Buy Cheap Patek Philippe Automatic Watch, Famous Patek Philippe Automatic Watches

Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960 Moscow (5960G)

tx, great seller..

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Ginny Striewig, From Turkiye Istanbul-maltepe

Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712 Rose Gold (5712R-001)

chic Patek Philippe Nautilus watch as Described! A+

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Roger Martin, From Ireland Co. Cork

Patek Philippe Calatrava White Dial 18 kt White Gold Men's Watch 5120G

I bought this Patek Philippe Calatrava White Dial 18 kt White Gold Men's 5120G watch after I trashed my last Timex at work whacking it on a countertop by accident. It's a durable little watch, emphasis on little. (The face is much smaller than I'm used to). Haven't checked out the Indiglo feature yet, but I'm sure it works. Not exactly bling, but a good value and a durable time piece.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Johann Dickson, From USA Chocowinity

Watch faces are like humans in general. They may be more or less talkative, more or less open, come in many different colours and speak dozens of languages. The language on the back of timepieces is however far stricter. Mechanical movements tell the life story of watches using specific communication codes. And these stories have become very much public knowledge since transparent case-backs have become the norm. The medium of expression generally chosen is engraving, enhanced by colour that is generally gold-toned so as to stand out as clearly as possible against the mostly grey background.

Brands logically assert themselves on movements. Ascribing honour where honour is due, the seller displays its name wherever possible. In certain cases, however, the brand is not the producer of the mechanism and one has to look in hidden corners of the calibre and even under bridges to find the signature of the movement maker. In many cases, identification goes a step further and the calibre reference is mentioned, or even its individual serial number that is different from that of the watch 'head'. The instantly recognisable Swiss Made inscription that is a hit with the public also seems to be a must, even at price and quality levels such that the brand placing it would not really need to do so to signify its value. But when it comes to movement engravings, common practice is doubtless governed more by habits and cultural codes than by laws.

By way of example, the number of jewels present in a movement is still mentioned. This is done in compliance with the demands of the American customs, who use it to calculate the value of a watch, even though customs barriers are no longer what they once were... neither are the jewels. The latter are now synthetic "rubies" of little value, whereas the ones formerly used were in fact natural stones. On the other hand, placing a hallmark on movements made of precious materials, often gemset but not necessarily so, is a legal requirement. The same is not true of hallmarks relating to watchmaking certifications. Only the Poinçon de Geneve is governed by a cantonal law and its stamping is an official procedure, while the Patek Philippe Seal or the Fleurier Quality Foundation label correspond to private criteria.

From a watchmaking standpoint, the most interesting inscription is the most enigmatic: the one that refers to the number of positions in which the movement has been adjusted. In order to achieve good rating precision, a movement is indeed adjusted at a certain number of angles in relation to the ground, with the crown facing right, left, up or down… A maximum total of six positions may be used, the idea being to maintain the movement's isochronism (the capacity to beat consistently at the same speed) in all circumstances.

This information thus appears and strangely enough, as indeed for most of the other textual explanations, movements speak English. This is somewhat surprising given that dials are more usually French-speaking and love to mention their horological complications in their native tongue. Meanwhile, German brands tend to stick to the language of Goethe. Above and beyond the aforementioned information, everyone can add what they like to the movement - often in the form of decorations, although the only real limitations on this exercise are those of the imagination.

The Stephen S. Palmer Patek Philippe Grand Complication no. 97912 (estimate: $1,000,000 - 1,500,000) is regarded as History changing Grand Complication. It is an 18K pink gold openface minute repeating perpetual calendar split-seconds chronograph clockwatch with grande and petite sonnerie and moon phases, manufactured in 1898. It was acquired by Stephen S. Palmer, a prominent american industrialist and a generous benefactor, in 1900. The timepiece will be unveiled in Christie's Rockefeller Center saleroom marking an unprecedented occasion for collectors of the world's finest timepieces.
 

