Patek Philippe has revisited the Reference 5396 with its timeless design in a refined version endowed with a rose-gold case and a sand-beige sunburst dial. Already a 20-year success in the Manufacture’s regular collection, which it joined in 2006, the Reference 5396 Annual Calendar model stands out by its classically styled case, inspired by that of the original Calatrava Reference 96, and by its dual day/month aperture at 12 o’clock and date aperture at 6 o’clock, along with a 24-hour subsidiary dial incorporating a moon-phase display.

This new model combines the classic Calatrava design with the warm sheen of a fully polished 38.5 mm rose-gold case and an incomparably radiant sand-beige sunburst dial. The dial presents faceted obus-style applied hour markers and faceted dauphine-style hands, all in rose gold, and a slender seconds hand from the center. The snailed finish on the 24-hour sub-dial incorporating the moon-phase display also facilitates time readings by providing a subtle contrast. An alligator-leather strap in shiny dark chestnut brown secured by a fold-over clasp in rose gold underscores the classic elegance of this timepiece.

This model is powered by the Caliber 26-330 S QA LU 24 self-winding movement, equipped with the ingenious Annual Calendar mechanism, patented by Patek Philippe in 1996. This movement displays the day, the month and the date for months with 30 and 31 days, thus requiring only one manual correction per year at the end of February. This user friendliness is combined with the extreme precision of the moon-phase mechanism, which deviates by only one day in 122 years. The 24-hour display simplifies calendar adjustment, while the corrector push-pieces on the flanks of the case enable easy adjustment of the Annual Calendar displays and the moon phases. The refined finishes lavished on the 339-part movement may be admired through a transparent sapphire crystal case-back.

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In the new Reference 7129, the fully polished case in yellow gold, 36 mm in diameter, combines its warm luster with a bold, red-lacquered dial, centering delicate hand-executed guilloché work in a basket-weave pattern, framed by arrow-shaped hour markers, also in yellow gold. The 24-hour disk is divided into a day zone and a night zone, identified by their backgrounds in carmine red and rhodium-plated gray respectively, as well as by their Sun and Moon symbols. Yellow-gold lozenge-shaped hands indicate local time in the selected time zone at 12 o’clock, while the names of the 24 cities are transfer-printed in white on the carmine-red disk. The striking allure of this watch is enhanced by its curved lugs holding an alligator leather strap in shiny carmine red, secured by a prong buckle in yellow gold.

This timepiece is powered by the caliber 240 HU ultra-thin self-winding movement. Equipped with a mini-rotor, this movement keeps the case to a super-slim 8.83 mm thickness despite its 239 parts.

In 2000, the Geneva workshops took the functionality of this watch a step further by integrating a single-button mechanism to advance all the displays collectively when moving from one time zone to another – without affecting the rate accuracy of the movement by even one second. It took four years to develop this mechanism, patented in 1999, which bolstered the popularity of the World Time watch on all continents.
The new Reference 7129J-001 joins the current collection alongside Reference 7130G-016 in white gold with a gem-set bezel and blue-gray dial.

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The refined sophistication of this watch is expressed through the unique luster of the fully polished white-gold case, 38 mm in diameter, teamed with a blue-gray dial adorned with a double vertical and horizontal satin-brushed finish reminiscent of silk shantung fabric. The passage of time is marked by white-gold leaf-shaped hands with a white luminescent coating, sweeping over a feature appearing here for the first time at Patek Philippe: mono-bloc applied Arabic numerals in white luminescent material, ensuring optimal legibility and contrast in all lighting conditions. This concern for both clarity and style is also reflected in the calendar indications with an aperture for the date, set in a silvery frame at 6 o’clock, the day and month counters with their snailed finish and in the moon phase aperture. Secured by a prong buckle in white gold, a blue-gray calfskin leather strap with a denim motif and contrasting white stitching accentuates this model’s resolutely contemporary look.

Invented and patented by Patek Philippe in 1996, the ingenious Annual Calendar mechanism displays the day, date and month while requiring only one manual correction per year, at the end of February. The Annual Calendar indications are easy to read, with sub-dials for the day (between 9 and 10 o’clock) and the month (between 2 and 3 o’clock), as well as an aperture for the date. These are complemented by an extremely accurate moon-phase display deviating from the true lunar cycle by only one day in 122 years. All calendar indications can be easily adjusted using the correction push-pieces recessed into the caseband. A sapphire crystal case-back provides a chance to admire the architecture and meticulous finishes of self-winding Caliber 26-330 S QA LU with its 319 parts.

The new Reference 4946G-001 joins the current collection alongside Reference 4946R-001 in rose gold with a plain, polished-gold” bezel, framing a “shantung” dial in chestnut brown, on a tone-on-tone “denim” strap.

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In 2023, this jewelry watch exuding unique style and timeless elegance made its return to the Patek Philippe current collection in a slightly larger rose gold version featuring a spessartite-set case and a brown lacquered dial graced with a floral motif (Reference 4962/200R-001).

Patek Philippe is reinterpreting this model with a dial bearing an original zebra motif inspired by the Reference 5738/50G-023 Golden Ellipse wristwatch in cloisonné enamel, one of the highlights of the 2022 Rare Handcrafts collection. To recreate the visual interplay of the stripes with the zebra firmly in the foreground, the Manufacture has applied an innovative and refined technique involving a sapphire crystal dial engraved and black varnished on both sides. The zebra motif is then completed with black metallization and white varnish on the underside of the sapphire crystal dial, thus creating magnificent volume and depth effects. The time is displayed by two applied Breguet numerals at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock swept over by rose gold leaf-shaped hands.

The rose gold case (28.6 x 40.85 mm) is set with 94 brilliant-cut spessartite gemstones (2.02 ct) arranged in a double color gradient covering a spectrum from cognac shades at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock to tangerine tones at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock. This dark-light-dark effect and the variations in the size of the gemstones emphasize the daintily “waisted” and cambered profile of the watch, ensuring a perfectly smooth fit on the wrist. A second row of spessartite gemstones on the lower part of the case accentuates its asymmetrical curves.

The new Gondolo Serata Reference 4962/200R-010 comes with a white calfskin strap with satin finish. The rose gold pin buckle is adorned with the Patek Philippe logo.

This timepiece houses the Patek Philippe quartz caliber E15 whose mechanical components are finished with the same attention to detail as those found in the manufacture’s all-mechanical movements.

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The early decades of the twentieth century were a period of intense creativity for Patek Philippe. As devotees with a passion for technical excellence and innovation, the great American collectors spurred the manufacture’s zest for invention by seeking out and acquiring the most sophisticated timepieces. This outstanding expertise was especially manifest in the pocket watches, exemplified by the famous “Graves” (1933), which remained, until 1989 and the creation of the Calibre 89, the world’s most complicated portable timepiece, with 24 complications. Patek Philippe also produced wristwatches with highly refined movements and exterior features for this demanding clientele. But another sector of horology also benefited from this pioneering spirit: that of the desk clock. In 1923, the manufacture delivered to James Ward Packard, a famous carmaker, a desk clock with perpetual calendar remarkable for its eight-day power reserve and its silver case with applied ornaments in yellow gold and winged lions in gilt bronze. In 1927, New York banker Henry Graves Junior (for whom the “Graves” was destined) took delivery of another desk clock of the same type, with modified displays and a personalized exterior. These two pieces now feature among the treasures in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva (“Packard” desk clock » No. P-140, “Graves” desk clock No. P-1270).

A new high-performance movement

Patek Philippe is renewing its links with this golden age of the desk clock with a fresh interpretation of the piece destined for James Ward Packard. True to its “tradition of innovation”, the manufacture charged its designers with developing a completely new manually wound caliber offering a power reserve of 31 days, a rate accuracy of +/– 1 second per 24 hours and an ease of operation worthy of a twenty-first century movement. Product of seven years’ development, the rectangular caliber 86-135 PEND S IRM Q SE, stamped with the Patek Philippe Seal, comprises 912 parts, of which almost half concern the perpetual calendar. Its development led to the filing of nine patent applications for innovations and optimizations, notably aimed at strengthening long-term reliability, reducing the energy consumption of the perpetual calendar, enhancing ease of use, and securing the functions against any inadvertent mishandling.

