Since its introduction in 2011, the Patek Philippe Ref. 5270 perpetual calendar chronograph has been a fan favorite among the brand’s more classic offerings, hearkening back to the classic 1941 Ref. 1518. While packing a stunning series of complications and maintaining a remarkably compact, classic aesthetic, those searching for a Ref. 5270 with a traditional yellow gold case were out of luck until now. As part of its 2020 novelties, the Swiss luxury giant has unveiled the new Ref. 5270J-001, bringing yellow gold to the line for the first time. The new Patek Philippe Ref. 5270J-001 perpetual calendar chronograph combines some of the best of the brand’s movement making and classic design work with a warm, timeless colorway.

While most timpieces featuring such an array of complications tend to be on the bulky side, the yellow gold case of the Patek Philippe Ref. 5270J-001 is an immanently wearable 41mm-wide and 12.4mm-thick. The case design itself is clean and classically simple, featuring wide rectangular pushers and a concave mirror-polished bezel accentuated by the signature Art Deco-style stepped lugs. Three of the four correctors are well hidden in between the case and the strap between the lugs for a more streamlined look, with only the weekday corrector at 10:30 remaining visible. For all its classical styling, the case of the Ref. 5270J-001 does offer a thoroughly modern sapphire display caseback, but in deference to the more traditionally minded, an interchangeable solid caseback is also included.

While almost entirely carried over from previous iterations, the dial of the Patek Philippe Ref. 5270J-001 remains an excellent study in visual balance. The overall style is elegantly traditional, with railroad scales for seconds, minutes, and both the small seconds and chronograph minutes subdials, combined with elemental yellow gold leaf hands and applied indices. While it’s certainly a busy dial, the fact that one layout can include a month, day, pointer date, small seconds, chronograph minutes, day/night indicator, leap year cycle indicator, and a moonphase window without feeling cluttered or unbalanced is a testament to Patek Philippe’s refined design work here. Each element is visually counterbalanced with a matching counterpart on the opposite half of the dial, and while real negative space is scarce, the position of the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock subdials slightly below the dial’s centerline allows for a bit of much-needed breathing room for the gold-edged month and day windows at 12 o’clock. The new combination of polished yellow gold hands and indices with an opaline silver dial base feels like a timeless choice, coming off so naturally that it’s almost difficult to believe the colorway wasn’t a part of the Ref. 5270 collection previously.

First introduced in 2011, the in-house CH 29-535 PS Q movement inside the Patek Philippe Ref. 5270J-001 is surprisingly the first-ever manufacture movement from the company to feature both a chronograph and a perpetual calendar. The traditional horizontal clutch, column wheel, and Breguet balance spring layout is augmented with an array of six different patented technical innovations, allowing for a perpetual calendar mechanism measuring in at only 1.65mm-thick. In terms of overall performance, the CH 29-535 PS Q offers a power reserve between 55 and 65 hours with the chronograph disengaged, at a 28,800 bph beat rate.

To complete the classic look of the Ref. 5270J-001, Patek Philippe pairs the watch with an alligator leather strap in warm matte honey brown. Finished with a yellow gold deployant clasp, this strap works well to bring out the tones of the gold case while providing an elegant and upscale backdrop for the overall design.

While not the most groundbreaking release from the brand by any stretch, the Patek Philippe Ref. 5270J-001 perpetual calendar chronograph provides a warmer, more traditional take on one of the brand’s cornerstone complications in recent years. The Patek Philippe Ref. 5270J-001 perpetual calendar chronograph is available now through authorized dealers with an MSRP of $168,970. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.