An Impromptu Hands-On With The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001 — An Extraordinary And Sporty Gentleman Of A Watch

Why would you chase rainbows? We already know that hardly anyone can buy an entry-level Nautilus or Aquanaut from a Patek Philippe boutique or AD. Why, then, would you put yourself in a situation that has you looking outside the official channels, only to face unrealistic asking prices (although they’re dipping a bit)? There are other superior and, dare I say, reasonably priced watches from the same prestigious manufacturer you can buy. Indeed, there is a striking and complicated sports watch that outshines the Nautilus. It’s rarer too. Please look at the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001. It’s an extraordinary and sporty gentleman of a watch that I had the pleasure of having an impromptu hands-on experience with recently.

Allow me to refresh your memory and reset your current search settings. The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960 debuted in 2006 as the ref. 5960P. After that, different versions in pink gold followed, but the brand discontinued these “R” references with the introduction of the steel 5960/1A in 2014. After being in production for four years, the steel 5960, available with either a black dial (5960/1A-010) or a silvered white one (5960/1A-001), was removed from production. The watch features a characteristic and recognizable annual calendar paired with a striking 12-hour monocounter flyback chronograph. And because the 40.5 × 13.5mm steel case and five-row droplet bracelet have a mirror-like finish, there’s no way of looking around it.

You can’t look away from the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001

You can’t look away when you see a Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001. At first, that’s due to its rather flashy and shiny looks, which caused a stir among the predominantly conservative Patek crowd. Believe it or not, while the steel ref. 5960 was in production, customers could buy it at a small discount. Yes, the times have changed. Still, because the Nautilus and, later, the Aquanaut stole all the limelight from every other Patek timepiece, current prices for the steel ref. 5960 are not outlandish. But before dirtying ourselves by diving into the world of money, let’s explore the aesthetics of this complicated watch, which merges Patek’s signature calendar — the Genevan brand made the first annual calendar wristwatch in 1996 — with a sporty chronograph in a classic case with a contemporary bracelet.

Yes, it is a bit much. The signature calendar apertures on the silvery-white dial match a colorful chronograph monocounter at 6 o’clock in an ultra-shiny setting. But the proportions are close to perfection, and so is the finishing. Some of the watch’s “bling” diminishes when wrapped around the wrist since not all parts of the case and bracelet can catch the light. But while the watch’s shininess caused dealers to offer discounts to clients, it has now become one of its strengths.

Patek Philippe showing its strength

Why do people desire to wear a Nautilus? I dare say that the majority of aspiring Nautilus wearers lust after the watch because its signature looks offer instant recognition. But with its fully polished exterior and a silvery-white dial with a very particular layout, the 5960/1A-001 will not go unnoticed either. No, it doesn’t have the distinct case shape of the Nautilus, but it does find a way to tell the Maison’s rich history using contemporary vocabulary. Much more than the Nautilus (or the Aquanaut, for that matter), the steel 5960 expresses evolution. This 5960/1A-001 epitomizes a classic watchmaking tradition combined with contemporary style and taste. It’s a strong look.

Another strength of Patek is its traditional evolution in movements. The in-house caliber CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H broke new ground when it came out. Visible through the watch’s transparent case back, this is an automatic 4Hz movement with a 45-hour power reserve and a heavy, unidirectional 21K gold rotor. As one would expect, it also has a traditional column wheel to control the starting and stopping of the chronograph.

According to Patek Philippe, an interesting innovation is that “the clamps do not control the engagement of a lever-mounted clutch wheel with the chronograph train but instead act on a disk clutch that transmits (chronograph running) or interrupts (chronograph stopped) the power between the fourth wheel and the chronograph hand.” This offers two benefits. First, the central chronograph hand won’t stutter or jump upon engagement since no gear teeth need to mesh suddenly. Second, this setup replaces the usual three-wheel chronograph gear train, allowing the wearer to use the chronograph hand for continuously running seconds without causing excess wear or affecting the watch’s accuracy. Effectively, this renders a sub-seconds counter unnecessary. See? The monocounter look has a technical background.

