While the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar has been a staple of the brand’s lineup since its introduction in 1996, the wide variety of Annual Calendar models over the years have been offered exclusively in precious metals. Patek Philippe breaks this 25 year streak in 2021, offering a stainless steel variant for the first time with a textured dial and a classically refined look. The new Patek Philippe Ref. 4947/1A-001 Annual Calendar builds on the timeless stainless steel Calatrava case design with a clean conservative aesthetic and a handsomely executed complication.
The 38mm case of the Patek Philippe Ref. 4947/1A-001 Annual Calendar is the first stainless steel case Patek Philippe has offered with the Annual Calendar line, and the brand has introduced this metal to the line with a familiar shape. The new Annual Calendar uses the compact and classical Calatrava case, with its flowing lugs, rounded case sides, and smooth sloping bezel for a traditional dressy look. The fully polished finish backs up this dress-oriented approach, and the only real concession to more modern aesthetics is the use of a sapphire display caseback. Patek Philippe keeps the overall lines of the Annual Calendar’s case clean with the use of flush correctors rather than raised pushers, and the brand balances the correctors for the four complications across the case at 2 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 8 o’clock, and 10 o’clock.
Like the case, the dial of the Ref. 4947/1A-001 Annual Calendar is Patek Philippe in pure classical mode, but the brand adds a few more distinctive visual touches here. Chief among these is the linen dial texture. With the ridges and variations of rough woven fabric, this crosshatch pattern adds an offbeat layer of dimension to the traditional deep blue of the dial surface. The rest of the dial design is solidly traditional, with lumed leaf hands, a railroad minutes track, and swoopy applied Arabic numerals accented by azurage subdials that give added visual depth to the dial surface. These subdials are finely balanced to keep any part of the dial from appearing visually heavy, and the pointer month, pointer day, and moonphase complications are clean and easily legible. The only element that disrupts the simple balance of this traditional design somewhat is the 6 o’clock date window. Patek Philippe’s use of a white date disc here breaks up the visual flow of the dial, whereas a navy blue date might have been a more streamlined choice.
Patek Philippe powers the Ref. 4947/1A-001 Annual Calendar with its manufacture 324 S QA LU automatic annual calendar movement. The 324 S QA LU has long been a standby of Patek Philippe’s annual calendar offerings, requiring a date adjustment only once per year on March 1, while its moonphase display deviates by only one day every 122 years. Handsomely decorated with polished chamfers, Côtes de Genéve along the bridges, perlage for the mainplate, and a striped 21K gold rotor, the 324 S QA LU offers between 35 and 45 hours of power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate.
The Patek Philippe Ref. 4947/1A-001 Annual Calendar is paired with a new five-link bracelet in fully polished stainless steel. While the brightly polished finish and multiple links impart some vibrant flash to the classical design, this could also be a prime candidate for a navy blue alligator leather strap.
With the Ref. 4947/1A-001, Patek Philippe eases the Annual Calendar line into stainless steel with a simple and classical colorway elevated by a unique dial texture. The Patek Philippe Ref. 4947/1A-001 Annual Calendar is available now through authorized dealers at an MSRP of $47,904. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.
