Politician Éric Dupond-Moretti spotted wearing a Patek Philippe

Éric Dupond-Moretti, France's combative former Garde des Sceaux and one of the country's most recognized legal figures, was recently spotted wearing a Patek Philippe 5960P-001 — a watch that occupies a quietly elite corner of the Geneva manufacture's catalog and rewards those who understand what is actually on the wrist.

The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Flyback Chronograph reference 5960P-001 was introduced at Baselworld 2006 and represented a significant technical statement. Its 40.5mm platinum case houses caliber CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H, a manufacture movement beating at 28,800 vph with a 55-hour power reserve. The integrated architecture combines a column-wheel flyback chronograph with an annual calendar — a complication that requires only a single correction per year, at the end of February. An additional 24-hour subdial distinguishes day from night. The dial in this reference presents a slate-toned anthracite finish with applied Breguet numerals, giving it an austere, intellectual character that suits platinum's cool luster perfectly.

Among collectors, the 5960P occupies a specific and respected position. It is not as stratospherically rare as the perpetual calendar references, but the flyback function combined with the annual calendar in a single movement is genuinely difficult to engineer, and Patek executed it without visual clutter. The platinum variant — designated by the P suffix — is considered the purest expression of the reference, preferred over the white or rose gold versions for its density, its patina resistance, and its understated visual weight.

Dupond-Moretti's background as a defense attorney — he secured acquittals in some of France's most high-profile criminal cases before joining government under Emmanuel Macron in 2020 — gives the choice of this particular watch a certain coherence. The 5960P is precise, argumentative in its technical construction, and unshowy to anyone who doesn't already know. It is a lawyer's watch in the best possible sense.

On the secondary market, the Patek Philippe 5960P-001 trades at a meaningful premium over its original retail price, reflecting both the desirability of platinum Pateks and the continued relevance of the annual calendar complication. Buyers seeking one in full set condition should expect to pay well above list.