Patek Philippe

Last year saw Patek Philippe introduce an impressive number of new models at Basel, followed by the unveiling of the new Nautilus line later in the year. After all the work put in last year, the good folks in Geneva must have taken a break for the new releases of 2007 are substantially less voluminous and complicated compared to 2006.

Some of the fair attendees found this year's showing by Patek Philippe disappointing. I was not blown away by what was presented, but the Patek Philippe formula for 2007 is exactly what has made it successful - creating non-controversial, classical watches, with a bit of inspiration from the archives. The very contemporary ref. 5960 automatic chronograph with annual calendar of 2006 was actually a sharp departure from that tradition, and is not something I expect Patek Philippe to repeat too often.

There was no new grande complication shown at Baselworld, instead the ref. 5102 astronomical wristwatch was presented in yellow gold for the first time; previously it was only available in white gold. Typically, blue dials are paired with white gold watches and they work very well. However, the deep blue dial of the Celestial, sprinkled with golden stars, works much better with yellow gold. That of course is a purely academic opinion since this watch is a bit too expensive for me.

Continuing with the theme of grande complications, the ref. 5971 perpetual calendar with chronograph is now available in platinum with a diamond set bezel and folding buckle, and diamond dial markers, totalling 4.2 carats. Replacing the ref. 5071 chronograph, this watch is now the only jewelled high complication in the Patek Philippe collection.

The predecessor of the ref. 5970, the ref. 3970, was also offered in platinum with diamond markers, but without the diamonds on the case or buckle. That version was my favourite iteration of the ref. 3970. Perhaps Patek Philippe will do the same for the ref. 5970 and introduce a version sans diamonds on bezel and buckle in 2008. A hint of 'bling' is better than a truckload of it.

Complications in a different get-up continue with the ref. 5140 perpetual calendar in yellow gold. Launched last year to replace the smaller ref. 3940, the 36.2mm wide ref. 5140 was only available in white gold until now.

The ref. 5130 world time is also presented in a new metal, platinum. Originally only offered in gold, buyers now have the option of spending a lot more money for the same watch.

As is tradition, Patek Philippe has discontinued a significant complication this year, the ref. 5059 perpetual calendar with retrograde date, taking its place is the ref. 5159. The cal. 315 movement remains the same, but the case has been widened to 38mm and the dial has been redesigned. I am not a fan of the new dial with its guilloche central portion, but no doubt this will be flying off the shelves.

For most of its life the ref. 5059 has never been the pre-eminent perpetual calendar of Patek Philippe, the ref. 3940 and 3970 have always been more popular. Now that it has been discontinued I expect it will receive a lot more attention.

The Nautilus luxury sports watch is made even more luxe with the addition of ref. 5711 automatic in three colours of gold on a leather strap. These gold ref. 5711 watches are the exact same size as the steel version introduced last year. My favourite of the trio is the white gold model, it is discreet and subtle. I never liked the Nautilus on a leather strap, but the white gold model has changed my mind.

The other Patek Philippe sports model, the Aquanaut, has received a facelift this year, the tenth anniversary of its introduction. As with the previous model, the men's Aquanaut is available in two sizes of 38mm and 40mm, ref. 5165 and ref. 5167 respectively.

Both new Aquanauts have dials that gradually darken from grey in the center to black on the outer edge of the dial, much like the colour scheme found on the steel Nautilus; the outgoing Aquanaut has a single tone black dial. Another improvement is the integrated rubber strap which gives the watch a sleeker profile. The final modification is a heftier double fold clasp, a welcome change especially compared to the flimsy clasp found on the original Aquanaut.

Ladies have not been forgotten on the tenth anniversary of the Aquanaut. Two new models have been added to the Aquanaut Luce collection, a range of 34mm Aquanauts in pastel colours with diamonds. Ice Blue and Metal Grey are the names of the latest Aquanaut Luce models, and they will the existing colours of purple, black and white. Both models have diamond set bezels and are quartz, although the diamond pave version with stones set on the bezel and case (ref. 5069) is automatic.

If it seems odd that Patek Philippe is expanding the existing ladies' Aquanaut line when the men's version has been discontinued, the answer is simple - the Aquanaut Luce was only introduced a year ago and is still "fresh".

In the early 20th century until the Great Depression, Gondolo & Labouriau of Rio de Janeiro was one of the world's leading Patek Philippe retailers. Patek Philippe delivered many wristwatches in various unique case shapes to the Brazilian jeweller, thus giving rise to the modern day Gondolo collection which appropriately contains wristwatches of assorted shapes.

Surprisingly, one of the most talked about releases of this year was the simple Gondolo ref. 5098, a tonneau shaped wristwatch modelled after a vintage piece from the twenties. This is my favourite Patek Philippe of 2007. It is a beautiful watch that wears very well and the guilloche dial is a treat. There is absolutely nothing revolutionary or creative about the watch, but it looks lovely and sometimes that is more than enough.

Patek Philippe also unveiled another Gondolo watch this year, the ref. 4949 for ladies. Although they are part of the same Gondolo collection, the ref. 4949 is worlds apart from the classic ref. 5098. This ladies watch offers a modern design that is not at all delicate, precisely the kind of look that is popular with the modern woman; the watch is also quartz. A nice touch is the braided pattern in relief on the side of the case.

There were also new complications for ladies, the first of which is the ref. 4934 Travel Time, available in either white or rose gold, with matching mother-of-pearl dials. The rose gold model appeals more than the white version, because of the rich colours and depth of colour in the brown mother-of-pearl dial.

This model uses the same manually wound dual timezone movement found in the men's ref. 5134 Travel Time, but it is smaller at 35mm compared to the 36mm diameter of the men's model. Given that it is one of the few timezone watches designed for ladies, the ref. 4934 will be popular, perhaps even more so than the men's model, especially since the latter has to compete with Patek Philippe World Time.

We end with another ladies' complicated watch, the ref. 4936 Annual. Previously this model was only offered in white or yellow gold, now there is an additional option of rose gold with a white mother-of-pearl dial.