Patek Philippe

Baron - Mr Red
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Patek Philippe 5370P - an owner's review

I have owned the 5370P now for 4-5 months and have had several opportunities to wear it and see how it felt as a part of my collection. I think one can often look at watches for sale and imagine how it will feel if one owned it. There always needs to be a leap of faith in buying. I have certainly bought watches before because I looked at them when released and just fell for the watch. Yet, after a year or so, the honeymoon effect wears off and I find the watch uninteresting. Over the years, the experience of owning many different types of watches and also learning about myself has helped me become more discriminating in deciding to make that leap of faith. Having said that, for a watch like the 5370P, it still requires a fairly big leap of faith. But i did leap, and this is my initial review.

First things first…..why did i buy this watch?

Five broad reasons;

1) I have no Rattrapante in my collection at all, and in the construction of my overall collection, I look for watches that fill specific criteria. So, as a genre, a Rattrapante is always likely to get my attention as it is such an interesting complication. But up until I saw the 5370, nothing had really grabbed my attention.

2) I do adore the combination of manual watches in white metal and dark dials. Black or blue dials contrasting against a white metal is something that creates a stunning aesthetic to my eye. Yes, it is a personal taste issue, but that combination is very appealing to me.

3) Breguet numerals in white gold set against a deeply black enamel dial provides a further aesthetic that I find hard to resist. The black enamel is mesmerising.

4) My heart is very much embedded in the vintage era. When a watch is introduced that provides a modern twist to an overtly vintage spirit, it inevitably catches my attention. The 5370 has this spirit in abundance.

5) In house movement, finished to a stunning level and applied to a complication in its purest form.

I wear watches that vary in size between 35mm and 42mm. At 41mm, the 5370P is at the upper end of my comfort spectrum. At a height of 13.6mm, it is also quite prominent on the wrist. I gave a brief review of the ALS Datograph that is also similarly prominent on the wrist. It is a factor that I particularly enjoy in a watch. The Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 is a vintage piece that i love that also shares this prominence. It is either something that you do or do not like. I like it.

Using the in-house CHR 29-535 PS caliber (previously used in the 5204 split-second perpetual), the 5370 applied the caliber in its most purest yet most complicated chronographic purpose - a Rattrapante. Finished to an extraordinary level, the movement of the 5370 can be adored through its casebook. Beauty in a movement and its finishing is very much in the eye of the beholder. What is beautiful to one is maybe not so beautiful to another. To my eye, the movement is spectacular and the finishing of a quality that one rarely sees. When one winds the watch, it feels like silk. I have never experienced a winding process that is so tactile. I appreciate that talking about the winding process is not something that is normal discussion topic on the forum, but in this instance, I just cannot stress enough how perfect the process is on the 5370 - more so than any watch I have ever owned, by a margin.

Turning to the case, it is in this domain that the vintage spirit plays out so strongly. Taking inspiration from such vintage classics as the 1436 and 1563, the 5370 merges the spirit of these vintage classics into a modern day marvel. The 5370 borrows from the past without stealing from the past. This is an important distinction. It develops a distinct personality of its own whilst retaining distinct echoes of the past.

Now it is time to turn attention to what is one of the most overt characteristics of the 5370 - the deeply black enamel dial. The dial is made in-house from white gold. The enamel that is applied is baked at super-high temperature and then polished to such a sheen that it is essentially like a mirror. The dial is absolutely captivating. Again, I am hard-pushed to find another watch example that is at the same level on this front. The contrast between the white gold Breguet numerals and the deepness of the black enamel is a standout feature of the watch.

Finally, i want to mention a factor that is highly relevant to me, namely the cohesion of the dial. As a general rule, I tend towards watches that have a very specific objective. For me, the 3448 is a jewel because it is a pure perpetual calendar. The 5070 is a jewel because of its singularity of purpose - namely simple chronograph. The 570 is the quintessential time-only Calatrava. There is a purity of purpose that i like. The 5970 is very much an exception to the rule for me, as it mixes complications in a way that I normally do not gravitate towards. The 5370, however, is a pure timing machine. A chronograph par excellence. But the dial of the 5370 is so straightforward. No dates. That would have killed it for me. Only two sub-dials. No portholes. No reserve indicator. It has JUST what it needs, with nothing that is superfluous. That is what I call cohesive, and it works for me perfectly. It also has that 1950s feel to it.

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to own some wonderful watches. I have lived with and enjoyed some true beauties. I have owned the 5370 now for just a few months, so it is still clearly in the honeymoon phase and as such my subsequent comment needs some small qualification. Notwithstanding that caveat, I can say that as an experience of wearing, the 5370 is in the top two for me of all time. I put it in the same category as the 3448. It is thrilling to wear.

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