A touch of color

It’s not just the shiny appearance or light-colored dial that puts this complicated wristwatch in the sports category. The use of color also deserves credit for that. The contrasting black elements and the bright red and blue accents are lively, vivid, and even virile. The colorway also helps create a very easy-to-read dial. On its top half, the windows for the calendar display instantly tell you the current day, date, and month. The power reserve indicator below the calendar apertures is slightly more subtle but still very clear.

The chronograph’s monocounter at 6 o’clock shows the hours and minutes counters coaxially. Also positioned on the central axis is the red chronograph seconds hand, which, as mentioned, you can also use for continuously running seconds with no issues. A black hand in the sub-dial points to its outermost track to indicate elapsed hours, while the red minute hand points to the two inner scales. The small blue circle in the chronograph sub-dial is the day/night indicator. It might sound and look a bit complicated at first, but because the way you read the elapsed time is quite similar to how you read the time of day, it’s more intuitive than you might think.

What do you think of the price?

It’s inevitable; we have to talk about prices at some point, and maybe this is the right moment. When the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001 first graced shop windows, it had a pre-tax price of 45,000 Swiss francs. Ten years later, you can find one on Chrono24 for around US$48,500. Yes, that amount can also get you an Aquanaut ref. 5167A, but that is, objectively, a lesser watch. If you prefer a more complicated Aquanaut, such as the 5164A Travel Time, the starting price is around US$72,000.

As you would expect, the Nautilus is a level above the Aquanaut. Finding a 5711/1A for less than US$80,000 is utterly impossible. Additionally, the more complicated Nautilus 5980/1A Chronograph with a monocounter but no annual calendar cannot be yours for less than US$90,000.

I’m telling you, the Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001 is a “sleeper” if I ever saw one. Its looks were ahead of their time, but a decade later, they are bang on. The pump pushers look retro, the bracelet is “fire,” the colors are sporty, and the silvery-white dial is fresh. Not to mention, the round, polished case that’s neither too big nor too small is Patek perfection.

The Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001 on the wrist

This will be the shortest section because I don’t have to tell you how the Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001 looks on the wrist when I have the pictures to show you. The combination with a denim jacket, chinos, and white sneakers is just fabulous. The watch uplifts your appearance, and the casual attire doesn’t do the watch injustice. When Patek released the watch, the whole “casual chic” thing, with the main ingredient being white sneakers, was still in development. Now the look is widespread and fully accepted in almost every situation, and the silvery-white-dialed 5960/1A-001 is just as versatile.

Two last things

The watch fits the wrist perfectly and effortlessly. Because of its 40.5mm diameter, 13.5mm thickness, 49.4mm length, curved lugs, and comfortable bracelet with its many small droplet-shape links, it wears like a dream. The second and last thing I want to mention is that if you find the 5960/1A-001 slightly too bright and outgoing, check out the ref. 5905/1A-001. This watch is also from the Complications series, features a chronograph with an annual calendar, and has a sporty vibe. Its olive-green sunburst dial gives it a completely different character, though.

The 5905/1A-001 also has a steel bracelet, but because it’s of the three-row variety, it gives the watch a more streamlined presence. The absence of a power reserve indicator doesn’t stand out as a differentiating feature, but the chronograph pushers do. Instead of the retro-inspired pump-pushers, the ref. 5905/1A-001 has rectangular ones. This watch makes me think of the 1990s, but that might be me. The official Patek dealer will sell this steel and green chronograph for US$64,220 before taxes. But on Chrono24, you can find a 5905/1A-001 for around US$59,500. There’s another sleeper for you.

If you had to choose between the 5960/1A-001 and 5905/1A-001, which reference would you pick or see as the right alternative to Nautilus or Aquanaut? If I had to awaken just one of these two sleepers, I would lean over to the Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A-001 to give it the kiss of life.