The Patek Philippe 5496R Grand Complication Perpetual Calendar with Retrograde Date may seem straightforward at first glance. However, beneath its clean and easily readable dial lies a remarkable level of complexity! I Introduced a decade ago (2015), this model was somewhat of an oddball at the time in Patek's calendar lineup, with the other models being the more “traditional” references like the 5139/5140, the cushion-shaped 5940, and the 5159/5160 with the “officer-style” case. The case is well-proportioned at 39.5 mm, with four correction pushers positioned along the vertical side, enabling the wearer to easily adjust the day, date, month, year, and moon-phase indications with a simple corrector stylus. The Caliber 324 QR can be admired through the fitted display caseback. The “retrograde” calendar display makes it foolproof, so to speak. Two apertures, positioned at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, display the month and day, respectively. Each indication is presented with black text against a white background, while gold frames the rectangular openings. A leap year indication sits in the upper region of the dial, imparting information with Roman numerals. A standout feature of the dial is the elegant representation of the date. An arc-shaped track gracefully encircles the dial from 8 o’clock to 4 o’clock. Arabic numerals mark the odd-numbered dates, while simple dots placed in between signify the even-numbered dates. A petite golden hand with a red arrow tip indicates the current date, and as the month concludes, this hand gracefully returns to its starting point.The fact that each solid gold numeral is hand-finished and set by hand adds another layer of craftsmanship to this watch ! The Genevan Maison refers to the dial of the Patek Philippe 5496R as ‘silvery opaline,’ though we believe ‘cream’ is a more fitting description, with masculine, elegant faceted dauphine hands. Once again, the indexes are faceted, catching and playing with the light. Delicate ‘dots’ adorn the outer edge of the dial, improving the clarity of the minute and second markers. A romantic moon-phase aperture at six o’clock completes the dial. This minty Patek comes on its original Patek leather strap with an 18k pink gold folding buckle attached. Furthermore, this is essentially a “full set”—the second (“closed”) 18k pink gold case back is included, along with the 18k pink gold corrector stylus, the outer and inner boxes (doubling as a watch winder), and all the accessories for the mentioned watch winder plus a leather folder with booklets. Additionally, the certificate of origin mentions a sale at Christmas 2015. We think this is a very cool perpetual calendar with a somewhat romantic, non-conservative look. It has grown on us since we received it, and we believe you should consider it a strong contender if you're looking for a fine Patek perpetual calendar! Specifications: - Patek Philippe Retro grade Perpetual calendar reference 5496R- 39.5 mm 18 k pink gold case with open & closed case backs- Movement no 607xxxx case no 589xxxx- Dates to 2015- Perpetual calendar “retro grade layout with moon phase- Automatic movement Cal324 QR- Inner / outer box doubling as watch winder & full box of accessories for the watch winder , leather folder with booklets- PP Leather strap with original Patek Philippe pink gold folding buckle- 18 k pink gold corrector pin- The certificate of origin mentions a sale at Christmas 2015.- Fully checked by our watchmaker- One-year mechanical warranty- Free worldwide Fedex Priority shipping