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Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 37.2mm White Gold
Ref. 5140G-001
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Stepping up in Patek Philippe's range
The 5140 arrived in 2006 as the direct successor to the 3940, one of the most admired perpetual calendars Patek ever made. The case grew slightly from its predecessor's 36mm, enough to read as a considered update rather than a simple reissue, while the design kept faith with the same discipline: no surplus ornament, the calendar laid out across the dial in balanced registers, everything in its place. What makes the 5140 quietly remarkable is the Calibre 240 Q itself. The 240 is Patek's own ultra-thin automatic, built around a 22-carat gold micro-rotor sitting off-centre so the movement can remain genuinely slender — and at 8.9mm the case is thin enough to disappear beneath a shirt cuff in a way that a perpetual calendar, with all its mechanical freight, has no obvious right to be. The calendar reads month lengths, date and leap years without any intervention required on the owner's part until 2100, which is either a pleasingly long service interval or a useful reminder of how well the problem has been solved. Geneva Seal finishing runs throughout, visible through the sapphire caseback: hand-bevelled bridges, precise striping, the kind of work that exists because someone decided it should, not because anyone will often look.
- Reference
- 5140G-001
- Brand
- Patek Philippe
- Collection
- Grand ComplicationsCase Size: 37
- Case size
- 37.2mm
- Case thickness
- 8.9mm
- Lug width
- 19mm
- Case material
- White gold
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 240 Q
- Functions
- Day-date, Moonphase
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Pre-owned
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 46mm
- Power reserve
- 48 hours
Learn more about Patek Philippe
Antoine Norbert de Patek, a Polish cavalry officer exiled after the November Uprising, founded a watch business in Geneva in 1839 with his countryman François Czapek. The partnership dissolved after six years, and in 1845 Patek took on the French watchmaker Adrien Philippe, inventor of the keyless winding crown. The firm became Patek Philippe in 1851.
That single invention mattered more than any other in the company's early history: it removed the winding key, and every modern watch descends from it. Queen Victoria bought a Patek pendant watch at the Great Exhibition the same year, establishing the royal patronage the house has traded on ever since.
The Stern family, dial manufacturers and long-standing suppliers, bought the company in 1932 during the Depression. Four generations later it remains in their hands — the last independent family-owned manufacture in Geneva, currently led by Thierry Stern.
Patek's reputation rests on complications: the Calibre 89 of 1989 carried thirty-three of them, and the Grandmaster Chime remains among the most complicated wristwatches made. The Nautilus, drawn by Gérald Genta in 1976 as a steel luxury sports watch, became an unlikely commercial phenomenon four decades after launch.
Production stays deliberately modest, in the tens of thousands annually, and every watch carries the Patek Philippe Seal, an in-house standard the company adopted in 2009 after abandoning the Geneva Seal as insufficiently strict.
- 1839
- Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek found the firm in Geneva.
- 1845
- Adrien Philippe joins, bringing the keyless winding crown.
- 1851
- The company is renamed Patek Philippe; Queen Victoria buys a watch.
- 1932
- The Stern family acquires the company.
- 1976
- The Nautilus debuts, designed by Gérald Genta.
- 2009
- The Patek Philippe Seal replaces the Geneva Seal.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Automatic Watches (1,458), Leather Strap Watches (934), Silver Dial Watches (636), Dress Watches (459), Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (271) and Solid Gold Watches (108).
2-year Goldsmiths warranty
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 37.2mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Patek Philippe's range as we list it
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Compare alternatives
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| Specification | 5140G-001 | 15450ST.OO.1256ST.03 | O13150392002002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £49,950 | £37,950 | £33,000 |
| Case size | 37.2mm | 37mm | 39mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 48 hours | 60 hours | 55 hours |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 48 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
19mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 46mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 37.2mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths at £49,950, pre-owned. No UK retailer we track lists this reference new.
Is this available new?
Not from the UK retailers we track. This reference is listed as pre-owned only, at £49,950 from Goldsmiths. Goldsmiths test every pre-owned watch for authenticity, timekeeping and water resistance, and warrant it for 2 years — the same term they give on a new watch.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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