A Stainless Steel Patek Philippe You May Actually Be Able to Buy
And no, not because $30,000 is too expensive.
Source: Hodinkee
Originally published by Jack Forster on Hodinkee.
The ref. 5212A-001 Calatrava Weekly Calendar is a rarity for Patek Philippe. Rather than the precious metal case generally used for Calatravas, the 5212A is cased in stainless steel. In addition to showing the day of the week and the date, the 5212A also shows the number of the week in the year. The weeks are numbered in accordance with the ISO 8610 standard, which specifies that the first full week in any year must begin on Monday, not Sunday, and that the first full week of the year is that which contains January 4. A feature of the standard is that occasionally a year will contain 53 rather than 52 weeks, which is accounted for in the calendar mechanism and numbering scheme on the dial (the typography, according to Patek, is unique and is based on the handwriting of one of the watch designers). The date is corrected from the crown and both the weekday and week number indications can be adjusted via two correctors set into the case flank. Owners will be able to correct any of the indications at any time, day or night, without running any risk of damaging the mechanism.