced. Differentiated from a perpetual calendar, it presents new features like the date, which is indicated not by an auxiliary dial, as in many perpetual calendars, but by the number in an aperture at six o’clock, making it easy to read. There is a center seconds hand, a feature not offered on perpetual calendars. The bold Roman numerals and leaf-shaped hands have a luminous, tritium in-fill which is rare in a Patek, and, for the first time, an IV marker rather than a IIII is placed at four o’clock.

 

As you can see, the white dial of this Ref. 5035R remains flawless, featuring a lovely vivid patina hue matching between the hour markers and the hands, being this something very rare to see with this tone; an indication that this piece has been kept in the bank safe since it was first bought (as contrarily thought, vivid patina builds from lack of light, not from exposure to it).

 

The 18 carats rose gold case with stepped bezel remains in unworn condition, presenting only very minor storage marks from moving the watch from one place to the other, accompanying the original owner’s family. It features a subtle 'vault' patina commonly built on these precious metals, especially yellow and rose gold, that adds so much character to the watch. It could be easily removed by gently rubbing the case with a smooth cotton swab mixed on some white vinegar and a final warm soap water cleaning. However, we will leave that decision to the buyer as we believe it adds value to the watch and once it's gone, it will take many years to form again.

 

The screw sapphire display case back remains in the same condition too, letting visible only the same light storage marks.

 

Available to contemplate thanks to the display case back is the engine; the automatic Patek Philippe caliber 315/198 Annual Calendar, which offers a power reserve of roughly 40 to 45 hours. Running great and keeping excellent time, it remains un serviced as it has never been opened before.

 

The original, elegant, Patek Philippe brown leather strap with 18 carats rose gold buckle, remains also unworn, with very light storage shaping.

 

Accompanying the watch, we find the complete set which includes the outer box, inner box, function pressor pen, wallet, manuals, and Certificate of Origin showing it was sold in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1997.

 

Macros of case and dial are available under request.