A “precision regulator”

The 31-day power reserve is ensured bythree going barrels connected in series. To guarantee a variation in rate of no more than +/– 1 second per 24 hours, the engineers devised a true “precision regulator”, incorporated at the heart of the movement, with a patented constant-force mechanism making it possible to maintain the stable amplitude of the balance from the first day of the power reserve to the last, for a full month. At the center of the dial, a discreet power-reserve indicator shows whether the mechanism needs rewinding.

Jumping seconds and weekly calendar

In terms of the functions, Patek Philippe has introduced two new features compared with the “Packard” clock. The first consists of a “jumping seconds” hand (or “independent seconds” hand) making one jump per second in the manner of the old regulators. The second is a weekly calendar –a useful function whereby the read-out is made easier by the rotating aperture displaying the number of the current week on a scale at the periphery of the dial. For the other indications, the manufacture has retained the hour and minutes display in a small eccentric subsidiary dial at 12 o’clock, the moon-phase aperture at 6 o’clock and the day and month displays in apertures at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock. The date display by a hand –a hand from the center on the “Packard” –was moved to the subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock and two small apertures at 7.30 et 4.30 displaying, respectively, the day/night indication and the leap-year cycle – two pieces of information essential when adjusting the calendar. Transfer printed in black, these various indications stand out with superb legibility on the silvery opaline dial.

A mechanical dashbord

While retaining the overall shape of the “Packard” clock (albeit on a larger scale) the designers of the new Reference 27000M-001 innovated by endowing it with a genuine mechanical dashbord in American walnut wood veneer, housed beneath a hinged bonnet opening from the right. This modern system of a control console means that adjustments become intuitive, simple and practical –in compliance with Patek Philippe’s user-centric philosophy.
Under the bonnet, in the upper left-hand corner, a casing fitted with a patented ejection system houses the winding and setting key –an artistically worked piece comprising several parts. In the upper right- hand corner are the two openings enabling the key to access the winding and setting squares. Another opening, located at six o’clock beneath the bezel, provides access to the square that stops the seconds, enabling the time to be set to the nearest second. Once these operations have been completed, the clock can function without being rewound for a full month, thanks to its 31-day power reserve.

Corrector pushers

Below the dial, the designers incorporated five push-piece correctors. These pushers adorned with a letter or a symbol enable the user to adjust the perpetual calendar indications by simple pressure with a finger: from left to right, the week (Week), the day (Day), the moon phase (crescent moon) the month (Month) and the date (Calendar). The corrector pushers required that the movement integrate a complex system of intermediate wheels to ensure their exact alignment along the same arc.

An exclusive aesthetic

For the exterior features of the new desk clock Reference 27000M-001, Patek Philippe drew inspiration from the lavish ornaments on the historic model of 1923, interpreting these in a refined, timeless style. Panels of green Grand Feu flinqué enamel over a swirling guilloché pattern adorn a cabinet crafted in 925 silver. Similarly to the watch dials, these panels were counter-enameled to ensure that they remained perfectly level. This technique represents a formidable challenge, since the elements are large and risk becoming deformed during firing. Very few enamellers master the complex technique of enameling on silver, a metal whose melting point, lower than that of gold (890°C versus 980°C), is close to the temperatures customary when firing enamel (from 800°C to 900°C).

The border of the upper panel and the bezel present an engraved cord motif. The observer may also recognize, in the form of appliques in vermeil (silver gilt) decorative elements borrowed from the historic clock: the three rosettes located in the corners and at 12 o’clock, the acanthus scrollwork surrounding the Calatrava cross, and the four winged lions enthroned on the clock’s feet.
Prior to the clock’s entry in the current collection, Patek Philippe donated a unique preview version (Reference 27001M-001) with American walnut veneers for sale at the charitable auction Only Watch 2021, where it went under the hammer for 9.5 million Swiss francs.

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The Patek Philippe engineers have risen brilliantly to this challenge on a number of occasions. In 2000, the manufacture marked the dawn of the third millennium with the 10 Day Power Reserve Reference 5100, a limited edition of 3000 watches, endowed with a rectangular case inspired by the famous “Manta Ray” Reference 2554 of 1954. The world’s first chronometer wristwatch with a power reserve of 240 hours, this manually wound timepiece heralded a trend that others have followed. In 2003, the regular collection welcomed “ 10 Day Tourbillon” Reference 5101P, a platinum watch with a manually wound “form” movement and a rectangular case with tiered flanks inspired by the Art Deco period. A new interpretation of this retro-modern design came out six years later, in rose gold. The year 2013 saw the unveiling of the Gondolo “8 Days, Day & Date Indication” Reference 5200, with a rectangular caliber 28- 20 REC 8J PS IRM C J manually wound movement with instantaneously jumping day and date –an additional challenge in terms of energy.

Earlier, in the 1920s to 1930s, Patek Philippe had created three notable perpetual calendar desk clocks endowed with an eight-day power reserve; a tradition reenergized this spring by the new desk clock with perpetual calendar and weekly calendar, Reference 27000M-001, offering a 31-day power reserve.

A new alliance of tradition and innovation

Patek Philippe is increasing the momentum with a new Calatrava equipped with a new manually wound movement. The product of five years’ development, caliber 31-505 8J PS IRM CI J takes up the base architecture of the rectangular caliber 28-20 REC 8J PS IRM C J launched in 2013 in the Gondolo 8 Days, Day & Date Indication Reference 5200, but with a round shape designed to fit perfectly into a Calatrava-style case. True to the Patek Philippe pioneering spirit, this movement also presents several technical optimizations and innovations, particularly related to energy management and the instantaneous jumps of the day and the date. It was also designed to ensure autonomy of eight full days, with a ninth reserve day flagged in red on the arched indicator at 12 o’clock. The watch continues to function during this ninth day, but risks becoming less accurate, since the amplitude will decrease. To ensure optimal performance it is therefore advisable to rewind at the end of the eighth day at the latest (the movement will stop completely at the end of the ninth day).

An exclusive Pulsomax® escapement.

The challenges posed by the new caliber 31-505 8J PS IRM CI J called particularly for a state-of-the-art regulating organ. This movement is distinguished by its exclusive Pulsomax® escapement with an escape wheel and lever made of Silinvar®, a silicon derivative with unrivaled physical and mechanical qualities (lightness, hardness, resistance to magnetism, etc.). Developed as part of the “Patek Philippe Advanced Research” program, the Pulsomax® escapement is distinguished by its superior performance, achieved in particular thanks to the unique geometry of the escape wheel and lever and the machining precision provided by the DRIE process (Deep Reactive Ion Etching). Its optimized performances and long-term reliability, combined with those of the Spiromax® balance spring in Silinvar®(another “Patek Philippe Advanced Research” development) are valuable assets in guaranteeing a large power reserve of eight days. Following the Annual Calendar Regulator Reference 5235 in 2011 (caliber 31-260 REG QA), the 1/10th of a second monopusher chronograph Reference 5470P-001 in 2022 (caliber CH 29- 535 PS 1/10) and the Reference 5200 Gondolo “8 Days, Day & Date Indication” in 2013 (caliber 28-20 REC 8J PS IRM C J), the new Calatrava Reference 5328G-001 is the fourth Patek Philippe model in the current collection to be endowed with a Pulsomax® escapement.

Two series-coupled barrels

This watch’s large power reserve is ensured by two barrels series coupled barrel allowing enough energy to be stored for the movement to function precisely for eight full days, with a 9th reserve day. The first barrel is fitted with a slip spring. When the user winds the movement, the two barrels charge simultaneously. As the main barrel discharges, the auxiliary barrel transmits its energy to it, recharging it, according to the principle of communicating vessels.
Instantaneous day and date jumps

For the instant-jump day and date mechanism, Patek Philippe returned to the principle introduced in the Cubitus Instantaneous Grand Date, Day and Moon Phases Reference 5822P-001, unveiled in October 2024 (self-winding caliber 240 PS CI J LU) –with a 24-hour wheel comprising a cam fitted with a dual- function spring. This system, already patented for Reference 5822P-001, and returning on this new Reference 5328G-001, makes it possible to overcome a higher torque, while guaranteeing precise jumps. Each night, at midnight, the large lever equipped with two beaks falls on the 24-hour cam, and in falling, engages direct with the day star and the date star. The two indications then jump simultaneously and instantaneously, thanks to the energy accumulated throughout the day. The day display is performed by a disk that was lightened and pierced to reduce its weight and its inertia at the moment of the jump – and thereby avoid any undesirable double jump. The date is indicated by a hand positioned on a counter concentric with the small seconds at 6 o’clock. Thanks to the beveled shape of the dual-function spring, the new caliber 31-505 8J PS IRM CI J makes it possible to set the time at any hour of the day or night, backwards or forwards, even during the passage of midnight, with no risk of damaging the movement. Furthermore, the caliber is equipped with a “stop-seconds” function (when the crown is pulled out) enabling the time to be set to the nearest second. The date requires correction five times a year, on the first day of the months of March, May, June, October and December, using the corrector positioned on the caseband between 3 o’clock and 4 o’clock.

