Patek Philippe

Anything in steel from the manufacture is greeted with much excitement and for many it was a dream to see a new Aquanaut chronograph. This dream came true this year. The new chronograph is driven by the cal. CH 28-520C and has a continuous running seconds hand and a 60 minute counter.

The colour scheme is vibrant, with an orange seconds hand as well as minute counter. The Chronograph minutes are marked in orange too. The dial is black- but actually has tropical brown hue which matches the radiance from the orange perfectly.

The icing is that it comes with 2 straps one in orange as well as the traditional black.

Talking of the strap it feature a new deployant clasp, which utilises the advanced research technology on metallurgy seen in last year’s Aquanaut.  

Next we look at the new ref 5740G perpetual Calendar Nautilus. Again a wish list piece for many, it is unveiled in a white gold case and beautiful blue iconic ribbed dial. It is powered by the revered cal.240 movement. This watch is thin, at just over 8mm, it is pretty much as thin as the original Jumbo ref.3700.

However, this is not its main innovation. If you look at the correctors on a 5140 you will see a major modification was need to re-position the correctors to fit with the architecture of the Nautilus case. A brilliantly ingenious method resolved the issue, you in effect “tunnel” through the case to the original position of the corrector and use a “lip” to allow the adjust to the movement. You can see it better described than my poor effort ion the picture.

Simple- bit technically difficult- it’s pure genius. I love this method as it keeps the aesthetics of the case clean.

Now the Instagram stars, the- his and hers Calatrava Pilot Travel time references 7234R and 5524R. Now when say his and hers, don’t be misled into thinking one size for him and for her. The perfectly proportioned sizes of both versions will see them as perfectly interchangeable with many men preferring the 37.5mm case and many woman who prefer a larger watch wearing the 42mm case. Both sizes are unisex in my opinion.

In terms aesthetic, the rose gold case features a beautiful PVD brown dial with sunburst effect and change in hue from the centre outwards. It’s truly stunning. Technically the movement is the same as the original white gold version.

This year one of the great Patek designs the Ellipse celebrated its 50th birthday. For its 40th birthday we witnessed the launch of the jumbo (34.5mm x 39.5mm) in platinum. This year it is joined by a new rose gold version the ref. 5738R. This also features a new ebony black dial on an 18 kt gold plate with sunburst effect. Again a really beautiful watch to behold and makes for sumptuous dress watch.

Joining the ref 5738R is a limited edition rare handcrafts version ref 5738/50P-001.

This is a work of art, way beyond just pure horology. Made in a series of just100 pieces, it features an 18kt gold dial with black enamel that is then hand engraved with a decorative interlacing volute pattern. It is finished with an onyx cabochon in the crown. It really is a masterful display of fine art. It doesn’t end there though, it comes with a pair of matching cufflinks finished in the same impeccable manor, except the feature the Calatrava cross in the centre! My only criticism is that with just 100 paces a lot of collectors will be disappointed. Just as a quick note, all previous mid-size Golden Ellipse have been discontinued.

So in summary, a year of evolution than revolution, but done amazingly well. Once again Patek triumph not just in the quality of the new collection, but in their hospitality, their customer relationship and their whole attitude to public relations. Thank you. 

My top three:

1. The 5968/A- for its aesthetic, its steel and it’s a chronograph!

2. The 5738/50P-001- just incredible- it’s an art and horology fusion

3. 7150/ 250R- incredible case design and stunning visually

Thank you

Imran