I agree the salmon satin dial is not for everyone’s taste… it needs some adjusting in order to appreciate it

 

I like Patek's but I have to say I don't care for the dial layout or color offerings on this particular model. I might consider a 5205 moon for far less $$

 

I actually don’t like the 5205… there are actually very few Pateks that have a little modernity in the design… I think 5235 is one of them.

 

5320 is a perpetual having (I think) only 1 corrector--does it need to be kept on a winder?

 

It has all 4 corrector push buttons but 3 are hidden between lugs.

 

Thanks fot that info--correctors are very important on calledars--I have a perpetual that
I love but it is winder bound when not being worn-

 

5960 annual calendar here. I enjoy fiddling with mine. It took a few minutes to set up, it’s the fun part of owning these. No winder for me.

 

Not really necessary to keep a perpetual calendar on a winder. I have two automatics and a manual, all are easy to reset with a toothpick, that's part of the fun of collecting, you get to interact with the watch.

 

Not necessarily true--it depends on the setting mechanisms-as I said above correctors are freinds on calendars; some are set from
the crown only i.e. IWC perpetuals (which aso include a year indication) fall into that catagory--so no correctors as well as an additional complication but all set from the crown only; inenious perhaps but this makes letting it sit for a few weeks/months eventully very winder friendly..
When you get a few free minutes you might consider the works of Kurt Klaus

 

Chronograph as well-

 

In the end I think my personal choice would be the regulator… For some reason the overall package, originality, movement (and lower price) makes it my winner…

 

Not a fan (at all) of the salmon dial, but fwiw the eggshell dial 5320g is a strong contender, in my mind, for the most beautiful watch ever created. The complication is amazing, the dial proportions and layout are perfect, the case is incredibly complex without being overwrought, and with the arabics, it manages to be both dressy and casual enough to be a one-watch "collection." These are buyable right now in the low 60s; I suspect that in twenty years they'll be hard to find and will fetch low six figures.

The 5396 is also really compelling to me: it's sort of the scaled-down (and far more affordable, in the mid 30s preowned) version of the 5320, with the annual, rather than perpetual, calendar, less complex case design, slightly more traditional sizing, and dart-style rather than arabic indices. Also a pure white, rather than eggshell, dial. In some ways I might find it more attractive and minimalist, but it's less of a design- and technical marvel, and probably less likely to be a sought-after future rarity.

I'd consider both of these true grails, though I don't know if I'll ever be a big enough deal to own one.