An elegant blue dial with a unique face

In addition to its special functions and increased autonomy, the new Calatrava 8 Days Reference 5328G- 001 stands out by its originality as regards the displays. The power reserve indication, transfer printed along an arc (is visible on a subdial at 12 o’clock, while the day aperture, the date hand and the subsidiary seconds dial form a group at 6 o’clock. This arrangement along a vertical axis, particularly legible, also endows the watch with a unique personality. The textured dial in blue with a black gradient rim presents syringe-style applied numerals and hour and minute hands, all in white gold, emphasized by a white luminescent coating.

A case with a Clous de Paris guilloché caseband

The caseband of the round case in white gold is decorated with guilloché work in the Clous de Paris or hobnail pattern. This emblematic decoration first entered the Calatrava collection on the bezel of Reference 96D in 1934 and returned to the spotlight in 1985 on the famous Reference 3919, one of the most beautiful symbols of the Patek Philippe style, which remained in production for more than 20 years. Today, the Clous de Paris motif lends its special aura to a variety of models in the current collection, whether adorning the bezel (Calatrava Reference 6119), the caseband (World Time Minute Repeater 5531, Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300, Annual Calendar Travel Time Reference 5326, Calatrava Reference 5226) or even the dial (Grandmaster Chime Reference (6300), not to mention the Rare Handcrafts models. A refined detail: similarly to References 5326 & 5226, the new Calatrava 8 Days Reference 5328G-001 features an unusual case construction with the lugs attached to the back, enabling the Clous de Paris decoration to wrap elegantly around the entire caseband. A sapphire-crystal case back affords a private view of the architecture of the new manually wound caliber with its Pulsomax® escapement, and of its painstakingly hand-finished parts.

Two interchangeable straps

The new Calatrava 8 Days Reference 5328G-001 is delivered with two straps, one in blue calfskin leather with a textile pattern and cream stitching (originally fitted), the other in grained taupe calfskin leather (additional strap). It is equipped with a new patented triple-blade fold-over clasp that improves safety and comfort and facilitates the interchangeability of the straps by allowing this change to be carried out quickly and easily, without tools.

Patent taken over from caliber 240 PS CI J LU (Reference 5822P-001, 2024)

Cam winding wheel with dual-function spring (European patent application EP4312083) Designed for the driving of the cam by the 24-hour wheel, this system of a winding wheel with a dual- function spring makes it possible to overcome a higher friction force (torque) while guaranteeing the perfect precision of the date jump at midnight. A disconnecting system equipped with a flexible finger- piece that retracts when the 24-hour cam hits the beak of the large lever also enables the user to adjust the time at any moment, backwards or forwards, even during the passage of midnight, without risk of damaging the movement.

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In 2008, Patek Philippe reaffirmed its supreme mastery of the Grand Complications by launching as a feature of its regular collection Reference 5207, an innovative timepiece uniting a minute repeater, a tourbillon and an instantaneous perpetual calendar with aperture displays whose original concept was confirmed by two patents (caliber R TO 27 PS QI). With its modern design, enhanced by a sporty touch, this wristwatch was the first of a new breed of Grand Complication in regular production, intended for daily wear.

In 2011, the manufacture continued this saga of exceptional pieces by presenting Reference 5208, a self-winding watch combining a minute repeater, a mono-pusher chronograph and an instantaneous perpetual calendar with aperture displays. The first Patek Philippe Triple Complication wristwatch to include a chronograph, Reference 5208 also stood out as one of the rare ultra-complicated watches to be self-winding. To enable the caliber R CH 27 PS QI movement to fulfill all its functions precisely and reliably, the manufacture’s engineers had to innovate, notably by placing the chronograph mechanism between the base movement (with minute repeater) and the perpetual calendar module –which proved an extremely complex task. In 2017, a unique version of this Triple Complication in titanium (5208T-010), donated to the charitable auction Only Watch, went under the hammer for 6.2 million Swiss francs.

From the Triple to the Quadruple Complication
Yet again, Patek Philippe has chosen to push back the frontiers of the great watchmaking art, by endowing this timepiece with a new additional function, and no minor one at that: a split-seconds, or rattrapante, (rattraper: to catch up) mechanism: an exceptional device that ranks–alongside the minute repeater and the tourbillon – as one of the top three most difficult horological complications to produce. It takes a highly sophisticated mecanism to control a second sweep chronograph hand that can be stopped in order to measure an intermediate time (or keep a reference time) and then released so that it overtakes the other sweep seconds hand in a fraction of a second and the two superimposed hands continue to circle the dial as one. Destined for devotees of haute horlogerie, the new self-winding Reference 5308 thus unites four complications of which three (minute repeater, instantaneous perpetual calendar and the split-seconds function) are already considered Grand Complications in their own right.

A true feat of miniaturization and mastery of the forces to which the tiny parts are subjected, it stands out by the extreme complexity and density of its construction –notably the four concentric sweep hands with their particularly long staffs–while respecting all the directives of the Patek Philippe Seal, including the criteria for rate accuracy, strengthened in 2024: variations in rate must now lie within a range of -1 to +2 seconds per 24 hours.

A new caliber with optimized performances

The addition (between the base movement and the chronograph module) of a split-seconds mechanism, a voracious consumer of energy, represented a formidable challenge for the manufacture’s engineers. In particular, the specifications required that the volume of the new movement remain as compact as possible, with minimum extra thickness. Mission accomplished: despite the 80 parts needed to add the split-seconds function (799, compared with 719 on the caliber R CH 27 PS QI), the new caliber R CHR 27 PS QI saw an increase in thickness of only 1.93 mm (12.28 mm versus 10.35). For optimal integration of the split-seconds function (which consumes as much energy as the chronograph mechanism when the latter is running), the designers decided to boost the movement’s performance by taking action at several levels. The barrel spring torque was increased by means of a strip spring in a thicker, tougher material and a smaller barrel arbor –making it possible to keep an identical spring length, number of turns and power reserve (minimum 38 hours – maximum 48 hours with the chronograph stopped). This increase in the barrel torque to manage the split-seconds mechanism made it necessary, by chain reaction, to increase the inertia of the balance so as to ensure better rate stability by avoiding “knocking” phenomena (shocks in the escapement, when the amplitude of the balance is too high). As regards the off-center mini-rotor in 22K gold, this was replaced by a mini-rotor in platinum –a metal whose greater mass made it possible to increase the winding power and thus rewind without encumbering the new barrel.
A new patented system, eliminating friction of the chronograph wheel

To reduce energy consumption, the designers also turned their attention to the split-seconds chronograph by developing two innovations for which they have filed patent applications. The first concerns the coupling system. In a horizontal-clutch chronograph, the connection between the seconds wheel and the chronograph wheel (which carries the sweep seconds hand) is made via the clutch wheel actuated by the clutch lever. To avoid any vibration of the sweep hand, the usual chronograph wheels are equipped with a friction spring that exerts a slight braking effect –which consumes energy.

Patek Philippe has eliminated that friction by replacing the usual conventionally toothed clutch wheel with an innovative system of backlash-compensation wheel. Manufactured by the LIGA process (lithography, electroplating and molding) this nickel phosphorus component presents an avant-garde design with long slotted teeth, each incorporating a tiny strip spring 18 microns thick that grips the teeth of the chronograph wheel, thus removing any risk of the sweep second hand’s vibrating – with no need for adjustment. A meeting of tradition and innovation that perfectly reflects the Patek Philippe spirit. This principle recalls that of the patented anti-backlash wheel driving the seconds pinion, launched in 2019 in the new self-winding base caliber 26-330 (introduced in the Calatrava Weekly Calendar Reference 5212A-001). Furthermore, the profile of the teeth and the strip springs was entirely revised for optimal adaptation to a horizontal-clutch chronograph mechanism, with a view to enhanced performance and reliability.

