Luxury: Patek Philippe Ref. 5470P: Surprise!

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"Watches & Wonder Geneva is over, but Patek Philippe surprised everyone with a technically complex 1/10th of a sec chronograph"--Paul Ebeling

The watch industry is betting on special complications to shake up the market, Here I focus on reporting the facts about the new watch, which Patek Philippe says is as complicated as a grand complication. There are no less than 31 patents in place here.

This references the fact that Patek Philippe is using not one but two chronograph mechanisms to create this 1/10th of a second feature: the hand in red races around the dial, completing a circuit in 12 seconds. There are indicated by a special display of 10 segments on the circumference of the dial. This is how Patek Philippe is addressing the issue of making the 1/10th of a second function useful. 

There is a lot to get through with the all-new calibre CH 29-535 PS 1/10 and I will not get there in this story. Briefly though, I have never seen a system like this in contemporary watchmaking. Others deploy separate mechanisms to handle the fractions of a second, complete with separate escapement, but the technical team at Patek Philippe opted for 1.

In terms of dimensions, Ref. 5470P departs the realm of Patek Philippe classicism because it has a 41mm diameter and a thickness of 13.68mm, which is substantial for the brand. It is also a Key consideration for user comfort because the case is in 950 platinum; the customer who likes his fine watchmaking to be suitably weighty will love it.  

Have a happy, prosperous weekend, Keep the Faith!