Patek Philippe | Masterpieces Featuring Entirely In-House Developed and Manufactured Movements

Patek Philippe

Split-seconds Chronograph with Perpetual Calendar

The pinnacle of watchmaking, housing a perpetual calendar and a split-seconds chronograph mechanism, born from the pride of the manufacture.

Text by KOIZUMI Yoko

A Masterpiece Powered by an Entirely In-House Developed and Manufactured Movement

Concluding our ten-part series is the "Split-seconds Chronograph with Perpetual Calendar." In the ninth installment, focusing on the "Calatrava," we touched upon the inheritance of aesthetic values as one reason Patek Philippe stands as the world's foremost watchmaker. However, the primary reason lies in its continuous technological innovation and development of cutting-edge techniques, all while upholding tradition.

Patek Philippe began its serious endeavors in wristwatch development in the 1910s. In 1922 and the following year, they introduced wristwatches equipped with split-seconds chronograph mechanisms, and in 1925, a wristwatch with a perpetual calendar. While these complications existed in pocket watches, miniaturizing them for wristwatches demanded not only exceptional technical skill but also considerable imagination.

Nevertheless, Patek Philippe, with its inherent strength, overcame numerous challenges. By 1927, they had commenced series production of wristwatches featuring simple chronographs and split-seconds chronographs. In 1941, they began producing a series of wristwatches with perpetual calendars.

Split-seconds Chronograph with Perpetual Calendar | 永久カレンダー搭載スプリット秒針クロノグラフ 02

As mentioned in the installment on Count Egger's pocket watch (the sixth in this series), a chronograph and moon phase are considered complications, while a perpetual calendar is a grand complication.

Patek Philippe had previously crafted highly sophisticated models combining various complications and grand complications in its pocket watches. This spirit of challenge was extended to wristwatches, culminating in the unveiling of this model in 1955, which integrated both the perpetual calendar and the split-seconds chronograph mechanisms.

However, Patek Philippe is a brand that continuously evolves even perfected mechanisms. They did not rest on their laurels with this complication; through repeated reviews and improvements of the movement, they introduced the "Ref. 5204P" in 2012, powered by the entirely in-house developed and manufactured new caliber "CHR 29-535 PS Q."

While the configuration of the calendar and subdials remained the same as the model from 57 years prior, the accumulated technological advancements during this period significantly enhanced the movement at its heart, showcasing the manufacture's prowess and pride to the world.