A new patented mechanism for isolating the split-seconds hand

The second patented innovation concerns the split-seconds mechanism, located beneath the chronograph module. In conventional split-seconds mechanisms, when the split-seconds hand is stopped (the jaws of the clamps close) for the read-out of an intermediate time, the split-seconds lever continues to rotate around the chronograph heart-piece –creating friction that consumes energy. In the new system developed by Patek Philippe, an isolator mechanism enables this lever to be raised, separating it from the chronograph mobile. This prevents the stopping of the split-seconds mobile from influencing the amplitude of the balance –and thus the reliability of the movement, as well as its power reserve when the chronograph is engaged. Patek Philippe has already designed systems for isolating the split-seconds lever, for the manually wound caliber CHR 29-535 PS Q in 2012 (split-seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar Reference 5204) and caliber CHR 29-535 PS in 2015 (split-seconds chronograph Reference 5370). On the new Reference 5308G-001, the entire construction was revised to reduce the thickness of the isolator mechanism as much as possible, by means of a concentric dual- lever operating mode.

A mono-pusher split-seconds chronograph

The monopusher chronograph with column wheel and horizontal clutch, distinguished by its particularly slender construction, displays 60-minute and 12-hour counters at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock respectively. Its single pusher at 2 o’clock enables the user to actuate the start, stop and re-set functions successively (a 3-step chronograph). The split-seconds hand, equipped with its own column wheel, is operated by the pusher at 4 o’clock. A single pressure stops the split-seconds hand; a second pressure re-starts it, whereupon it catches up with the running sweep hand. This process of stopping and re-starting the split- seconds hand may be repeated at will while the chronograph sweep-seconds hand is in action. At the end of the timing event, the user actuates the pusher at 2 o’clock to stop the two hands conjointly and reset them to zero.

A minute repeater chiming on two gongs

The minute repeater chiming on two classic gongs offers the legendary sound quality of the Patek Philippe chiming watches –Grand Complications that are the fruit of an expertise reserved for the elite of master watchmakers. This highly sophisticated system of tiny racks, snails, hammers and gongs, actuated by the slide-piece set into caseband at 9 o’clock, strikes, on demand, the hours on the low-pitch gong, the quarters by alternating strokes (high and low pitch) and the minutes elapsed since the last quarter on the high-pitch gong. It takes great experience, dexterity and a perfectly trained musical ear to obtain that “Patek Philippe sound” sought after by connoisseurs. Thierry Stern, president of the manufacture, personally listens to the chime of each minute repeater watch emerging from the workshops, before deciding whether it can be delivered to its lucky owner.
The sophistication of an instantaneous perpetual calendar with aperture displays

The instantaneous perpetual calendar with aperture displays, a feat reserved for a very select number of timepieces, benefits from the same exclusive mechanism, distinguished by two patents, introduced in 2008 in Reference 5207, and found again in 2011 in Reference 5208. This system, which alone accounts for 220 of the 799 parts comprising the movement, enables the jumps of the indications in 30 milliseconds in the four day/date/month/leap year apertures, even with a residual power reserve of ten hours. The task was made still more complex by the use of disk displays, since the mechanism must set in motion much greater masses than would a display by hands. The instantaneous display demands perfect energy

control, to retain the disks and then release them in one go. A large lever comprising 15 parts, some of them mobile (first patent) ensures a precise jump of all the displays at the same instant. A design with two complementary jumper springs acting in opposite directions (second patent) ensures that the energy deployed for each change remains constant, despite large differences in the displacement angles –from the jump of one day at the end of months with 31 days to the jump of four days at the end of the month of February in non-leap years. This avoids any incomplete jumps caused by lack of power or by indications’ jumping too far owing to surplus energy.

A Ice-blue sunburst dial combining elegance and legibility

The new Quadruple Complication Reference 5308G-001 features an elegant Ice-blue sunburst dial presenting faceted applied hour markers and faceted dauphine-style hands, all in white gold with blue metallization. The accent is on legibility, ensuring that the thirteen indications controlled by the caliber R CHR 27 PS QI movement stand out clearly. The perpetual calendar’s day, date and month displays appear in three apertures arranged along an arc between 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock, in an inlaid frame of white gold with blue metallization –with a slightly larger aperture for the date, the most important piece of information. Completing these calendar displays are two round apertures for the day/night indication at 8 o’clock and the leap-year cycle at 4 o’clock, both indispensable when setting the calendar.
A white-gold case with skeletonized or open worked lugs

To house this exceptional mechanism, Patek Philippe chose white gold. Endowed with the same design and diameter (42 mm) as Reference 5208, this classic, understated case, hand polished throughout, is distinguished by its concave bezel and skeletonized lugs. The watch is delivered with two interchangeable case backs, one in sapphire crystal, the other in white gold. Its refined allure continues through to an alligator-leather strap in shiny navy blue equipped with a new, patented triple-blade fold- over clasp in white gold, ensuring comfort and security.

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While it has made its mark as the virtuoso of complications, Patek Philippe has also achieved distinction in the design sphere, developing its own aesthetic style and creating some of the most renowned and immediately recognizable watches in the entire horological universe. Creativity has always been at the heart of the Patek Philippe spirit, as evidenced by the vast array of collections and models spanning every segment of the watch market. Each new watch model is the occasion for the manufacture to express its unique vision of fine watchmaking, and to give free rein to its imagination and zest for invention, by drawing on numerous sources of inspiration and replying to the Patek Philippe customers’ wide variety of tastes.

And so the collections emerged, each with its own character. The Calatrava, in 1932, archetype of the round wristwatch; the Golden Ellipse, in 1968, its harmonious proportions inspired by the Golden Section; the Nautilus, in 1976, leader in the field of sporting elegance; the Gondolo collection, in 1993, contemporary embodiment of the Art Deco spirit; the Aquanaut, in 1997, emblematic of modern, casual chic; the Twenty~4, in 1999, timeless feminine elegance incarnate, completed in 2018 by the launch of the Twenty~4 Automatic. All of these models, with their pure, clean lines, destined to rise above passing fashion while losing nothing of their beauty and appeal Each an enduring icon of watch design, evolving by subtle touches, while retaining its powers of seduction as the years and generations pass.

A new exclusive square-shaped case with an elegantly slim profile

With the launch of the Cubitus collection Patek Philippe’s aim was to offer a new reinterpretation of the “elegant sporty” style. To do so, the manufacture chose to explore an original geometry based on the square. A visit to the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva reveals that the company has already proposed, in its collections, a number of quadrangular-shaped cases (squares, rectangles, trapezoids, cushions), particularly in the Art Deco period, when  this type of aesthetic flourished. For the new Cubitus collection, however, Patek Philippe developed a completely original, innovative design in which the square bezel adopts rounded corners: a shape both daring and subtle, blending the square, the circle and the octagon. The new Cubitus case also stands out by its two attachments, one on either side of the case and its two-part construction (back/caseband + bezel) with casing-up done from the front. The 45 mm diameter combines with an extremely slender profile, ensuring timeless elegance.

Another particularity: the bold geometry of the design is enhanced by the use of contrasting finishes – “vertical satin-brushed” on the flat of the bezel and the front of the case, and polished on the bezel’s chamfer and the case flanks. These finishing techniques require some 55 manual operations per watch, performed with the painstaking devotion to fine workmanship that distinguishes all Patek Philippe creations. The integrated metal bracelet equipping two of the three Cubitus models features this same pattern of alternating finishes – vertical satin-brushed on the main links and polished on the central links.

A dial and a rotor enriched with a horizontal decoration

To emphasize the strong character of the new Cubitus collection and play up its sporty air Patek Philippe enriched the dials with horizontal relief embossing, creating fine plays of light. As a signature feature of the collection, this horizontal decoration is also found on the rotors and mini-rotors of the Patek Philippe movements equipping the Cubitus models, accompanied by the Genevan manufacture’s emblem, the Calatrava cross.

Cubitus Instantaneous Grand Date, Day and Moon Phases Reference 5822P-001 A technical model endowed with a new complication, in a movement for which six patent applications have been filed

To mark the birth of the new Cubitus collection, Patek Philippe is unveiling a completely new model in platinum with original displays uniting a large-format date, the moon phase and the day of the week, all changing instantaneously. The manufacture developed for the purpose a new caliber 240 PS CI J LU self-winding movement for which it has filed six patent applications, such as those relating to the distribution of the energy required for the different displays and their simultaneous jump in 18 milliseconds. These innovations guarantee, in particular, perfect alignment of the large-date digits, and the possibility of correcting all the indications at any time of the day.

