Many of us thought that after their last release (the 6007A limited edition Calatrava, which we talked about here), we would have had to wait until April 2021 for more Patek Philippe models to come out. But yesterday, that all changed: Patek Philippe just announced the introduction of 3 new watches.
As with any Patek Philippe announcement, there’s always a huge buzz, and this year – with 3 Grand Complications – it was no exception.
Without further ado, let’s get into the new releases!
5270J-001
The first of these three big releases is the Perpetual-Chronograph ref. 5270J: the crown-jewel of Patek Philippe complications is now finally available in the iconic silver dial and yellow gold case configuration.
We say “crown-jewel” of complications, but the Perpetual Chronograph is by no means the most complicated watch in the Patek portofolio, but is without a doubt the most recognisable and popular one. Ever since their introduction in 1941, they’ve become symbolic of Patek Philippe’s superiority in complicated timepieces.
After the platinum version of the 5270 came out in Baselworld two years ago, many considered it an appropriate send-off to the series, and that a gold version would never see the light of day – but it was okay – especially given that yellow gold is the least popular out of the three. Clearly, Patek wasn’t put off by what the market was saying, and went ahead and released a yellow gold version of it anyways, much to the satisfaction of many purists. In our opinion, this was the best possible conclusion to the 5270 series.
It’s still early days, but the 5270J hasn’t received the type of recognition that one would expect for a watch with such a rich history, but might we remind you that up until the 5970, Patek Philippe always used outsourced Ebauche movements, whereas the 5270 is powered by an entirely in-house caliber.
We are very certain that these are the types of qualities that will make it a future classic. But if you want it now, the boutique-only 5270J-001 will set you back €155,850.
5370P-011
Moving on, we have the 5370, encased in platinum and sporting a “Grand Feu” blue enamelled dial. The 5370P was discontinued just a few months ago in January, but watch enthusiasts missed it far too much… and what’s not to miss about it? It’s a splendid split-seconds chronograph with applied Breguet numerals on a stunning enamel dial. Need we say more?
Because we can! Don’t let the clean and simple dial layout fool you: turning the watch over, if you’ve opted for the clear caseback (how is that even an option?), you get the privilege of admiring the entirely in-house CHR 29-525 PS movement: a caliber which – in my opinion – along with L951 of Lange’s Datograph, is the best looking movement of the modern era.
The 5370P is the perfect modern take on one of the watchmaker’s most iconic models: it’s not easy to give the ref. 1463 a successor, but I think Patek really hit the nail on the head here.
Okay, we get it: the use of blue is getting out of hand in the watch world right now, but Patek Philippe has done it as they always do – with style and with expert finishing. In fact, if you take a closer look, every single component, even those not destined to be on full display, have been taken care of with the maximum level of detail as if they were.
As well as being special in its own right (through technicality and aesthetics), this is a rare gem, and it’s going to be very hard to come by. You think a Nautilus is elusive? Get this: last year, guess how many 5370s were sold in the US market?
3. That’s it.
If you can afford the €242,600 pricetag of the 5370P-011 and you want it, we suggest you get in line, and quick!
5303R-001
Last, but certainly not least, we have the more contentious release of the trio. Ever since its presentation at the Singapore Grand Art Exhibition last year (which you can read about here), the ref. 5303R had polarizing reception: you either were a huge fan, or completely put off – there was no inbetween.
Just a little bit of preamble before we get into the details: those who opposed the ref. 5303R were predominantly the Patek purists. They believed that the watch went against the brand’s principles, particularly the exposed Tourbillon. Notwithstanding the fact that Patek Philippe has steered clear of this feature because of how UV rays interfere with its functionality, the Patek purists felt that they had been betrayed.
To be fair, the brand has always stood by the following implicit customer-brand deal: the owner of a Patek timepiece should not care for the aesthetics of an exposed Tourbillon, because they are safe in the knowledge that the “hidden” one has been expertly crafted beyond any measure, with incredible attention to detail and care. And now it seems that Patek isn’t holding up their end of the deal.
In fact, the 5303R breaks all these traditions and overrides all these concepts. Skeletonisation is nothing new in the Patek Philippe catalogue, but a partially skeletonised dial seems to confuse critics and followers as to which direction the brand is trying to take.
In order to address the aforementioned concerns of UV rays damaging the exposed Tourbillon, its cage has been turned over, and the sapphire crystal has been specially treated to resolve this and protect the movement.
Putting controversy aside, the 5303R is one of those watches which 50 years from now, you’ll look back at and just say “wow”. The leaf-style hands and white gold decorations around the case are a testament to the technical prowess and the artisanship of the Patek Philippe engineers and artists, who employ an unmatched level of detail to their product.
The 5303R-001 isn’t a limited edition “on paper”, but will undoubtedly have a very small production run, reserved for only the most loyal and enthusiastic Patek Philippe clients. As such, the price and availability is upon request only.
What did you think of Patek Philippe’s latest releases? Let us know in the comments!
-Translated by Patrick R.
