Grandes Complications
The most complicated mechanisms
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The Patek Philippe 5236P Perpetual Calendar – Maybe their most beautiful modern QP
Hello everyone, To me, one of the very attractive recent novelties was the launch of the new Patek Philippe 5236P “in-line” Perpetual Calendar. Indeed, a new interpretation of a QP (Quantième Perpétuel in French) from the brand is an event on its own, knowing its legacy, thus legitimacy. Furthermore, it was (at last!) the second introduction only of the gorgeous micro-rotor 31-260 caliber base, after the 5235 “Regulator” (2011). However, the main matter is maybe the fact Patek has created with the 5236P, the perfect interpretation of a new classics for our current era. It might be the way the brand is setting in a masterstroke a new standard of…
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The Patek Philippe 5320G Perpetual Calendar – DNA revisited with a Salmon dial
Hello everyone, In 2017, we’ve been granted with the launch of the first 5320G Perpetual Calendar reference, cream-colored lacquer dial. This new 3448-style dial layout was presented one year after the traditional 240-caliber-based 5327 references (the natural successors to the 5140) were unveiled. It is a clear new offer next to the already available PC-only collection (5159/5160, 5140/5327 and 2021’s “in-line” 5236). As a reminder, the 5496 family was discontinued in 2020. The brand is therefore presenting today 4 main QP mechanical profiles in parallel. However, two months ago, we have discovered a very seductive new version of the Patek Philippe 5320G Perpetual Calendar with a Salmon dial! It is…
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The Patek Philippe 5270P Chronograph Perpetual Calendar in Green – From the king dial maker
Hi everyone, A little over a month ago, the brand has offered a stunning piece to keep uniting traditional watchmaking and an ongoing evolving world: the Patek Philippe 5270P Chronograph Perpetual Calendar with a ravishing new green dial. In 2018, the brand had launched a rare Platinum version of this legendary complications assembly with a Salmon dial, thus a little more traditional. As usual with the brand, the rarer platinum versions hold a very special place in the catalogue. But in this case today, we surely go even further with this version which stands proudly as a symbol of a new offer. Don’t be misled by the unusual colour; it…
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The Patek Philippe 5470P 1/10th of a Second Monopusher Chronograph – Doing it right
Hi everyone, Patek Philippe has just unveiled a brand new chronograph: the Patek Philippe 5470P 1/10th of a Second Monopusher Chronograph. (The previous references unveiled during the 2022 Watches & Wonders week can be found here: Watches and Wonders – The Patek Philippe 2022 novelties) It is not a Split-second Chronograph but a Chronograph with a 1/10th of a second additional complication based on a higher beating rate (5Hz i.e. 36 000 vph). This requires a better accuracy from the caliber (otherwise counting 1/10th becomes useless) and a very well managed energy consumption. You will see this isn’t a mere achievement when done the best as it can. It is…
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The Patek Philippe 5327G Perpetual Calendar – A traditional QP desire
Hello everyone, The Patek Philippe 5327 Perpetual Calendar is the latest interpretation of the classical and more traditional QP-only family. Not only it is the recent generation but it conveys Patek Philippe’s dedication and history regarding this grande complication they endeavoured since 1925 for wristwatches and even earlier for pocket watches. It is available in rose, yellow or white gold and it is this latter version I wish to talk about here. The previous generation reference 5140 had been in the catalogue for 10 years and is one of the very fine examples of what Patek classics means: a thin and smooth case, an elegant dial in spite of the…
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The long awaited Nautilus – The Patek Philippe 5740G Perpetual Calendar
Hello everyone, For quite some time before its launch, the Patek Philippe 5740G Nautilus Perpetual Calendar was a kind of dream for many in the sport-chic line of the brand. The reason was it would embed one of the finest functions of watchmaking, the “perpetual” date indication (also called “Quantième Perpetuel”), requiring no setting during the year as it even takes into account leap years (hence February’s 28th or 29th uniqueness). At last, in 2018, we’ve been provided with the complication echoing the Nautilus’ “chic” side. Indeed, whereas the complication was historically observed in traditional references only, the thinness of the 5711/5712 models contained already the seeds of an extraordinary…
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Intro to the origins of Patek Philippe’s wonderful Minute-Repeater aura
Hello everyone, I thought I should have a look at why Patek Philippe’s reputation in Minute-Repeater history is at such high level today. I’ve been taking my time, like most of us, discovering, exploring the world of watches in general, and of Patek Philippe in particular. I knew a few about their mastery for this very special complication and what the brand represents in the Minute-Repeaters’ rebirth and evolution. However, I left it aside for later down the road. I enjoyed a few of the videos that can be found whether on Patek’s website, YouTube etc…, but I knew it would take time to go deeper in their history. Aside…
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The “contemporary” Patek Philippe 5140P Perpetual Calendar with grey dial
Hello everyone, The Patek Philippe 5140P-017 Perpetual Calendar with Grey dial was the last version, unveiled in 2016, of the former Perpetual Calendar-only generation. The first 5140 reference was launched in 2006 and, aesthetically speaking, was known as a very classical design. Though the “contemporary” qualification sounds like a contradiction with the 5140 collection, it is I think perfectly relevant in this very case. Even if its launch was quite discreet on the internet, I think that this last version deserves a very close attention as it stands out from its 5140 predecessors and maybe announced some of the brand’s styling evolution that came afterwards. This ultimate version was the…