The grand date is displayed in a double aperture at the 12 o’clock position by means of two co-planar disks (that is, placed on exactly the same plane). The coaxial day and moon-phase indications are positioned at 7 o’clock, complemented by a small asymmetric subsidiary seconds counter at 4:30. On the blue sunburst dial, adorned with horizontal relief embossing, legibility is ensured by applied batonstyle hour markers and rounded baton-style hour and minute hands, all in white gold with a white luminescent coating.

The distinctive design of the platinum case as a square with rounded corners, a 45 mm diameter and an elegantly slender profile, gains further finesse from the contrast between its polished and vertical-satinbrushed finishes. A transparent sapphire-crystal case back affords a private view of the movement, with its 22K gold off-center mini-rotor presenting the same horizontal decoration as the dial. Like all the Patek Philippe models in platinum, this timepiece has a diamond, here a baguette cut for the first time, set into the bezel at 6 o’clock.

The modern, casual chic style with a technical edge continues through to a navy-blue strap with cream contrasting stitching in an ultra-resistant composite material embossed with a fabric motif, and a Cubitus fold-over clasp in platinum.

Patek Philippe also includes new Cubitus cufflinks in the collection, designed to match the watch, their white-gold frame echoing the shape of the case and centering a blue sunburst motif adorned with an embossed horizontal relief decoration (205.9821G-001).

Cubitus Reference 5821/1AR-001 A two-tone version in steel and rose gold with a vintage touch, featuring a blue sunburst dial

Patek Philippe plays up the elegant, daring design of its new Cubitus collection by endowing it with a two-tone version in which the bezel and central bracelet links in rose gold combine with a caseband and lateral links in steel. A refined contrast, highlighted by the alternating polished and vertical-satin-brushed finishes.

The completely new case, 45 mm in diameter, stands out by its highly original design, based on a square with rounded corners, and its remarkably slim profile (8.3 mm), making it supremely elegant on the wrist. With its two- art construction and screw-down crown, it is certified water-resistant for all aquatic activities to a depth of 30 meters.

The blue sunburst dial with horizontal relief embossing combines elegance and legibility, with its applied baton-style hour markers and rounded baton-style hour and minute hands, all in rose-gold with a white luminescent coating. An inlaid frame in rose gold decorates the date aperture at 3 o’clock.

This model houses the caliber 26-330 S C self-winding movement, a derivative of the base caliber 26- 330 introduced in 2019, endowed with a stop-seconds mechanism (allowing the watch to be synchronized with a time signal to an accuracy of one second) and other technical innovations, particularly related to the winding system. The transparent sapphire-crystal display back affords a private view of this movement’s architecture and painstakingly finished and decorated parts, such as the central rotor in 21K gold, adorned with the same horizontal motif as the dial.

The bracelet in steel and rose gold features a lockable size-adjustment system and a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp secured by four independent catches for comfort and safety.

Patek Philippe also includes new Cubitus cufflinks in the collection, designed to match the watch, their rose-gold frame echoing the shape of the case and centering a blue sunburst adorned with an embossed horizontal relief (205.9821R-001).

Cubitus Reference 5821/1A-001 Sporty elegance par excellence in a model with a steel case and bracelet and an olive-green sunburst dial

Patek Philippe has reinvented the elegant sporty watch with a completely new Cubitus model in steel, combining a square-shaped case with rounded corners with an integrated bracelet whose architecture delivers both flexibility and strength. Alternating polished and vertical-satin-brushed finishes highlight the bold modern design. The 45 mm-diameter case is remarkable for its elegant finesse on the wrist (8.3 mm).

The dial, adorned with horizontal relief embossing, sports an elegant shade of olive green illuminated by a fine sunburst motif. Applied baton-style hour markers and rounded baton-style hour and minute hands, all in white gold with a white luminescent coating, make legibility excellent. An inlaid frame in white gold decorates the date aperture at 3 o’clock.

At the heart of this new model beats the same caliber 26-330 S C self-winding movement that powers the Cubitus Reference 5821/1AR-001, with central rotor in 21K gold adorned with a horizontal motif.

The steel bracelet features a lockable size-adjustment system and a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp secured by four independent catches for comfort and safety.

Patek Philippe also includes new cufflinks in the collection, designed to match the watch, their whitegold frame echoing the shape of the case and centering an olive-green sunburst adorned with horizontal relief embossing (205.9821G-010).

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Endowed with a new movement for which six patent applications have been filed, the Cubitus Instantaneous Grand Date, Day and Moon Phases Reference 5822P-001 also stands out by its striking square-shaped platinum case with rounded corners – an exclusive design – its blue sunburst dial with horizontal relief embossing and its navy-blue strap in a composite material, embossed with a fabric motif. In sum, a unique new alliance of haute horlogerie, technical daring and sporting elegance.

The launch of a new Patek Philippe collection is a milestone in the company’s history and a cause for celebration. And what better way to honor it than by presenting it together with a new, exclusive complicated movement? To accompany the casual chic of the Cubitus design, the manufacture chose to highlight the “grand date” function, distinguished both by its legibility and its assertive air. Useful in everyday life, the large-format date –in its double aperture – is also ideally suited to the bold geometry of the Cubitus case and dial. But the development of an all-new movement uniting this function with moon phases and a day indicator required that Patek Philippe surmount a considerable number of technical and aesthetic challenges. In particular, it called for the design of a completely new large-date mechanism –the aim being, as in all the manufacture’s complications, to unite technical complexity with outstanding simplicity, practicality and safety in use.

A new metamorphosis for the renowned caliber 240

First essential: the slenderness of the movement, to guarantee the timeless elegance of the case. To deliver this exceptional finesse, despite the addition of a complex mechanism, Patek Philippe’s engineers decided to take as their base the acclaimed caliber 240 ultra-thin self-winding movement with a 22K gold off-center mini-rotor. This great classic of mechanical horology, introduced in 1977, is recognized as a cult movement, renowned for its slim profile, reliability and performance. It has proved its value and versatility in several versions with additional functions that now power numerous models in the current collection. It is found for example in the caliber 240 PS IRM C LU movement (249 parts) with power- reserve indicator at the 10:30 position, analog date and moon phases at 7 o’clock and small seconds at 4:30 equipping the Nautilus 5712 references since 2006. On the new Cubitus Reference 5822P-001, the aim was to offer – along with the large date indication at 12 o’clock and small seconds at 4:30 – a dual co-axial day display by a hand and moon phase by an aperture in a subsidiary dial at 7 o’clock. Thus was born the new caliber 240 PS CI J LU self-winding movement (353 parts), a perfect blend of tradition and innovation. Despite the addition of 104 more parts compared with the caliber 240 PS IRM C LU, the height of the movement increased by only 0.77 mm (4.76 mm versus 3.99 mm). In particular, for this purpose, the engineers re-worked the base movement by endowing it with an instantaneous-jump calendar mechanism for the display of a grand- date indication in a double aperture.

Simultaneous jumps in 18 milliseconds

If slender proportions were of the essence, so too was perfect legibility, a key requirement for a large date indication. To avoid any time lag between the different displays, Patek Philippe developed an instantaneous-jump mechanism, not only for the grand date but for the day and moon-phase indications. A large lever, the “main lever” driven by the 24-hour wheel controls all these changes. This wheel carries a cam that winds the main lever continuously. At midnight, the beak of the main lever drops from the top of the cam, released by its powerful spring. The main lever then engages –via various components –a tooth of the date star, a tooth of the day star and a tooth of the moon-phase star, to effect the change in these indications. Accordingly, every night at midnight, all these displays jump instantaneously and simultaneously in 18 milliseconds, using the energy accumulated throughout the day.

Coplanar disks for the grand date

To endow this timepiece with the sleekest and most elegant system possible for displaying the grand date, Patek Philippe’s engineers designed a caliber featuring coplanar disks (that is, disks positioned exactly on the same plane): a device that avoids any unaesthetic superposition. Each night at midnight, the energy supplied by the main lever is divided between two gear trains driving, respectively, the tens disk (with a double sequence of 0, 1, 2, 3) and the units disk (with digits from 0 to 9). Thanks to a patent taken up from the caliber 31-260 PS QL (launched in the in-line perpetual calendar Reference 5236 in 2021), this mechanism makes it possible to manage the jumps from 31 to 01 while maintaining the 1 digit stationary by means of gears with truncated teeth. An “anti-double-jump” system for the units, also patented in 2021, avoids any second change of the date in the event of a shock or during a correction.

