Patek Philippe

There is much more complexity than we think in mechanical watches.

Putting more complications in smaller volumes is an achievement, the more you include parts, the more they have to work together and thinner they are. Hence, watchmakers have to develop parts in order to remain reliable while keeping the movement accurate.

Hence, a Split-Second chronograph is much more than adding another number of parts and hands. Furthermore, this complication has to work while creating as less frictions as possible to preserve timekeeping. That's why the 5959 Split-Second is even more expensive (the diameter of the watch is 33mm).  www.watchprosite.com

It is not only about crafting some pieces but also the ability and experience of a watchmaker to tune and finish the parts in order to craft the movement the right way. There are not so many watchmakers able to care of such complications as there are not many watchmakers able to create a movement from a blank paper.

Finding the right people and having the right experience to ensure the movement works well (timekeeping, reliability) is not something found everywhere.

Of course, there is a part of the price increase that is explained by the volumes sold and by the place it has in the brand's collection. But that's depending on the market and the field we are talking about (especially when luxury is concerned).

About the Manual Chronograph. A movement has to be rigid to resist the barrel's torque or to preserve the small space between the parts (shocks etc...). The easiest way to achieve that goal is to have a single plate on both sides. The more you add different bridges, the more you have space, the more it is a challenge to make the caliber able to achieve this goal.

The more it is open, higher is the number of parts you can see. Hence, the number of parts you have to decorate and finish. Furthermore, you can see the activation of the mechanism when pushing the pushers which is something very nice too.

This is not the kind of decoration you have in Automatic wound movement and it wouldn't be as nice as the rotor hides a part of the movement. However, there are very interesting automatic chronograph movements like the 28-520, in very beautiful watches (like the 5960 for instance), more practical and they surely deserve attention.

This is why it is important to discover and understand watches but also determine what we really like.

About the 30-minute, it is indeed more a traditional standard today. As brands like Patek Philippe also have a long history and that we are talking about traditional and classical watches (and art) the choices of decoration are different than just considering the practical side.

The 5204 is a gorgeous watch indeed (I reviewed the R version here  www.watchprosite.com ).

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Enjoy it!

Best, Mark

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