Patek Philippe

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Ref. 5170 - The genesis of a new classic ...

or already a classic?

The movement (CH 29-535 PS) was already introduced in 2009 ...




... and the watch itself in 2010. We can´t call it a classic after a few years only, can we?


For a better (common) understanding we have to look at the watch, in detail. Therefore I used the opportunity to handle the watch and to take pictures of two pieces, at a very kind Patek Philippe AD. It took me so long to see one and now I was lucky enough to see two - even better



My first impression, from "official" pictures only, was: Nice, but somehow cold and boring. That it was (and still is) only available in "old fashioned" yellow gold didn´t help.



First impression in the metal: Better, much better!

I was positively surprised about the solid weight of the watch - very balanced, not too heavy and not too light. Just perfect for a classical chronograph.




The readability is just fine and meets all my expectations if we talk about classical chronographs.

Sometimes the dial looks a bit cold, but it depends on the light and if you look closer it gets totally different.
It is far from beeing cold, it is outstanding - if we look in detail.



The watch and especially the dial is full of sublime details and a real feast for the eyes of a connoisseur.

But have a look on the pictures I took for you and tell me afterwards what you think about the grainy dial, the polished indexes, the undestated but sophisticated hands ...
















The details of the case are very well known from any Patek Phillipp admirer. Nothing new in general, but a  lot of attention to the details and nothing is missing at the end.
E.g. the crown is slightly bigger than former ones, without being too big for the case or uncomfortable on the wrist and it is a pleasure to use.



The lugs and the pushers are well known and close to be perfect.












Is there anything I would improve on the case? Yes, it is slightly too shiny for my taste.

Easy to solve as it just has to be worn

The first scratch will hurt, even when it is a small one, but after some time it should look perfect when wearing frequently.
It definetly belongs on the wrist - frequently.





The movement was topic of several discussions before. Quite often there is a comparison between the CH 27-70, the CH 29-535 PS and the chronograph movements from A. Lange & Söhne.
Which one is superior or more beautiful? Well they all have slightly different approaches, but all of them are among the best you can get when you look for a manual winding chronograph.

The approach and some technical features of the CH 29-535 PS are described by Patek Philippe in the next two pictures:





Does it fit to the approach you ask for? Well, only you can give the answer!

Before we look at some movement pictures, I would like to talk about the chronograph pushers. Their feeling when you push them, to be exact.
Personally I prefer it smooth, very smooth. The pressure point and the smoothness is very important to me, if we talk about chronographs on that level and not all the manufacturers take care of it.

Only had the pleasure to try two examples and that is maybe not enough for a final judgement. One pusher was less smooth but you could feel the pressure point very well and one pusher was smooth like warm butter. It was the same feeling on both watches I tried. Why are they different? I don´t know at the moment.

Are other examples different? Please give us a note if you have your own experiences.






(Note: There was no tripod with me and the light was far from beeing perfect, but I tried my best.)

The layout of the movement is very classical and the finishing was what I would expect from Patek Philippe.
Almost perfect, but something like the CH R 27-525 PS is superior.
Nothing is wrong with that, because we talk about different approaches and totally different price tags.












You think you saw all the details the dial offers, above? No, there is more to show ...


















As I didn´t take a proper picture from the side, I have to choose this official one - even when the colour looks wrong.

Very classic, well balanced and top notch I would say.






How does it feel on the wrist? On mine (17cm) it feels almost perfect. I would not mind if the watch would be a bit smaller,
but only a bit and at the end it is far from being a show stopper.

How does it look on my wrist? Well, have a look ...












Because of understatement and comfort below the sleeves of my shirts, I would go for a simple buckle.
The Calatrava Cross is nice and impressive, but just not me.



A classic, yes or no? It shows superb details from the Ref. 130, 530, 533 ... it comes with some good improvements and interesting innovations ... it is not a top-seller from the beginning (like the 5070 and some others) ... .

It will be great (one day, for sure ) in white metal ...










... and then it will be a classic, at the latest.

Hope you liked my personal views and I am looking forward to your experiences and comments.

Oliver