Complex energy management

As the display of the grand date by means of two coplanar disks consumes copious energy, it was necessary to accumulate enough power to drive these two very large disks and have them jump instantly as well as the day and moon-phase indications. It was also important to ensure that the mechanism distributes this energy exactly according to the three different types of jump of the grand-date indication occurring over time. The first scenario is when only the units change (e.g. during the passage from 11 to 12) and where, consequently, only the units disk is moving. The second scenario is when the tens change during the month (e.g. during the passage from 09 to 10) which causes both disks to move (tens and units). And the third scenario, which occurs once a month, is the passage from 31 to 01, when only the tens disk is moving, while the units disk remains stationary.

Six patented technical innovations

To meet all these challenges, Patek Philippe’s engineers developed new technical solutions leading them to file six specific patent applications. In particular these innovations guarantee: perfect alignment of the grand-date numerals at all times in the two apertures; absence of any double jump of the tens during the change of the date from 31 to 01 or in the event of a shock, and the possibility of correcting all the indications (including the time and the day) at any hour of the day without risk of damaging the movement or disturbing the correct display of the information. These technical breakthroughs combine to optimize the reliability, legibility and ease of operation of the various functions, directly in line with Patek Philippe’s design philosophy of putting the user first. The movement is endowed with three correction push-pieces set into the flanks of the case, for the date, the day and the moon phases respectively. As this is what is known as a “simple” calendar, the owner must correct his or her timepiece on the first day of the months of March, May, July, October and December. The moon-phase display is so precise that it takes 122 years to deviate by a single day from the true lunar cycle. As to the rate accuracy of the new caliber 240 PS CI J LU, it meets all the strengthened criteria declared official by the manufacture in spring 2024, with a tolerance range of -1 and +2 seconds per 24 hours in compliance with the directives of the Patek Philippe Seal. A dial combining character with legibility The new Cubitus Instantaneous Grand Date, Day and Moon Phases Reference 5822P-001 presents a blue dial embellished with a sunburst motif and horizontal relief embossing. The grand date appears in a double aperture at 12 o’clock in an embossed beveled frame. The coaxial day and moon-phase indications at 7 o’clock and the asymmetric small seconds at 4:30 stand out in white on the blue ground. Legibility is further ensured by applied baton-style hour markers and rounded baton-style hour and minute hands, all in white gold with a luminescent coating that is white by day and glows green in the dark. The nobility of platinum The new Cubitus case in platinum is a two-part construction with lateral attachments, distinguished by its 45mm diameter and the elegant finesse of its profile (9.6 mm). Its characteristic design, a square with rounded corners, gains additional impact from contrasting finishes –vertical satin-brushed on the flat of the bezel and the front of the case, polished on the beveled sides of the bezel and the case flanks. Like all Patek Philippe’s platinum models, the new Reference 5822P-001 has a diamond (here, a baguette cut for the first time) set into the bezel at 6 o’clock. The transparent case back in sapphire crystal affords a private view of the new caliber 240 PS CI J LU movement, with its 22K gold off-center mini-rotor adorned with the same pattern of horizontal lines as the dial–a signature distinguishing the models in this collection. The watch’s blend of modern, casual chic with a technical edge continues through to a navy-blue strap with cream contrasting stitching in an ultra-resistant composite material embossed with a fabric motif. The platinum fold-over clasp is engraved with the name of the Cubitus collection. Patek Philippe also offers new Cubitus cufflinks in the collection, designed to match the watch, their white-gold frame echoing the shape of the case and centering a blue sunburst motif adorned with an embossed horizontal relief (205.9821G-001).

The six new patents for caliber 240 PS CI J LU

During the development of caliber 240 PS CI J LU Patek Philippe filed six new specific patent applications:

•Tangential brake (European patent application EP4328674) At the end of each month, while the date changes from 31 to 01, the unit must remain stationary. The energy therefore, instead of being distributed between the two wheel trains (tens and units) is transmitted entirely to the tens train. This tangential brake mechanism integrated into the tens train causes an artificial overconsumption during the passage from 3 to zero. By thus absorbing the surplus energy directed towards the tens disk, it makes it possible to avoid any double jump of the latter.

• Dual-lever correction system (patent application CH719977) This security system was designed for manual correction of the date using the corrector push-piece located at 10 o’clock during corrections from 9 to 10, from 19 to 20, from 29 to 30 and from 31 to 1, where one does not benefit, for the tens, from the energy of the instant jump. Thanks to the presence of a second lever (a flexible finger-piece ending the travel of the tens disk) this system makes it possible to ensure the jump of the tens at any time and regardless of the force of the pressure exerted on the corrector.

• Flexible day corrector (European patent application EP4246247) This system makes it possible to correct the day of the week at any time of the day, notably between 9:30 and 12 o’clock, when the corrector is blocked on the return by the click of the grand lever actuating the day star. This solution allows for a retractable corrector in a thickness that is insufficient to accommodate a pivoting click.

• Cam winding wheel with dual-function spring (European patent application EP4312083) Designed for a cam driven by the 24-hour wheel, this system of a winding wheel with a dual-function spring makes it possible to overcome a greater force of friction (torque) while ensuring the perfect precision of the date jump at midnight. A system of disconnecting gear fitted with a flexible finger-piece that retracts when the 24-hour cam strikes the beak of the grand lever also enables the user to adjust the time at any moment, backwards or forwards, passing midnight, without any risk of damaging the movement.

• Mechanism for positioning the disk indications & flexible blocking plate (patent applications CH720028 & EP4336273) On a large date display, the slightest visual lag between the tens and units would be displeasing to the eye. This new mechanism, comprising an eccentric and a flexible plate, makes it possible to adjust on each watch individually the position of the two disks at the time of casing-up, once the final dial has been fitted. In this way, the two indications are perfectly centered in their apertures, for optimal legibility. This system makes it possible to keep these positions tensioned and thus permanently conserved, so that they resist shocks during wear and remain perfectly aligned.

Patents taken over from caliber 31-260 PS QL

The new caliber 240 PS CI J LU incorporates two patents developed for the caliber 31-260 PS QL equipping the in-line perpetual calendar Reference 5236P-001 unveiled in 2021.

• Shock absorber and/or anti-double-jump mechanism for a watch movement (European patent application EP 3786724) This mechanism strengthens security as regards the date display and the perfect synchronization of the two disks by avoiding any second change of the date in the event of a shock or during a correction.

• Date: Switch from 31 to 01 (European patent EP3786723B1) This mechanism ensures that the unit remains in its position when the switch from the 31st to the 1st of the following month takes place. This is handled by a 31-point star from which two teeth were removed.

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With its instantly recognizable shape, between a circle and a rectangle, and its harmonious proportions inspired by the ancient golden section, the Golden Ellipse has made its mark as a style icon in the Patek Philippe  collections. Launched in 1968 with a case in yellow gold and a dial in blue gold, it has since appeared in other hues of gold and with dials of different colors. For its 40th anniversary in 2008, the collection introduced a large  model (34.5 x 39.5 mm) in platinum, with a blue sunburst dial (5738P-001) followed in 2018 by a large model in rose gold with an ebony-black sunburst dial (5738R001).

From the time of its launch and through to the early 1980s the Golden Ellipse collection was proposed, not only on leather straps but on several types of chain bracelet, such as the milanais-style bracelet of Reference 3548  (1968) or the polonais-style bracelet of Reference 3605 (1974). To these must be added a number of link bracelets with particularly distinctive designs. This great creativity expressed in the bracelets added to the aura  surrounding this flagship watch of the 1970s, a unique alliance of audacity and balance.

A reinvented chain bracelet
Patek Philippe is revisiting this great era of horological design by proposing Reference 5738 on an elegant chain-style bracelet in rose gold that follows the contours of the wrist and offers superb comfort while also accentuating  the finesse of the case. True to its continuous quest for innovation, the manufacture was intent on reinstating the chain bracelet in the collection, but eliminating the technical drawbacks associated with the  previous versions, particularly with respect to adjusting the length. The product of 15 years’ development, the new bracelet in 18K rose gold, hand-polished throughout, is distinguished by its modern, patented construction,  which made it possible to recreate the style of the classic chain bracelets. It comprises 363 parts, including more than 300 links, assembled manually one by one. The new bracelet is introduced as an exclusive feature of this  Golden Ellipse Reference 5738/1R-001. Its modern construction allows the length to be adjusted more easily, whether shorter or longer. The clasp (its cover adorned with an engraved motif continuing that of the bracelet)  offers the choice of three adjustment notches.

