Patek Philippe Annual Calendar References Guide: 5146, 5205, 5396 and 5326

The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar is the complication Patek patented in 1996: a calendar that knows which months have 30 days and which have 31, so it needs correcting only once a year, at the end of February. The current references split by layout. The 5146 uses day and month subdials with a power reserve and moon phase; the 5396 uses in-line day and month apertures at 12 with the date and moon at 6; the 5205 puts day, date and month in a row of apertures at 12; and the 5326G-001 adds a second time zone as the Annual Calendar Travel Time. This guide explains how the complication works, compares the four references and their siblings, and covers sizes, movements, dealer prices in 2026 and what to check before buying. Bizak & Co. sources Patek annual calendars to order; the Patek Philippe Complications collection lists the configurations we can seek.

Last reviewed on September 21, 2026 by Filip Biczak. Prices are dated observations, not quotes.

How does a Patek Philippe annual calendar work?

A simple date must be corrected five times a year, after every 30-day month and after February. A perpetual calendar corrects itself for every month including leap years, but needs a complex, expensive and delicate mechanism. The annual calendar sits between them: it distinguishes 30-day from 31-day months automatically and asks the owner to advance the date once a year, on 1 March, because it treats February as a 30-day month. Patek developed the mechanism in the mid-1990s as a graduate project with the Institute of Microtechnology in Neuchatel, patented it and launched it in 1996 in the 37 mm reference 5035, which won the Watch of the Year award in Switzerland that year. The advantage is that the mechanism uses rotating wheels rather than the levers and cams of a perpetual, which makes it more robust, thinner to build and cheaper to make and service. Every Patek annual calendar since has used the same principle, and rival brands have licensed or copied it.

Patek Philippe Annual Calendar references compared

Source: the Patek Philippe Complications collection page, which lists the current annual calendar references and their movements, and the Grand Complications page for the perpetual calendars discussed below. Annual calendar chronographs (the 5960 and the flyback 5905) and the Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar 5261R sit outside this guide but use the same calendar principle.

5146: the annual calendar with subdials and power reserve

The 5146 is the direct descendant of the 1996 original: the day and month sit in subdials at 9 and 3, the date shares a subdial with the moon phase at 6, and a power reserve arc sits at 12. It replaced the 5036 in 2005, growing from 37 to 39 mm, and comes in yellow gold with an ivory or slate dial (5146J-001 and 5146J-010), white gold (5146G-001 and 5146G-010) and rose gold (5146R-001), with 5146/1 versions on an integrated gold bracelet. It is the busiest of the current dials and the most traditional, and it is the reference to choose if you want the power reserve indication, which the 5396 and 5205 lack. On the secondary market it is also the most affordable current annual calendar, with unworn examples in our catalogue from US$38,596 on 21 September 2026.

5396: the in-line annual calendar

The 5396 moved the day and month into two apertures side by side under 12, left the date in a subdial at 6 with the moon phase, and added a small 24-hour indicator to the same subdial. The 38.5 mm case is the most Calatrava-like of the group and the thinnest of the three main references. Early dials had baton markers; from 2016 Patek redrew the dial with applied Breguet-style numerals and a silvery opaline finish (5396G-011 and 5396R-011), followed by grey (5396G-014), blue (5396G-017 and 5396R-015) and bracelet versions. Because the 5396 has been in production for twenty years with several dial changes, there is a wide pre-owned spread; the applied-numeral dials from 2016 onward are the ones buyers prefer today.

5205: the three-aperture annual calendar

The 5205, introduced in 2010, puts the day, date and month in a straight line of three apertures beneath 12 and keeps the moon phase and 24-hour indicator at 6, which gives it the cleanest read of any Patek annual calendar. The 40 mm case has the stepped, three-tier lugs Patek used on the 5960 chronograph and looks more contemporary than the 5146 or 5396. The white gold 5205G-013 with a blue gradient dial, introduced in 2019, is the most requested variant; the rose gold 5205R with a black or silvery dial is the quieter option. If you find the 5396 a little small and the 5326 too specialised, the 5205 is the default modern annual calendar.

5326G-001: the Annual Calendar Travel Time

The 5326G-001 arrived in 2022 as the first Patek to combine an annual calendar with the brand's Travel Time dual time zone, on a new micro-rotor calibre 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H. The calendar reads day and month in apertures and the date by a hand, and the mechanism keeps the calendar synchronised with local time when the second time zone is jumped forward or back across midnight, which is the engineering achievement of the reference. The 41 mm white gold case has a vintage flavour, with a grained charcoal dial, syringe hands and a knurled bezel band, and it ships with two straps on a quick-change system. It is the most expensive annual calendar in the current line and the one with the smallest supply.

Annual calendar or perpetual calendar?

