Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960/1A: A few firsts

The 40.5mm Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960/1A in stainless steel. Powered by the Calibre CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H, it has displays of the day, date and month, the power reserve and the day and night indication. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

The 40.5mm Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960/1A in stainless steel. Powered by the Calibre CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H, it has displays of the day, date and month, the power reserve and the day and night indication. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

One main highlight from Patek Philippe for 2014 at the BaselWorld watch fair is the Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960/1A.

This is not only the brand’s first Ref. 5960 housed in a stainless steel case, it is also the first steel watch from Patek Philippe to feature the “drop” links bracelet (in steel).

The Ref. 5960/1A in steel has a dial that features what the brand states is “a new graphic look” that makes it highly legible.

On every first day of the month for this annual calendar watch, the date display will show a red Arabic numeral “1”.

Patek Philippe’s Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1A in steel comes in a 40.5mm diameter steel case and is powered by the Calibre CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H column wheel chronograph movement with a modern vertical clutch disk and the Spiromax balance spring made of Silinvar.

The Ref. 5960/1A in stainless steel is a refreshingly delightful sporty timepiece especially with the red-lacquered chronograph and minute counter hands.

With the arrival of the Ref. 5960/1A in steel, it is also understood that earlier Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960 models in gold and platinum will be discontinued. This is indeed “valuable” news that will definitely delight existing owners of the Ref. 5960 in either gold or platinum.

Other Patek Philippe articles on timewerke.com that may be of interest:
i. Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph Ref. 5990/1A: the push for more
ii. Patek Philippe’s new booth at BaselWorld 2014: a luminous glass pavilion
iii. Patek Philippe Ref. 3417 Amagnetic: in demand, present “tense”

Boxy Brick Winders: Ticking Out of the Box

This single unit Boxy Brick Winder (with an orange front panel and what is known as the “deeper dome”) is able to comfortably house our 47mm Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo PAM00382. Note: Watch and winder are the property of the author. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

This single unit Boxy Brick Winder (with an orange front panel and what is known as the “deeper dome”) is able to comfortably house our 47mm Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo PAM00382. Note: Watch and winder are the property of the author. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

The fun in owning several single-unit type Boxy Brick Winders lies not just in having compact watch winders that are affordable but the choice of purchasing the quantity one requires and stacking these up just like a Lego brick structure.

This explains the word “brick” found in this line of single-unit watch winders.

The Boxy single brick winder features a detachable plastic protective dome that has to be removed before one inserts or takes out a timepiece; it is thereafter secured back in place.

Side view of the Panerai Bronzo which is around 15mm thick sitting on its cushion secured to the Boxy Watch Winder without the protective plastic dome. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

Side view of the Panerai Bronzo which is around 15mm thick sitting on its cushion secured to the Boxy Watch Winder without the protective plastic dome. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

While this system works well and fine, watches with thick cases in single brick winders may be a little “claustrophobic” due to the size of the protective dome.

Automatic timepieces with the thickness of less than 10mm are mostly used in our single-unit Boxy Brick Winders.

Those with thicker cases of around 15mm like our Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo PAM00382 will appear to have less “private breathing space”.

With the regular protective dome over a watch with a thick case such as the PAM00382 Bronzo, the breathing space appears “tight”. The total depth of the single brick Boxy Watch Winder with the regular protective dome is 12.5mm. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

With the regular protective dome over a watch with a thick case such as the PAM00382 Bronzo, the breathing space appears “tight”. The total depth of the single brick Boxy Watch Winder with the regular protective dome is 12.5mm. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

Realising this “space” issue, the good folks at Forte Luxury, the official distributor of Boxy Watch Winders in this region, notably Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, brainstormed for solutions.

The reason why Boxy single brick watch winders are compact is simply because the timepiece ticks outside the box. That basically means that the airspace for the watch is not entirely limited or constrained by the architectural structure housing the Japanese Mabuchi motor powering the watch winder.

From what we understand, the good folks at Forte Luxury decided to “think outside the box” so to speak, and increased the volume of airspace dictated by the protective dome.

This resulted in what is known as the “deeper dome”, another detachable protective housing with more depth. The total depth of the single brick Boxy Watch Winder with the “deeper dome” protective casing secured in place is now 13mm deep as compared to 12.5mm with the regular version.

With the “deeper dome”, a solution offered by Forte Luxury that is now realised, private airspace is now increased. The total depth of the single brick Boxy Watch Winder with the deeper dome secured in place is now 13mm. This 0.5mm increase offers a world of visual difference with the PAM00382 Bronzo looking more at ease. The “deeper dome” is a bonus and is offered together with the regular protective dome for all new purchases of the single brick Boxy Watch Winders. Priced at SGD188 (Singapore dollars) / MYR470 (Malaysian Ringgit).

With the “deeper dome”, a solution offered by Forte Luxury that is now realised, private airspace is now increased. The total depth of the single brick Boxy Watch Winder with the deeper dome secured in place is now 13mm. This 0.5mm increase offers a world of visual difference with the PAM00382 Bronzo looking more at ease. The “deeper dome” is a bonus and is offered together with the regular protective dome for all new purchases of the single brick Boxy Watch Winders. Priced at SGD188 (Singapore dollars) / MYR470 (Malaysian Ringgit). Photo: © TANG Portfolio

The result is obvious and watches with thicker cases, in this regard, our PAM00382 Bronzo now appears more comfortable with increased private airspace.

Owners of automatic timepieces with thick cases can now enjoy having higher visual appeal of their prized possessions “ticking out of the box”, literally.

Note: The orange front panel was launched in late 2013. All single brick Boxy Watch Winders distributed by Forte Luxury come with two protective domes: the regular version and the deeper dome. Each set is priced at SGD188 (Singapore dollars / MYR470 (Malaysian Ringgit).