The Patek 5960R – All You Could Ever Ask For In A Watch

Watch & Bullion

9 August 2016 | 2 min read

How much can you ask for in a watch?

Whatever it is you might think you could want, Patek Philippe comes to take that expectation and one up it. The Patek Philippe 5960R is a watch many collectors would not hesitate to call the ultimate wristwatch. In an aim to explore this statement I will look at the Patek 5960R from three angles, the brand, the movement, and the design.

Patek Philippe is one of those bigger than life brands. It is difficult to find a way to explain to non watch people how much this brand means, but the closest I can think of is Rolls-Royce. Since 1839  in the business they are part of what enthusiasts call „the holy trinity“ of watchmaking, enjoying an unparalleled reputation.

Any Patek Philippe movement can be considered a work of art. Yet the movement which powers the 5960R excels even for the standards of the genevan brand. Launched in 2006 it features the brands first fully in-house manufactured chronograph as well as an annual calendar. This leads us to a watch which is complicated enough to enrich the wearer with intriguing and useful features, yet not too complicated to become delicate or confusing.

The design couldn’t have been executed any better. The watch entices the wearer through its full mirror polish. The unbroken curves and simplistic hands and lugs make for a reserved sporty appeal. This is housed in a 40.5 mm case which is a contemporary size yet refrains from following trends and maintains a classic conservative charm. The depth of this simplicity is best seen in the dial. The silver gray surface allows for a gentle glimmer without distracting from the perfect symmetry of the dial. Thin hands which stretch all the way to the markers foster great legibility. This legibility is further embedded by Patek refraining from filling the dial with text, a simple branding suffices.

This leads me back to my original question, how much can you ask for in a watch? Usually when reviewing watches there is always that tiny detail that you’d like seeing changed. This can be a call for longer hands, a clearer dial, or a smaller case. Yet here is a watch which reminds us why Patek deserves the reputation they enjoy, giving us all we could ever ask for in a watch.