patrick_y
[PuristSPro Moderator]
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My Favorite Patek Philippe Post In A While... W220's 240Q Macro Photos
A picture really is a thousand words.
Looking at W220's magnificent, all-revealing post...
Here you can admire a wonderful Patek Philippe 240Q Perpetual Calendar movement photographs. You can see the real truth of the Patek Philippe here, especially in regards to finish. Some finishings are done well, and some things can be done better. No need to compare this to other brands' products. Just accept the Patek Philippe 240Q movement for what it is.
I've reposted the photos originally posted by W220 here with some of my personal commentary for each one.
Sometimes we hold a brand, like Patek Philippe, to such high esteem that we forget how it got to its high position in the first place. It's important to see both the strengths and weaknesses of a brand and be objective. I know Patek Philippe is a GREAT brand, but there are some biased watch fans who won't accept that Patek Philippe has no room to improve.
Kudos to W220's magnificent photographs and thanks again to him posting them. The post was so good in my eyes that I just had to repost it again!
One of the best looking perpetual calendars on the market. Can be made fun with a royal blue strap or some other funny strap. But will always have an air of civility and sober look when paired with a dark strap.
The printing on this dial is just STUPENDOUSLY GOOD. Ink is raised a fairly high amount for the width. Clarity of the printing is exceptional. No blurs. Consistentency in all the valleys. Notice the 3 valleys of the "W" in "WED" and notice all three have the exact same profile.
Dial is very good. Notice the track cut out around the moonphase. Great detail.
The Moon disc has its appliques made of evaporated gold!
Notice the numbers and the sizes. The font size is smaller for 27 but going back to the first photo it's not offensive. Notice the hand has some pressure marks probably when they pushed the hand into the watch. This is sadly very hard to avoid.
Notice the gear teeth of the steel barrel wheel is polished, probably using wood.
You can see some 3 dimensionality here. Notice the jewels are "olived" so they hold lubricant better. Notice the "chatter" in the polish of the anglage.
That rotor is really nicely made.
Notice how crisp the letters are done. Well done! Other brands often have gold electroplate around the letters or in the center of the R, B, or A since the centers are so small. Notice the keyhole in the Geneva Seal has the silver keyhole. It's done really well!
The most revealing photograph with the "chatter" in the polish of the anglage. Some improvement could be had here.
What are your thoughts? Comment below?
My Favorite Patek Philippe Post In A While... W220's 240Q Macro Photos
A picture really is a thousand words. Looking at W220's magnificent, all-revealing post... Here you can admire a wonderful Patek Philippe 240Q Perpetual Calendar movement photographs. You can see the real truth of the Patek Philippe here, especially in r...
Totally speechless!
Amazing post , every detail is just masterpiece,thats why PP is holding top position. I still don’t own a Patek but in near future i will purchase one and will rock n roll with it! Thanks for sharing!
Nautilus
For my current age and situation it perfectly fit : One of these models: P.S: for the rose gold i need to work a little bit more ...
An amazingly informative post...
For the person who is very knowledgeable about finishing they will see all the extensive lengths Patek Philippe went to. For the most knowledgeable, they will even find areas of improvement! These photos can mean a lot to different people. Exquisite post....
Not sure how I missed the original post
but seldom if ever have I seen better taken photos of an iconic movement and watch. I am hoping that the 240Q in my 5940G will have a similar high level of craftsmanship. Photo borrowed from SJX as my watch remains in my dealer's safe! ...
Thanks Patrick!
Those raised Breguet numerals to me give the watch the added elegance.
The anglages could have been " sweeter ", more sensual, which I regret. For the rest, it is a very pleasant movement to look at.
Better, it is one of my favorite automatic movement, along with the GP Tourbillon with gold bridges automatic movement. As for the dial, the smaller font for the 27 is very smart. The dial is very nicely executed, but Patek is a master when it comes to di...
Fully agree
Most of components seem to be machined with a just a little or no hand finishing
There's some burnishing and hand finishing in there...
The steel gear teeth are somewhat polished, probably burnished with wood discs. It's overall a good effort. But, as you implied, room for improvement is possible.
I doubt it but I can be wrong
As far as I know PP makes 50-60 thousand watches a year while having several hundred watchmakers. That’s why I suppose none to little is done by hand. Still it is a nice watch
How many watchmakers does the company have and how many watches are made per year?
Answering this question helps understanding a lot.
You didn’t answer the question , you witnessed the manufacturing at the factory?
Or are you basing your view on assumptions
No. I witnessed the product.
I make my “assumptions” based on comparison with other watchmakers.
Well put...
I found it surprising that Patek Philippe used a 240 movement to drive so many watches too. And yet, I still applaud them for utilizing a layered construction (vs. an integrated construction) and yet still being able to achieve extremely thin watches. I d...
Wonderful (re)post with amazing pictures. Very helpful to have all these points explained but i am still left with these 2 questions :
1) is the `chatter` the small horizontal striping in the anglage ? 2) how are the Jewels òlived` , is that an oval shaped jewel and how is this better for retaining the oils ? Thanks for your time
Thank you Ron! I'm sure W220's ears are burning since we're chatting about his original post!
1. The "chatter" is indeed the small horizontal striping in the anglage. You are correct! 2. I'm not sure how the jewels are "olived" in their construction. The "olived" basically refers to the bezel that gives the jewels a cavity so the oil will hopefull...
Glad I was able to help...
I'm not sure I explained the jewels as well as I would've liked. I don't want to give the impression that there is a large amount of oil, but I think the shape is more so that the watchmaker has an easier and more accurate way of placing the oil.
Thanks to your explanation i knew what to google for to learn more, and found this explanation and diagram
An Olive holed (hole with radius) ring jewel offers lower friction. The radius surface of the hole provides minimum contact with the pivot. it seems the inside wall of the hole is curved , so less friction as there is less contact and more `room` for the ...
It's definitely true...
The friction part wasn't part of my consideration, but it's definitely true less surface area to rub on. Great job researching it! Kudos! Yes, definitely the hole itself has some curvature to it. Not the actual jewel in its entirety. I wasn't very clear a...
It's a fantastic post with impressive pictures 👏👏👏
It's a real pleasure to go through it again 😁
If I'm still thinking about it several months from now...
If I'm still thinking about this post several months from now... I might just have to repost this post again!
W220's photos are so good, they're becoming another reference point!
Every person who is looking at Patek Philippe timepieces should admire these photos. They show exactly how good/bad the finishing is on a Patek Philippe.