The annual calendar buys most of the perpetual's daily convenience for a large discount, in a thicker, more robust package that costs less to service. The perpetual is the collector's choice and holds value better once discontinued. Both are stopped if left unworn for more than about two days, so a winder or a habit of daily wear matters more than the difference between them.

How much is a Patek Philippe Annual Calendar? Retail and dealer prices in 2026

• Retail. Patek's US list prices for the 5146, 5396 and 5205 have sat roughly in the US$45,000 to US$60,000 band in recent years depending on metal and dial, with bracelet versions and the 5326G-001 above it; the collection page linked above carries the current figures. Annual calendars are among the more obtainable Patek references at authorised dealers, though the blue-dial 5205G-013 and the 5326G-001 have waiting lists in some markets.
• Secondary market. Through 2025 and 2026 most annual calendars have been asked at or below retail when pre-owned and modestly above when unworn with certificate; the 5326G-001 has carried a premium since launch. Discontinued 5035 and 5036 examples are the value route into the complication.
• Bizak catalogue asks. On 21 September 2026 our sourced catalogue listed the 5146J-010 at US$38,596, the 5146G-010 at US$40,148 and the 5146G-001 and 5146J-001 at US$44,000; the 5396G-011 at US$44,289, the 5396G-014 at US$48,850, the 5396R-015 at US$60,165, the 5396G-017 at US$61,790 and the 5396R-011 at US$61,800; the 5205G-013 at US$50,984 and the 5205R-010 at US$56,458; the 5326G-001 at US$75,756; the 5235G-001 regulator at US$43,260; pre-owned bracelet models 5146/1R-001 at US$52,156 and 5396/1G at US$66,402; and pre-owned 5035J and 5036J at US$19,529 and US$32,549, all sourced to order.

Those figures describe what we saw and will move. Ask for a dated quote for the exact reference, dial and set; our Patek Philippe price guide explains how complications are priced against the sports models.

Buying a Patek annual calendar: what to check

• Certificate of Origin. The certificate should carry the dealer stamp, sale date and matching case and movement numbers. Patek does not reissue certificates; for an older 5035 or 5036 an Extract from the Archives can confirm the numbers and sale date.
• Calendar setting. Ask the seller to show the date, day and month advancing through the recessed correctors on the case; a corrector that sticks or a display that jumps out of sequence points to a calendar module that needs service.
• Moon phase alignment. Check the moon disc against a lunar calendar; a misaligned moon is easy to fix but tells you the watch has been stopped and reset carelessly.
• Dial variant. On the 5396, confirm whether the dial is the pre-2016 baton style or the later applied-numeral style, as prices differ; on the 5146, confirm the dial colour against the suffix.
• Case and lugs. Gold cases polish easily; look for crisp bevels on the 5205's stepped lugs and an unrounded bezel on the 5396.
• Bracelet on /1 references. Count links and check the clasp; gold links are expensive to replace.
• Service history. A calibre 324 more than eight to ten years from its last service should be priced with a service in mind.
• Price against the band. An unworn 5326G-001 offered under retail is the single most reliable warning sign.

Our authentication process describes what we inspect before dispatch, and our Patek Philippe authentication guide goes deeper on papers and extracts.

Quick answers

How much is a Patek Philippe Annual Calendar?

Patek's US list prices for the 5146, 5396 and 5205 have sat roughly between US$45,000 and US$60,000 in recent years. Bizak's sourced catalogue listed unworn examples from US$38,596 for the 5146J-010 to US$75,756 for the 5326G-001 on 21 September 2026.

What is the difference between an annual calendar and a perpetual calendar?

An annual calendar handles 30 and 31-day months automatically but must be corrected once a year at the end of February; a perpetual calendar also handles February and leap years and needs no correction until 2100.

When did Patek Philippe invent the annual calendar?

Patek patented the mechanism and launched it in 1996 in reference 5035, which was named Watch of the Year in Switzerland that year.

Which Patek annual calendar is the smallest?

The 5396 at 38.5 mm is the smallest current reference; the 5146 is 39 mm, the 5205 is 40 mm and the 5326G-001 is 41 mm.

What is the Patek Philippe 5326G-001?

The Annual Calendar Travel Time, introduced in 2022: a 41 mm white gold watch that combines the annual calendar with a second time zone on the micro-rotor calibre 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H.

Request a Patek Philippe Annual Calendar sourcing quote

Tell us the reference, metal, dial, whether the certificate and full set are required, plus your budget and timing, through our sourcing enquiry form. We confirm the specific watch, photographs, certificate and final price before you commit. Catalogue entries: Annual Calendar 5146G-001, Annual Calendar 5396G-017, Annual Calendar 5205G-013, Annual Calendar Travel Time 5326G-001; browse the Complications collection, the Grand Complications collection, or sell or trade your Patek Philippe.

Related reading: Patek Philippe price guide · Nautilus 5726 annual calendar guide · Nautilus 5740 perpetual calendar guide · Patek Philippe authentication guide.