Patek Philippe 5978P Chronograph

Patek Philippe has built a new perpetual calendar chronograph only seven times in its 187-year history, and the last one came in 2011. The 5978P breaks that drought with a mechanism borrowed from the brand's grand complications line: an instantaneous perpetual calendar, the kind that jumps every indication at midnight in under 30 milliseconds, normally reserved for watches like the 5208 and 5308. This is the first time Patek has paired that mechanism with its hand-wound CH 29-535 chronograph caliber. The 42mm platinum case borrows its concave bezel and incurved lugs from the Calatrava-style cases of the 5208 and 5205, a departure from the ornate cases Patek typically uses for this complication. The navy sunburst dial carries calendar windows in Italian, a nod to the watch's Milan launch, and the moonphase sits right-side up, correcting a complaint collectors had with the 5308. It ships on a composite strap with red stitching, in a limited run of 120 pieces made for the Milan Grand Exhibition.