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Lot Essay
Reference 5207
One of Patek Philippe’s Grand Complications introduced in 2008, the reference 5207 stands as a true testament to modern horological manufacture. This exceptional masterpiece combines three of the most exacting complications known to watchmaking: the minute repeater, the tourbillion and the instantaneous perpetual calendar. From the high technique of the movement to the beauty of the case and especially the dial layout with easily readable apertures (that instantaneously advance at midnight), this magnificent creation was developed over a 5 year period.
A technical tour de force, the Caliber R TO 27 PS QI, composed of 549 parts, is based on the movement developed for the reference 5016 more than 25 years ago but with the new instantaneous perpetual calendar plate in place of the retrograde perpetual calendar of the 5016. Most perpetual calendars have a “dragging” display, however the 5207P mechanism makes an instantaneous calendar display change so that means that all the calendar indications (where appropriate) change precisely at midnight in a matter of just a few hundredths of a second. The calendar mechanism requires considerable power to operate so that this factor combined with the tourbillon presented a considerable technical challenge to Patek Philippe’s watchmakers. One of the visual delights of the movement is the 14 carat gold centre wheel the design of which was inspired by the wheel of a watchmaker’s topping tool. The making of this wheel takes an incredible ten hours of work alone.
Although two centuries have passed since its invention, the tourbillon is still relevant to the contemporary watch industry. It compensates for fluctuations and errors in time measurement caused by the position a watch is placed in. For example, watches with traditional movements may keep excellent time when resting on a desk horizontally, but when that same watch is placed vertically in a pocket or on the wrist, gravity affects the frequency or rate of the escapement and thus its accuracy. Invented by Breguet, the tourbillon compensates for these gravitational effects by placing the escapement in a revolving carriage. As the tourbillon carriage revolves (usually one entire revolution per minute), its position constantly changes and consequently the fluctuations in rate caused by gravity are averaged out. Once a tourbillon watch is properly adjusted, the effects of gravity are essentially nullified, regardless of how it is positioned.
In common with all Patek Philippe’s minute repeaters, the present watch would have been personally tested and approved by Mr. Thierry Stern himself before being released for sale.
One of Patek Philippe’s Grand Complications introduced in 2008, the reference 5207 stands as a true testament to modern horological manufacture. This exceptional masterpiece combines three of the most exacting complications known to watchmaking: the minute repeater, the tourbillion and the instantaneous perpetual calendar. From the high technique of the movement to the beauty of the case and especially the dial layout with easily readable apertures (that instantaneously advance at midnight), this magnificent creation was developed over a 5 year period.
A technical tour de force, the Caliber R TO 27 PS QI, composed of 549 parts, is based on the movement developed for the reference 5016 more than 25 years ago but with the new instantaneous perpetual calendar plate in place of the retrograde perpetual calendar of the 5016. Most perpetual calendars have a “dragging” display, however the 5207P mechanism makes an instantaneous calendar display change so that means that all the calendar indications (where appropriate) change precisely at midnight in a matter of just a few hundredths of a second. The calendar mechanism requires considerable power to operate so that this factor combined with the tourbillon presented a considerable technical challenge to Patek Philippe’s watchmakers. One of the visual delights of the movement is the 14 carat gold centre wheel the design of which was inspired by the wheel of a watchmaker’s topping tool. The making of this wheel takes an incredible ten hours of work alone.
Although two centuries have passed since its invention, the tourbillon is still relevant to the contemporary watch industry. It compensates for fluctuations and errors in time measurement caused by the position a watch is placed in. For example, watches with traditional movements may keep excellent time when resting on a desk horizontally, but when that same watch is placed vertically in a pocket or on the wrist, gravity affects the frequency or rate of the escapement and thus its accuracy. Invented by Breguet, the tourbillon compensates for these gravitational effects by placing the escapement in a revolving carriage. As the tourbillon carriage revolves (usually one entire revolution per minute), its position constantly changes and consequently the fluctuations in rate caused by gravity are averaged out. Once a tourbillon watch is properly adjusted, the effects of gravity are essentially nullified, regardless of how it is positioned.
In common with all Patek Philippe’s minute repeaters, the present watch would have been personally tested and approved by Mr. Thierry Stern himself before being released for sale.