A pure, timeless dial design
The ebony-black “sunburst” dial forms a background to baton-style applied hour markers and slender cheveu-style hands, all in rose gold. This timeless, understated aesthetic perfectly reflects the spirit of the Golden Ellipse. A  black onyx cabochon set into the crown completes the visual harmony of the design.

The slimmest Patek Philippe watch
Beating inside this model is the self-winding caliber 240, an ultra-thin movement with off-center minirotor in 22K gold allowing for a case with an extremely low profile (5.9 mm) – making the Golden Ellipse Reference 5738  the slimmest watch in the Patek Philippe regular collection.

The new Reference 5738/1R-001 joins the regular collection References 5738P-001, 5738R-001 and the Rare Handrafts Reference 5738/51G-001.

Patek Philippe and the metal bracelets
Ever since the emergence of the first wrist-worn timepieces in the 1910s, Patek Philippe has been renowned for the technical and aesthetic inventiveness of its bracelets. The late 1960s and the decade of the 70s also stands out  as a period of great creativity in the metal bracelets proposed.

Patek Philippe’s metal bracelets can be divided into two types, according to the way in which they are constructed.

The links of the chain bracelets are crafted one by one by artisan chainsmiths from a gold wire or a wire in another metal, and then assembled by hand to produce a structure that is remarkably supple. Throughout its history  Patek Philippe has continued to showcase the skills of its artisans and certain specialized suppliers, such as Gennari Ponti, subsequently renamed ARSA (Ateliers Réunis SA) before being integrated into Patek Philippe when all  the manufacture’s workshops were united under one roof at Plan-les-Ouates in 1996.

The links, clasps and catches comprising the bracelets known as “mechanical” are produced on CNC machinery from a bar of metal (gold, platinum or steel) before being assembled by hand and then –depending on the  bracelet – polished or satin brushed, also by hand. This category includes the polished/satin-brushed bracelet of the Nautilus (launched in 1976 and requiring more than 15 different finishing operations), the “Goutte” (or  “droplet”) bracelet (1998) and the fully polished bracelet of the ladies’ Twenty~4 watch (1999).

The new chain-style bracelet developed and crafted by a historic partner of Patek Philippe and  introduced as an exclusive feature of the Golden Ellipse Reference 5738/1R-001 unites the best of those two worlds, with parts  produced by industrial processes on the latest-generation CNC machines, and then assembled and finished by hand, drawing on all the traditional know-how of the artisan chainsmiths.

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Introduced in the 1930s, the era of the first transatlantic flights, and based on an invention by the Genevan master watchmaker Louis Cottier, the renowned Patek Philippe World Time has been technically optimized continually ever since. From the early 1950s onwards this function has made it possible to read off the time simultaneously and permanently in the 24 time zones, by means of two mobile disks (a city disk and a 24-hour disk)  while also benefiting from a local-time display (in a time zone selected at the 12 o’clock position) by center hour and minute hands. This ingenious system, combined with dial centers often adorned with colorful maps in Grand  Feu cloisonné enamel or handguilloched decorations, has made this complication one of the most recognizable of Patek Philippe models –and one of the most sought after by devotees of splendid mechanisms.

Innovative territory
In 1999, Patek Philippe announced a major improvement in the functionality of the World Time with an exclusive patented mechanism whereby, when its owner changes time zones, a single pressure on a push-piece suffices to  adjust all the displays together (city disk, 24-hour disk and center hour hand) in one-hour steps –without affecting the rate accuracy of the minutes and seconds. This innovation was introduced in the year 2000 with the  launch of Reference 5110. More recently, the engineers have also paired the World Time with two of the manufacture’s other most emblematic complications. In 2016 they unveiled the World Time Chronograph Reference  5930, with a caliber CH 28-520 HU self-winding movement. In 2017, on the occasion of the Grand Exhibition in New York, Patek Philippe presented the first World Time minute repeater that always chimes the local time:  Reference 5531, with a caliber R 27 HU self-winding movement, in a limited edition of ten watches. This model joined the regular collection in 2018.

A new alliance of functions useful in everyday life
The manufacture is now marking a new milestone in the history of the Patek Philippe World Time watch by endowing it for the first time with a date display. While normally quite straightforward, here this function posed a  real technical challenge. Other world-time watches equipped with a date indicator always oblige the traveler, when changing time zones, to adjust the time zone and the date independently. Patek Philippe, however, was intent  on making the user experience as practical and comfortable as possible, and tasked its engineers with coupling the date display mechanically with the local time (the time zone selected at 12 o’clock and indicated by the center  hands) with no need for correction. Meeting this challenge required, therefore, that the date adjust automatically in the two situations entailing a change: past midnight, when the date advances to that of the following day; and  when crossing the International Date Line (in the middle of the Pacific Ocean) from west to east, where the date goes back by a day – as Phileas Fogg famously forgets in the Jules Verne novel “Around the World in Eighty  Days”. (He believes that he has lost his bet by a day, an error that he would have avoided had he been wearing the new Reference 5330G-001). Here, as in the World Time Minute Repeater Reference 5531, accommodating the  two complications in the same movement was not the only difficulty: they had to be made to interact, with the World Time controlling the date display (just as it controls the minute repeater in Reference 5531). Therefore, the  date mechanism had to be able to function in either direction, backwards or forwards, during a date change, and to do so reliably, with no risk of damage to the movement.

An innovative, patented differential
To provide this useful, exclusive and user-friendly function, the manufacture developed a new movement, caliber 240 HU C, based on the caliber 240 HU ultra-thin self-winding movement that has equipped the Patek Philippe  World Time watches without additional functions since the year 2000. The first distinguishing feature of this innovative movement is its date-display module, which alone comprises 70 parts. A patented central  differential system comprising two concentric star-type gear wheels manages the local-time date. When the outer star (of larger diameter and with 62 teeth) turns clockwise, the date hand advances clockwise by one notch.  When the inner star (with 31 teeth) turns clockwise the date hand moves back counterclockwise by a notch. When the two stars turn clockwise together (which should imply simultaneously a forward and a backward movement  of the date hand) the differential allows this hand to remain stationary. Each pressure on the pusher positioned at 10 o’clock therefore serves to adjust, in one-hour steps, not only the city disk, the 24-hour disk and  the center hour hand, but henceforth –where applicable –the date, in either direction. Complex and yet so easy to operate, this system perfectly illustrates Patek Philippe’s creative philosophy of putting the user first.  Furthermore, despite its additional mechanism, the new caliber 240 HU C movement is barely 0.7 millimeters thicker than caliber 240 HU (4.58 mm instead of 3.88 mm) allowing it be housed in a slender, elegant case.

Original, legible displays
The second distinguishing feature of the new World Time Reference 5330G-001 is its date display mode. Patek Philippe opted for a center hand with a hammer-shaped tip in red lacquer that moves along a transfer-printed  scale from 1 to 31 at the outer edge of the dial on a beveled, silvery flange that creates a beautiful sense of depth. To avoid this relatively static hand’s disturbing the legibility of the other information, the manufacture’s  engineers conceived –for the first time at Patek Philippe – a transparent hand made of glass.

Character shows in its face
As with all Patek Philippe World Time watches, the new Reference 5330G-001 stands out by its refined and highly distinctive appearance. Its opaline dial center in an elegant shade of blue-gray is adorned with a carbon motif,  adding a dynamic modern touch. The 24-hour disk is subdivided into day and night zones, identified respectively by a small gilt sun on a silvery background symbolizing noon and a gilt crescent moon on a blue-gray ground  symbolizing midnight. On the city disk, a red dot between Auckland and Midway marks the International Date Line. Faceted dauphine-style hands and faceted applied batonstyle hour markers, all in white gold with a white  uminescent coating, indicate local time in the time zone selected at the 12 o’clock position. The fully polished white-gold case, 40 mm in diameter, catches the eye with its curved two-tier fluted lugs. Its sapphire-crystal back  affords a private view of the architecture of the new caliber 240 HU C self-winding movement and the painstaking finishing touches lavished on its parts.

A calfskin strap embossed with a denim motif, in blue gray with white hand-stitching, echoes the color of the dial. It is secured by a fold-over clasp in white gold.

