I’m sure everybody reading this is already aware, but yesterday was the first day of Watches & Wonders 2022. The press embargo floodgates opened, and a veritable deluge of articles saturated the online watch community.

However, as overwhelming and exhausting as the first day of a major show can be, at least we finally get to dispel the rumor mill and see what brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph are actually releasing.

We already recapped Rolex’s novelties yesterday. So, today we look at how Patek Philippe’s releases stacked up to pre-show expectations.
One of my favorite releases of Watches & Wonders is Patek’s Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G, as it is filled with paradoxes.

For starters, I was really hoping for Patek to play around with strap materials, as juxtaposing high complications with unorthodox bands has always been a specialty of the maison (no further example is needed than the Aquanaut with its rubber strap), and I wasn’t disappointed. As someone whose style is based on mixing t-shirts and tweed jackets, the contrast between the annual calendar and nubuck finished strap is where complicated and casual meet. With this reference being the watchmaker’s first annual calendar timepiece with a travel time display system, this technical masterpiece (priced at $76,880) is an instant hit. Though the 5326 features the utmost technical prowess, the appeal is in features like the strap and Calatrava-esque case that make this watch wearable. Watches are meant to be worn, and this piece proves that very sentiment.
In 2021, the most coveted dial color was green. Every brand was doing it. Yet Patek chose to do it again in 2022 but in a brighter shade than the brand’s highly coveted khaki hue. But in what I can only explain as a bid to prove why green dials are here to stay, the release of the World Time Ref. 7130R ($57,960) and the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5270P ($211,720) are prime examples of just how striking green can be, especially as the backdrop to a complication (or two). As someone who is very biased to the reference 7130, this far exceeded my expectations, as this green world timer will garner global envy.
In all honesty, I never expected Patek to continue the trend of green dials, least of all in the Twenty~4.

Don’t get me wrong: If you are looking for an under-the-radar reference, the new green-dialed 4910 will make for effortless daily wear. However, with the arguably sportier release of the Ref. 7300 a few years ago, I was expecting a dial variation for that model, not the reference 4910.
In full transparency, if I had a crystal ball, I would not be in watches; I would be on a beach in the South of France watching my portfolio rise exponentially. But having said that, being a watch collector for almost half of my life, I can say Patek Philippe did indeed meet my expectations and (mostly) aligned with my own predictions. In full transparency, if I had a crystal ball, I would not be in watches; I would be on a beach in the South of France watching my portfolio rise exponentially. But having said that, being a watch collector for almost half of my life, I can say Patek Philippe did indeed meet my expectations and (mostly) aligned with my own predictions.