PART 3 – 5320G, THE HYBRID WATCH

The 5320g was introduced by Patek Philippe in 2017 as a melding of numerous Patek vintage designs into a modern size and mechanism. The case is a monobloc of white gold and one can see many various parts of vintage Pateks from the lugs to the case, the hands and dial.

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The dial is a delicious ice cream lacquer which provides enough luminosity to be noticed but not enough to be too radiant and overbearing. The syringe hands are reminiscent of an older Patek model and I love their legibility and large size. There is plenty of superluminova on them as well as the hour markers. Checking the time during sleeping hours is a must for me without needing to turn on a sleep disturbing phone.

The 5320g is 40mm in diameter and 11.1mm in thickness. I find it a tad too thick for a vintage Patek but of average thickness for a modern Patek. Because of the tapered bezel and layered lugs, wearing the watch doesn’t feel bulky or thick and has a quite airy feel to it. The day month and moon phase pushers are hidden at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock sides of the case which I prefer to the traditional side positions at 3 and 9 o’clock.

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The 5320g is a very classical looking watch with muted colors but with very modern workings. If aged, one could easily mistake this model for a very old vintage Patek. The arabic numerals remind me of the 1518 fonts and seem identical to the Aquanaut numerals. The dial seems specifically designed for readability with its large luminous hands and numerals. The dial also contains a leap year and night/day indicator, moonphase, day and month apertures and a rotating date hand. But I find that these complications do not at all clutter the dial and in fact there is adequate empty space to enjoy the cream dial. My ideal perpetual calendar would be day, month and date apertures instead of hands but I presume these wheels would add thickness to any watch and would rather choose thinness.

To find a full perpetual calendar with all the luminosity and legibility in the current Patek lineup is difficult to find. This watch has everything I am looking for in a perpetual calendar. And although I prefer the aesthetics and thinness of the 3940, I realize that the 5320g is probably the most practical perpetual calendar for me as a daily wearer. The watch is a perfect midway between dressy and sporty. The white gold and the cream dial provides understatement but at the same time a youthful and energetic vibe. It is in a way a hybrid watch combining vintage and modern, sporty and dressy, understatement and beauty and finally simplicity with complexity.