Patek Philippe

Just got my first Patek a 5167r factory sealed from a London AD and notice that the crown guard on the right is larger/wider than on the left. Is this acceptable? So far I've been told that as Pateks are hand made so you can't expect perfect symmetry like...  

Possibly hand finished,and this is not finished well..... Hand made is strong.....no company as big as Patek makes "hand made"watches....But then there are legends...... Mo

Thanks Mo. Would this bother you? Would you get it replaced or just re polished?

first check if its a constant"design feature"..otherwise make a point to your AD. Mo

Hello Soos, Surprised to see such a blemish, I would ask myself if this is acceptable to you. Its likely no one else will notice it on your wrist. But, perhaps some day you may want to sell or trade. What will the next potential owner think? Kind regards ... 

Thanks Anthony I actually see it every time I look at the watch. I agree about resale as the watch may look like it has been badly polished

another 5167? "hand made" cases, who told you this? Oliver

what I see on your picture and on those from PP. Once more, is it a feature and not a buck? Oliver ...  

Thanks Oliver. That's reassuring. It's a very good picture to compare. However I have seen others that have symmetrical crown guards. Maybe this is within the tolerance range. I just find the variation too much for a high end watch.

Please clarify the topic with your trustfully AD, an official PP retailer I guess. As you can see we can´t solve your "problem" here and I guess that´s what you really want. Let us know how it went out and welcome at PuristSPro by the way :-) Looking forw... 

and unfortunately my 5167r is the odd one out. They have emailed Patek so hope a replacement will come soon. Interesting the picture you posted had the same problem as my watch but I notice that that picture is from a site selling fake watches Will keep y... 

...first compare with other 5167's in the flesh to see if such variations are common. Although, the fact that such obvious variations are common does not make it right. Then, I would immediately request to have it sent in to Geneva for casework to have th... 

it got pased controle at PP.

This is like having a white German Shepherd. The breeders will just kill it, but there are people who prefer something that is rare.

If the other one isn't like this, then I'd send it back and ask for a new case. - AT

from your photo. Why didn't you examine before you bought it. I like to have the dealer inspect any watch I buy. You skip all those steps when you take delivery of a sealed watch, which makes little sense with a watch you intend to wear.

on the dial. I did not expect a misshapen watch from Patek especially since it was sealed!

I find it unlikely that there would be such a gross accident, it's likely designed that way. As others have said, compare it to another one.

An update for those interested. Went in today to pick up my second replacement factory sealed 5167r. Patek had accepted the last one as not up to standard and provided a replacement. Unfortunately this one is worse. One of the 4 lugs was unusually narrow ... 

Sounds like a troublesome experience! So you're waiting on your fourth(!) one now? What did the dealer have to say about this? I can't imagine handing a watch to someone who's so picky (and you have the right to be) when the fault is even worse. Does he u... 

..but the first wasn't Pateks fault. The dealer gave me a re polished display one instead of a factory sealed one which they agreed when I ordered. Yes the dealer understands but feel that as it's hand finished they feel it can't be a perfect as a Rolex c... 

Why should there be an issue when producing and hand finishing this particular watch, where it doesn't happen on SS Aquanauts, or Nautiluses, or every other elaborate case design that is produced? I think it should be just as perfect as a Rolex case, for ... 

I would stay away from them from now on, unless they told you in the first place and gave you a bigger discount.

... from Patek. As it was the 3rd replacement (ie. 4th watch) it was apparently checked by a director before being factory sealed and dispatched to London

....and my 5167r is now very acceptable. Not perfect in terms of symmetry but good enough for me. Superb service from my AD. Love the watch and definitely worth waiting for a good one!

I participated in a PP factory tour, and they are NOT hand made! A worker will place the metal with his/her hand on the machine, and the rest is done by the machine. Afterwards, the worker takes the piece out of the machine with his/her hand and place the... 

I have a relative who is a metal fabricator. Metal is placed in the machine and totally cut from info. pre programmed in a computer. I would assume this is how it is done with watch cases. He does have his share of quality control issues due to computer e... 

My watch has been inspected by Patek Geneva and they have apologised for the inconvenience. I was told that they will now be producing one for me which will be checked by a 'director' before packaging at the factory for dispatch to London. This will take ...