Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960R-012

Take for example the self-winding Patek Philippe Ref. 5960, which combines an annual calendar (a complication Patek Philippe debuted in 1996) with a chronograph. When Patek Philippe unveiled the Reference 5960 in 2006, it became an immediate success. Similar to many Patek novelties, the first model was crafted in precious platinum; however, it didn’t take long for the company to offer other metal options and dial colors to expand the lineup. 

One such iteration is the Patek Philippe Ref. 5960R-012, which marries a warm rose gold case with a sleek black dial to stunning effect. A collector’s piece by any definition, read on for a full overview of the discontinued Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph ref. 5960R-012. 

Reference 5960, A Patek With Several Firsts

The release of the Reference 5960 watch represented a few notable “firsts” for Patek Philippe. For instance, Reference 5960 was the first Patek Philippe in-house automatic chronograph watch. It was also the first time Patek combined a chronograph complication with an annual calendar complication on a watch. Furthermore, the movement that powers ref. 5960 was developed so that the central flyback chronograph hand would also serve as the seconds hand without any friction damage to the movement. 

To display the chronograph and annual calendar features in a legible and balanced way, Patek Philippe had to design a new dial. The calendar complications are placed on the upper portion of the dial via three windows to display the day, date, and month. Of course, as an annual calendar watch, the ref. 5960 automatically recognizes months with 30 and 31 days, thus only requiring one adjustment per year when February turns into March. 

Patek placed the chronograph indicators on the bottom part of the dial, and cleverly opted for a mono-counter design rather than the more traditional trio of subdials to avoid clutter. The mono-counter is home to a 60-minute counter (displayed on two concentric scales from 0 to 30 and from 30 to 60 minutes) as well as a 12-hour counter. The dial also includes a power reserve indicator below the date window, as well as a day/night indicator inside the subdial. 

Reference 5960R-012 in Rose Gold with a Black Dial

Patek Philippe released the Annual Calendar Chronograph ref. 5960R-012 in 2013, featuring an 18k rose gold case. The case measures 40.5mm and features the chronograph start/stop pusher at 2 o'clock, the chronograph reset/ flyback function at 4 o’clock, and the winding crown in between them. There are also three recessed correction push-pieces on the left side of the case, between 9 and 10 o’clock, to adjust the calendar displays. 

To match the case, the eight slender applied hour markers, center hands, power reserve hand, and aperture frames on the rich black dial are also fashioned from rose gold. While Patek had already released a rose gold and black dial version of the Annual Calendar Chronograph the year before, that was the Reference 5960R-010 with white disks (with black numerals) in the calendar apertures. On the other hand, the Reference 5960R-012 has black disks (with white numerals), and the tone-on-tone approach gives the watch a sleeker aesthetic. 

Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960R-012 - Dial Detail 

Shielding the dial is an antireflective-coated sapphire crystal. The back of the case is also furnished with sapphire crystal to permit a view of the beautifully decorated movement, including the 21k gold unidirectional rotor, inside the watch. Since June 2009, each Patek Philippe movement has been stamped with the “Patek Seal” as a mark of the finest finishing on the movement, case, dial, strap, and clasp — and the 5960R-012 is no exception. 

The Patek Ref. 5960R-012 is fitted with a black alligator strap, which complements the dial color flawlessly. The strap is finished with an 18k rose gold deployant clasp, complete with Patek Philippe’s famed Calatrava Cross motif buckle. 

After only one year of production, reference 5960R-012 was discontinued, making this rose gold and gloss black dial model a particularly rare version of the venerable and highly collectible Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960. 

Complicated timepieces are the cornerstones of Patek Philippe’s catalog and the brand is well known for its mastery of calendar watches. The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960 is a landmark complication and the watch’s discontinued status and short production run make it an especially collectible Patek Philippe timepiece. 

Twain Time is currently offering a complete set of the rare Patek Philippe ref. 5960R-012 including the original factory boxes, papers, manuals, and accessories. For more information about adding this pre-owned Patek Philippe Reference 5960R-012 to your collection, please click here. 

How To Set The Patek Philippe Ref. 5960

Patek Philippe Ref. 5960: How to Set the Time  

• Gently pull out the crown all the way and move the hands in either direction
• Turn the hands until you have the correct time (taking note of the day/night indicator in the subdial at 6 o’clock which will show white for day and blue for night)
• Push the crown back into the case when you have set the correct time
• Note that turning the hands clockwise past midnight will advance the calendar displays

Patek Philippe Ref. 5960: How to Use the Annual Calendar  

• If the watch is worn daily (or stored in a watch winder) the date only needs to be corrected on March 1
  
• Calendar corrections must be performed in this order: 

1. Move the hands to 6 a.m.
2. Set the date to the first day of the month 
3. Set the month 
4. Set the date 
5. Set the day of the week 
6. Set the time

• To set the date, actuate the correction push-piece between 9 and 10 o’clock as many times as needed to show the correct date
• To set the month, actuate the correction push-piece at 10 o’clock as many times as needed to show the correct month
• To set the day of the week, actuate the correction push-piece at 9 o’clock as many times as needed to show the correct day
• Correction push pieces should be activated only with the appropriate correction stylus 
• Do not adjust any calendar displays between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m

Patek Philippe Ref. 5960: How to Use the Chronograph  

• Press the pusher at 2 o’clock to start or stop the chronograph hand
• Press the pusher at 4 o’clock to reset the chronograph hand, regardless if the hand has stopped or is still running
• If you press the pusher at 4 o’clock while the chronograph hand is still running, this activates the flyback function whereby the chronograph hand flies back to the zero position and immediately begins a new measurement
• If you press the pusher at 4 o’clock while the chronograph hand is stopped, the chronograph hand will return to the zero position and stay there until you press the pusher at 2 o’clock
• If you are not using the chronograph function, the chronograph hand can continue to run as a seconds hand without any negative effect on the accuracy or power reserve of the watch