FIRST ANNUAL CALENDAR IN THE AQUANAUT COLLECTION
The “modern casual chic” line for ladies Aquanaut Luce welcomes a new useful and easy-to-use complication: the patented Annual Calendar. Adorned in blue-gray on the matching dial and strap, this elegant rose gold timepiece enriches Patek Philippe’s range of complicated ladies’ watches with a non-gemset model.
Launched in 2004, the Aquanaut Luce collection – a feminine reinterpretation of the Aquanaut introduced in 1997 – is available in stainless steel quartz models with several dial colors and matching straps (5267/200A-001, 5267/200A-010, 5267 /200A-011) and in a rose gold self-winding model with a taupe dial and integrated strap (5268/200R-010). It also includes an Haute Joaillerie version combining the most sophisticated gemsetting techniques (5062/450R-001) and a very refined version with a bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds and a two-tone engraved mother-of-pearl dial (5072R-001).
For several years, Patek Philippe has been working to reinforce its ladies’ offer in the “casual chic” segment by endowing the Aquanaut Luce with various complications that are useful in everyday life. After the Aquanaut Luce Travel Time dual time zone watch Ref. 5269/200R-001 in 2021 and the Aquanaut Luce “Rainbow” self-winding chronograph Ref. 7968/300R-001 in 2022, the Manufacture presents the new Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar Ref. 5261R-001, featuring the famous patented Patek Philippe Annual Calendar mechanism (1996) – a complete day/date/month calendar requiring only one manual correction per year, at the end of February.
A new self-winding caliber with optimized performance
The 39.9 mm-diameter case houses the new self-winding 26-330 S QA LU caliber, with central rotor in 21K gold and the additional Annual Calendar module with moon phases. Special feature of this watch: thanks to the inversion of the Annual Calendar module in the case, the calendar indications offer an unusual display compared to other Patek Philippe timepieces equipped with this complication. The date is displayed in an aperture at 6 o’clock, the moon phases in an aperture at 12 o’clock, the day and month in subdials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. The extremely precise moon phase indication deviates only one day in 122 years from the true lunar cycle.
The architecture of the movement is based on the caliber 26-330, introduced in 2019 in the Calatrava Weekly Calendar Ref. 5212A-001 and featuring several technical innovations and optimizations for performance and dependability – including a patented anti-backlash wheel to prevent the seconds hand from vibrating, as well as a patented clutch wheel improving the efficiency and longevity of the self-winding function. The presence of a “stop seconds” (which instantly stops the balance when the crown is pulled into the handsetting position) allows adjustment to the nearest second. When the crown is pushed home, the mechanism gives a small impulse to the balance to set it in motion again.
Casual elegance combined with perfect legibility
The iconic design of the Aquanaut rose gold case and bezel with their rounded octagonal shape is enhanced by the contrast between polished and satin finishes. The model’s “casual chic” style is reinforced by the elegant blue-gray color adorning the dial and strap – a refined hue that already appealed to many women on the steel Aquanaut Luce 5067A-025 available from 2018 to 2019. The dial with the embossed Aquanaut pattern features rose gold applied Arabic numerals and baton-style hands, all with white luminescent coating ensuring excellent legibility. The integrated composite strap with the Aquanaut pattern echoing that of the dial stands out for its optimal comfort as well as its high resistance to traction, wear, salt water and ultraviolet rays. It is fitted with a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp secured by four independent catches.