A Guide to the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960

By Logan Baker

A look back at Patek Philippe’s first annual calendar chronograph, from its platinum debut in 2006 to its final white-gold edition.

At first glance, the ref. 5960 looks like an outlier in Patek Philippe’s catalogue. But beneath its sporty design and unusual dial layout lies one of the most important modern milestones for the brand.

This was the first time Patek Philippe combined an annual calendar with a chronograph, the first time it unveiled an in-house self-winding chronograph movement, and the first time a complicated calendar-equipped Patek carried such a modern, sport-leaning aesthetic.

Almost 20 years after its 2006 debut, the now-discontinued 5960 feels more significant than ever.

To understand why, you need to see the 5960 in the context of Patek’s calendar innovations. In 1889, Patek patented a perpetual calendar for pocket watches. In 1925, it produced the first perpetual calendar wristwatch. And in 1996, the brand split the difference with the annual calendar, launched on the ref. 5035. The annual calendar requires only one correction per year – on March 1 – making it practical and approachable without sacrificing mechanical prestige.

With the 5960, Patek took that concept in a sportier direction. At 40.5mm in diameter, it was larger than Patek’s typical calendar pieces, with pump pushers and a unique three-aperture dial layout that felt fresh and unlike anything else in the brand’s catalogue.

Inside the 5960 sits the calibre CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H, Patek Philippe’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement. Until then, the brand typically relied on Lemania ébauches for its chronographs. With the CH 28-520, Patek delivered an attractively finished movement developed entirely in-house.

The movement pairs a flyback chronograph with a vertical clutch, a column wheel, and a 21k gold rotor. The vertical clutch allows the central chronograph hand to run continuously as a quasi-seconds hand, with none of the stutter you get from horizontal clutches. The monocounter display at six o’clock consolidates elapsed hours and minutes in a single sub-dial, accompanied by a day/night indicator. Add three calendar apertures across the top of the dial and a power-reserve at 12, and you get a display that’s unorthodox but surprisingly legible on the wrist.

Inside the 5960 sits the calibre CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H, Patek Philippe’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement. Until then, the brand typically relied on Lemania ébauches for its chronographs. With the CH 28-520, Patek delivered an attractively finished movement developed entirely in-house.

The movement pairs a flyback chronograph with a vertical clutch, a column wheel, and a 21k gold rotor. The vertical clutch allows the central chronograph hand to run continuously as a quasi-seconds hand, with none of the stutter you get from horizontal clutches. The monocounter display at six o’clock consolidates elapsed hours and minutes in a single sub-dial, accompanied by a day/night indicator. Add three calendar apertures across the top of the dial and a power-reserve at 12, and you get a display that’s unorthodox but surprisingly legible on the wrist.

It’s also beautifully finished, with Côtes de Genève across the bridges, polished bevels, and circular graining on the mainplate.

Platinum

The debut ref. 5960P-001 (2006–2013) carried a grey dial with applied markers and gold-framed windows. Later, Patek added a blue-dial variant (5960P-015, 2010–2014) and a black-dial edition (5960P-016, 2013–2014).

The platinum case gives the watch real heft – fitting for such a groundbreaking model. The pump pushers evoked vintage chronographs, while the 40.5mm diameter ensured modern presence. These early platinum 5960s remain highly desirable among collectors.

Pink Gold

In 2009, the ref. 5960R-001 arrived in pink gold with a grey dial. Later versions expanded the palette: silver dial (5960R-011), black dial with white discs (5960R-010), and black dial with matching black discs (5960R-012).

Produced between 2009 and 2014, the pink gold 5960s balanced warmth and complication, leaning slightly dressier than its platinum counterparts.

Stainless Steel

Then came the real surprise. In 2014, Patek released the ref. 5960/1A-001 in stainless steel with a matching bracelet and white dial with red accents. Steel complicated Pateks outside the Nautilus or Aquanaut are rare enough; to see one in the annual calendar chronograph line was unprecedented.

The original white dial with red accents pushed the watch into sporty territory. In 2017, Patek followed up with the black-dial 5960/1A-010. Both were discontinued in 2018, but they showed a different side of Patek: casual, daily-wear complications built for the modern collector.

White Gold

After steel came white gold. The ref. 5960/01G-001, introduced in 2017, merged the elegance of the original platinum version with the sportier flair of the steel watches. Its grained blue dial with red accents was both fashionable and versatile. This was the final standard-production 5960, quietly retired in the late 2010s (and replaced by the next-gen ref. 5905).

The 5960 is a fascinating chapter in Patek Philippe’s story. It marked a technical milestone as the brand’s first in-house automatic chronograph. It represented a stylistic leap – introducing a sportier aesthetic to a traditionally formal line of calendars. And it remains fairly unique in the contemporary canon of Patek Philippe, with versions in platinum, pink gold, stainless steel, and white gold that defy easy categorization.

Collectors once overlooked the 5960, but its significance is becoming increasingly clear as time passes. It introduced a landmark movement, was available in a surprisingly wide variety of metals, and had a concise but impactful production run.

Two examples sum up the diversity of the 5960 range, and are available for immediate purchase right now through Phillips Perpetual.

The ref. 5960/01G-001 in white gold was the final evolution – pairing a grained blue dial with sporty red accents inside the elegance of a white gold case. It's a watch that can shift easily between formal and casual wear. It’s available for CHF 42,911.

The ref. 5960P-016, with its platinum case and deep black dial, was one of the last platinum versions before Patek pivoted toward steel. It’s heavier, more commanding, and historically crucial as part of the original series, offered at CHF 67,897.

Both of these watches showcase the calibre CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H in all its glory, housed in metal and dial combinations that capture the full arc of the 5960 story.

The discontinuation of the 5960 around 2018 closed the book on one of Patek Philippe’s most distinctive modern references. Its production run spanned just over a decade, but in that time, it delivered multiple firsts and set the stage for successors like the ref. 5905.

For collectors today, the appeal of the 5960 lies in its contradictions.

It is sporty yet refined, practical yet technically impressive, historically important yet once underappreciated. It was a bold experiment – and looking back, it stands as one of the most intriguing releases from Patek Philippe in the 21st century.

More importantly, if you’re looking for a complicated Patek you can comfortably wear every day, few references make a stronger case than the 5960.

About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past decade reporting on every aspect of the watch business. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department's Senior Editorial Manager. He's based in Geneva.