WATCH & JEWELRY /
SIHH＆BASEL
May 17, 2018
Grand Complications Featuring the Three Major Complications | PATEK PHILIPPE
PATEK PHILIPPE
Minute Repeater, Tourbillon,
and Perpetual Calendar, all within a mere 9.33mm-thick
movement
This is the only current collection timepiece that combines a minute repeater, tourbillon, and instantaneous perpetual calendar. With the introduction of this model, the existing three types (18KWG case × copper dial, 18KRG case × black dial, Pt case × brown dial) will be discontinued.
Text by TSUCHIDA Takashi(OPENERS)
A NEW FACE WITH A BLUE SOLEIL DIAL
While blue dials are trending, it's truly Patek Philippe that would equip a Grand Complication with one. This is a bold move.
For ultra-high-value models, the norm is to play it safe with classic colors. However, with this beautiful hue, it might just be destined for the hall of fame from the outset.
A blue sky under the pouring sun. That piercing blue is nothing short of elegant.
The minute repeater, which chimes the time with a tone by striking gongs surrounding the movement's periphery with two hammers at the top left, is activated by a slider on the case side at 9 o'clock.
Meanwhile, the tourbillon's balance wheel completes one rotation in 60 seconds, aiming to counteract positional errors and achieve practical accuracy.
And one more thing: this movement features a perpetual calendar mechanism. What's more, it's an instantaneous date-changing type, with the day, date, month, and leap year all switching over at midnight.
Yet, the clean gear layout, which belies the presence of these three major functions, is astonishingly beautiful and orderly.
From this model onwards, hand engraving has been applied to the case sides and the minute repeater slider.
At first glance, it appears as simple as an annual calendar, but the engraving on the side reveals its difference.
This aesthetic of subtraction, of not showing off, is something we Japanese can deeply relate to.
5207 Grand Complication
Movement | Manual winding (Cal.R TO 27 PS QI)
Power reserve | Minimum 38 hours, maximum 48 hours
Case material | 18KWG
Case diameter, thickness | 41mm, 13.81mm
Case back | Supplied with a sapphire crystal and a standard case back
Water resistance | Not water-resistant (handles only moisture and dust)
Estimated price | Price on application