Complications
AndCavanaugh's deep dive into Patek Philippe's Caliber R27 Tourbillon movement offers a rare glimpse into the early iterations of this horological marvel. His meticulous examination of the movement's evolution, from its unique yellow gold third wheel to the silent strike governor, provides invaluable context for understanding Patek Philippe's innovative spirit in minute repeaters. This article highlights why the R27 Tourbillon remains a cornerstone for collectors and enthusiasts alike.
In 1989 Patek Philippe launched their first “in-house” repeater movement: caliber R27. The R27 comes in two flavors, self-winding and tourbillon. This was the first time Patek used a silent strike governor in a standalone repeater. This system was developed in the late 1800s but was mostly found on cheap repeater watches.
In the tourbillon version, the third wheel is made of gold, and shaped like the wheel of a rounding-up machine. Making wheels out of gold isn’t all that unusual, however, the gold alloy is normally pink (high copper) or white (high nickel/zinc), for better properties. Patek used a yellow gold allow here, which is a little weird.
Anyway, the first R27 with tourbillon was 1’903’000, which is still owned by Patek Philippe. The next was obviously 1’903’001, then 002, etc…
000 to 002 do not have the gold octopus wheel, instead its just a plain brass wheel. There are other differences too, the tourbillon bridge was brass instead of polished steel, the titanium tourbillon cage isn’t polished, and the jewel for the center wheel is missing the gold setting.
I don’t have any pictures of 003, but 004 does have the steel bridge and gold third wheel. A lot of R27 tourbillon movements have been made, but I think there are only 3-4 of these rough early ones, and one is in the Patek Philippe Museum.
The R27 TO is currently used in ref 5303, 5207, 5316, and 6002 Sky Moon Tourbillon. Engagement question: why doesn’t the Sky Moon Tourbillon have seconds hand coaxial with the moon phase like the 5316?
The reference 5207 represents Breguet's approach to the tourbillon complication within the Classique collection. This manual-wind timepiece positions itself as part of the brand's Tourbillon series, offering the visual spectacle of the rotating escapement in a traditional round case format.
The 39mm case is crafted from 18k rose gold and fitted with a sapphire crystal. The silver dial provides contrast against the warm-toned case material. A manual-winding movement powers the timepiece, requiring daily winding to maintain operation. The fixed bezel maintains clean proportions, while 30-meter water resistance provides basic protection against moisture.
This reference appeals to collectors seeking a tourbillon complication in precious metal with traditional proportions. The 39mm case size accommodates most wrist sizes without excessive presence. The combination of rose gold case and silver dial offers visual contrast for those preferring warm metal tones with neutral dial colors. The manual movement requires engagement from the wearer through regular winding.
interesting post on the movements ! Did you have to spend much time on the research ?
This might end up as part of something larger on caliber R27 in general, or as something on tourbillons, since the R27 TO is by far the most produced Patek tourbillon movement.
I believe the 6002 has the base movement rotated roughly 30 degrees clockwise, such that the crown is relocated to 4 o'clock. Thus the tourbillon cage is now shifted to 7 o'clock (dial side). Maintaining a seconds hand at 6 o'clock will require an auxiliary geartrain to connect the tourbillon cage shaft from 7 to 6 o'clock, provided if there's even space under the moonphase disc for that. Regards, skyeriding
of finishings than the one on the left. I wonder if it is because the 1st one is a kind of Ebauche and the other one a fully refinished movement ?
Only 3 or 4 of the 1000+ of these movements Patek has made look like the left. These are just very, very early versions of the movement. This change happened in 1992, while Patek dropped the Geneva seal in mid-2009. Here's one with the better decoration and the geneva seal.
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