Patek Philippe 5123R Calatrava Review

The most impressive characteristic in Patek Philippe is without any doubt the high number of references that make up the catalogue for a brand whose production is estimated at 45,000 pieces per year. Take for example the 2 or 3 hands simple watches: Patek Philippe offers a wide range of proposals which is getting broader in 2012 with the unveiling of the 5123R.

By discovering the Calatrava 5123R, I didn't have the feeling to be in front of a novelty of this year. Because it is the main force of Patek Philippe: with constant reminders of the past, each new watch gives the impression of never having left the catalog. There is something extremely comforting in this approach that responds perfectly to the expectations of the clients who like to create links between today and yesterday references.





From an aesthetic point of view, the 5123R can be considered as a reinterpretation of the Calatrava 2526: Dauphine hands, the minutes track, the shape of the indexes,  they all bring back the purity of the dial of this famous reference. In the watchmaking world, it is very complicated to do it simple. Patek Philippe however doesn't have this kind of problem because its rich history is an inexhaustible source of inspiration and the 2526 constitutes the quintessence of the 3 hands watch.

At this stage, I know that some of you don't agree with me about the 2526 inspiration and that other reference like the 2573 due to the second hand display and even the case shape. But again, it is another asset for Patek Philippe: each of us can find the link with the past he wants to find.

The 2573:





Credit: Guille

The 2526:



Credit: Fabios

Back to the 5123R:







The silver opaline dial (and not an enamel one unfortunately as it was often the case for the 2526) has a deep elegance, the Dauphine hands tell the time with a very refined way over applied gold indexes which provide the necessary touch of volume. The second hand is very discrete, its sector being materialized by the crossing of two extremely fine perpendicular lines. This effect of style, while commonly seen in the past, is not harmless here and shows great skill from the Patek Philippe designers. This subtle sector tries to  hide dial side the main problem of the 5123R: the movement size which is too small. While this problem appears clearly on the 5196 which uses the same caliber, it tends to fade on the 5123R while the case of the latter is bigger (38 mm vs 37 mm for the 5196).





If the 2526 resemblance is quite obvious from the aesthetic point of view, it is  absolutely not the case from the mechanical point of view. The 5123R is a handwind watch in which we find the venerable and old 215PS. This movement is of course excellent, it has powered with efficiently many watches for several decades. I love its lay-out, the shape of its bridges and its performance is after all very acceptable. It features the Gyromax balance, a power reserve for 44 hours with a frequency of 4hz (which is quite unusual for this type of movement)  and all this, in a very contained size. If the thinness (2, 55 mm) is an asset in the context of a dressed watch, the 21.9 mm diameter is more problematic. To fully understand the difficulty to make the movement visible, you must realize that the 215PS is naturally found in 31 mm cases and Patek Philippe was even obliged to hide it with a solid caseback  in the context of the 5196 in order to avoid the view on the encircling ring.





All the Patek Philippe talent was to manage to create an opportunity from this concern: the movement is too small? Not a problem, we adapt the case! And so the 5123R uses with a rose gold case  with amazing curves which we have the pleasure to discover after the first glance. The diameter of the back is considerably reduced from the 38 mm (excluding crown) dial side. When the watch is turned over, the movement size is not anymore shocking. However, this unusual case shape may be surprising. The lugs as seen dial side seem to be very short while their actual size is far from being small.





When I put the watch on my wrist, these considerations were faded due to the charm of the dial is and the overall elegance which gives some power of seduction. I find it most convincing than the 5196. But I also believe that Patek Philippe has reached the end of the process with the 215PS. While the competition has been very active in renewing handwind movements (I'm thinking about Vacheron with the 4400 or  about Lange & Söhne with the L051.1 and L093.1  which are more adapted to the context of today cases), Patek Philippe still remains stuck with its 215PS. Time has come to find a worthy successor to this proud movement and to design new simple watches with will be balanced both dial and movement sides. The Patek Philippe prestige and power of attraction  are so out-of-competition that the Manufacture has to be very careful not to do it too easy. It is a feeling that cannot be excluded when we analyse this 5123R.





Many thanks to the Patek Philippe France team.