Time zones and the International Date Line
It was long the case that every country- if not every city –had its own local time, based more or less on the longitude, and travelers constantly had to adjust the indications on their watches. But the era of rapid growth in  transport and communications brought with it the need to unify the time system. In 1884, the International Meridian Conference in Washington resulted in the decision to divide the planet into 24 time zones, each covering 15  degrees of longitude (one hour) and to take as reference point (longitude 0) the Greenwich meridian, which navigators were already using for that purpose.

According to this system, the time zone in which Auckland (New Zealand) is situated is 12 hours ahead of that of Greenwich (UTC + 12). It is therefore the first to pass to the following day. On the other hand, the time zone  applying to Midway (an atoll and area of the United States in the North Pacific) is 11 hours behind Greenwich (UTC -11). Thus, it is the last to pass to the following day. In our example, when one is travelling westward from  Midway to Auckland it is therefore necessary to advance the date by a day.  And when one is travelling eastward from Auckland to Midway the date must move back by a day. The International Date Line, which is situated  between the Auckland and Midway time zones (and has not been the subject of any international treaty) zigzags around the 180°meridian in the middle of the Pacific Ocean at the will of the different islands’ choices of time  zone.

But this system is nevertheless particular in one respect. During the time segment from 11 a.m. to noon in London, it is between midnight and 1 a.m. in Midway and between 11 p.m. and midnight in Auckland (unless daylight  saving is in force). The entire planet is therefore on the same date for one hour. Thanks to its patented differential system, the new World Time Reference 5330G-001 respects this case by keeping the date stationary even when  another time zone is selected using the push-piece at 10 o’clock. Without this differential system, in the time segment where the date is identical in all the time zones, that is, at midnight, when its owner crossed the  International Date Line located between Auckland and Midway the watch would send two contradictory signals to the same star-wheel, one to advance the date by a day, the other to subtract a day – which would block the  movement.

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From the time of its founding in 1839, the Patek Philippe manufacture has made its mark as a virtuoso of chiming watches, whether those that strike automatically “in passing” (grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie) or those that strike on demand (repeaters). In 1989, on the occasion of the manufacture’s 150th anniversary, Philippe Stern, then company director, launched the great revival of the wrist-worn minute repeater by announcing the famous  self-winding caliber R 27, the first movement of its kind designed and built entirely in the manufacture’s own workshops. Since then, the minute repeaters have steadily regained a privileged place in Patek Philippe’s product range; indeed they now constitute the largest collection of minuterepeater wristwatches in regular production. No fewer than a dozen timepieces offer this Grand Complication, alone or combined with other functions (grande  and petite sonnerie, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, chronograph, World Time etc.).

In tribute to 85 years of watchmaking passion

To celebrate Philippe Stern’s 85th birthday, Thierry Stern (of the fourth generation of the Stern family, appointed president in 2009) decided to honor his father by creating a special edition of 30 watches, endowed with a  completely new movement developed solely for this piece and never to be used again. A watch identified as Reference 1938, for the year of the honorary president’s birth. The choice naturally went to a minute repeater,  Philippe Stern’s favorite complication, combined with an exclusive acoustic function: an alarm chiming the programmed time. This complex mechanism was one of the five acoustic functions and one of the two patented world  firsts unveiled in 2014 for the manufacture’s 175th anniversary on the Grandmaster Chime Reference 5175, the most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch (20 complications), equipped with the manually wound caliber 300  “GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM”. Joining the regular collection in 2016 as Reference 6300, the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime unites a grande sonnerie, a petite sonnerie, a minute repeater, a date repeater chiming the date  on demand and an alarm chiming the programmed time.

A new technical challenge

Taking this alarm function chiming a programmed time and integrating it into the emblematic caliber R 27 proved a formidable task. For Patek Philippe’s engineers, development of the new caliber R AL 27 PS self-winding  movement meant fundamentally rethinking the minute repeater mechanism in order to accommodate the alarm. The challenge was to create a watch in which the minute repeater and the alarm chime on the same two classic  gongs while retaining the system of a slide piece set into the left flank of the case, a prized visual signature of the Patek Philippe minute repeaters. This required that upon actuation of the slide, the movement be capable either  of instantly striking the time displayed on the dial (in minuterepeater mode) or of putting the strike on hold until the time displayed corresponds to the programmed time (in alarm mode). Contrary to classic minute repeaters,  where winding by means of the slide instantly releases the striking-work, the addition of an alarm system made it necessary to be able to disengage the strike-work barrel from the strike train (the quarter rack, the minute rack, the hour beak).

Four new patents

All these technical constraints called for the addition of 227 parts, including a lever and column wheel for selection of the chiming mode and a fusee device with a strike-work detent mechanism that temporarily disconnects the power source (the strike-work barrel drum) from the striking mechanism–a system usually reserved for grande sonnerie watches. In developing caliber R AL 27 PS its designers filed four new patents for mechanisms making it  possible, notably, to switch with complete safety from one chiming mode to the other; to delay the alarm strike until the right moment; to ensure, in every case, the correct strike sequence of “hours, quarters and minutes”; and  to guarantee that the strike-work barrel is always fully armed with each actuation of the slide –so that the watch can always, if necessary, sound up to 31 strikes for the alarm (12:58). Furthermore, the strike-work barrel was fitted with a slip bridle to avoid any excessive tension in the spring.

Great ease of use

Here, as in all Patek Philippe complicated watches, technical complexity is allied with great ease of operation –a design philosophy that puts the user’s needs first. The push-piece integrated into the crown serves to select the chiming mode, which is displayed in a small bellshaped aperture at 3 o’clock. When the watch is in minute-repeater mode (black bell) the user can actuate the repeater slide at any time to hear the chimes of the hours, quarters  and minutes elapsed since the last quarter. When the watch is in alarm mode (red bell) the slide must be actuated again to wind the alarm (the bell changes from red to white). When the alarm has been actuated but has not yet  sounded (white bell) it is possible to return to minuterepeater mode by pressing on the push-piece without this releasing the strike.

A 12-hour alarm

The 12-hour programmable alarm time is set from one quarter-hour to the next by means of the crown pulled out to the middle position and the Breguet-style center alarm hand in rose gold pointing to the scale in powdered  rose gold on the periphery of the dial. To allow the maximum number of chimes to be heard, the alarm of Reference 1938P-001 always strikes two minutes before the programmed time. Accordingly, if the alarm has been set for 3 o’clock, instead of three low-pitched strikes (which could easily go unnoticed) the watch will sound two low-pitched strikes, three double high-low strikes and 13 high-pitched strikes, making 21 strikes in total. A true  musical interlude. Safety systems prevent any damage in the event of incorrect manipulation –such as successive attempts to arm the slide when the alarm has already been actuated, or adjusting the movement time when the  watch is striking.

A portrait in Grand Feu miniature painting on enamel

The tribute to Philippe Stern continues on the 18K gold dial with its portrait in Grand Feu white and gray miniature painting on enamel, on a ground of Grand Feu black enamel. A tiny picture built up in small deft touches – fruit of one of the precious rare handcrafts that the manufacture’s honorary president has taken such care to nurture. Applied Breguet-style numerals and Breguet-style hour and minute hands, all in white gold, contrasting  with the rose gold of the alarm hand and scale, lend their elegance to the time display.

A platinum case with an engraved dust cover

The platinum case, hand polished throughout, is 41 mm in diameter. With its straight lugs and screwed-in strap bars, it too recalls one of the creations dear to Philippe Stern, dating from 1989, when, on the occasion of the  manufacture’s 150th anniversary, he launched the limited edition Reference 3960 – a timepiece in the “Officer’s” style reminiscent of the earliest wristwatches, which emerged at the turn of the twentieth century. Platinum has  been chosen as the most noble of metals, but also because it represents the greatest acoustic challenge for a minute repeater when the aim is to obtain the true “Patek Philippe sound” beloved of connoisseurs. Like all Patek Philippe watches in platinum, Reference 1938P-001 has a diamond set into the caseband at 6 o’clock. The case is also endowed with a sapphire crystal back protected by a hinged dust cover bearing the hand-engraved inscription “A mon père, 85 ans de passion horlogère” (To my father, 85 years of watchmaking passion). The sapphire crystal provides a fine view of the particularly painstaking finish lavished on the new R AL 27 PS self-winding movement. The chamfered edges of the bridges and hammers are gilded. The 22K yellow-gold mini-rotor is rhodium plated with yellow-gold edges and adorned with a black-lacquered hand engraving reproducing Philippe Stern’s signature. The touch of elegance and comfort extends to the alligator leather strap in shiny black with a platinum foldover clasp.

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