Until the discovery of this Stephen S. Palmer Patek Philippe Grand Complication, it was widely accepted that Patek Philippe did not make its first Grand Complication until 1910 and that the second ever made was reserved before World War I for James W. Packard in 1916. The watch was purchased in October 1900 for CHF 6'500. This Grand Complication is a important addition to scholarship surrounding Patek Philippe and Grand Complications in general. It is the only example known to have been cased in pink gold whereas all following pieces were cased in yellow gold according to the style of the early 20th century.
Mr. Palmer, who was an passionate connoisseur of watches, was already a distinguished client of Patek Philippe when he traveled to the firm's Geneva factory in October 1990. The Grand Complication remained in a vault in Palmer's home, virtually untouched and is accompanied by original invoice and presentation box. It anticipates all other Grand Complications by a decade, standing as the most complete and crispest example of all Grand Complications known today.
 

Aurel Bacs, International Head of Watches, commented: "The Stephen S. Palmer Patek Philippe Grand Complication No. 97912 is the undisputed highlight of the spring 2013 worldwide watches auction season. Christie's New York June sale will open a new chapter into the world of horology, presenting the world's earliest, and most historically significant example of a Patek Philippe Grand Complication. Following the great success we saw at Christie's New York this past December with the collection of Gordon Bethune, we are very proud to be entrusted to execute yet another exceptional auction, marking June 11 as treat for scholars, historians, and collectors with a passion for watches of uncompromised quality."

Patek Philippe ranks among the few manufactures that consummately master the orchestration of "cathedral" gongs - extra-long gongs which produce an inimitably voluminous and reverberant sound. Its latest minute repeater, the Ref. 5073 with cathedral gongs and a perpetual calendar, leaves connoisseurs speechless: not only due to its breathtaking sound quality, but also given the 103 baguette diamonds on its bezel and 55 further diamonds on the dial and clasp.
Patek Philippe strikes the right chord
The minute repeater is considered to be the queen of the so-called Grand Complications. But even here, it is possible to push the envelope of excellence. Obviously, the key issue is to manufacture the many tiny components of the mechanism to the utmost of perfection, to fastidiously finish them, and to integrate the ensemble in the confines of a wristwatch movement. The second challenge is acoustic in nature: achieving full and vibrant sonority in the restricted volume of a timepiece worn on the wrist. Given all the repeater wristwatches produced by Patek Philippe since 1916, the manufacture's micromechanical virtuosity does not need to be further expounded. This leaves some space for details regarding the chimes produced by the new Ref. 5073. Here, Patek Philippe opted for a construction that in 2001 attracted considerable attention when the Sky Moon Tourbillon was presented. It is the solution with "cathedral" gongs that are nearly twice as long as conventional ones. The acoustic principle of this extra length is self-explanatory: Long strings produce rich, long-lasting sounds that reverberate and carry clearly. But how can the tight space of a wristwatch case accommodate two gongs that wrap around the movement more than once? The "cathedral" gongs must neither touch each other nor should their freely suspended blades contact the movement or the case. The only permissible contact is that of the tiny short-stroke hammers. Thus, with the self-winding caliber R 27 Q consisting of 467 individual parts, the Ref. 5073 offers striking evidence of the sublime artistry of those Patek Philippe specialists whose hands craft the mechanical marvels that count the hours, quarterhours, and minutes with a melody of low-, high-, and high-low-pitched double chimes. The mellowness of this refrain is personally verified by the owners and presidents of the manufacture as guardians of its heritage: every completed watch is assessed by them before it is released for delivery.

Perpetual calendar and winding: totally automatic
Apart from striking the time, the 467 individual parts of the movement perform further functions. Many of them constitute the perpetual calendar, with which the Ref. 5073 always correctly indicates the date, day of week, month, leap-year cycle regardless of the number of days in each month, including the 29th day of February. These displays are clearly organized with three auxiliary dials and small hands at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. The extremely precise moon-phase display within the date scale at 6 o'clock deviates from the true lunar cycle by only one day in 122 years and 45 days.
To assure continuity in the displays of the perpetual calendar and of the moon phases, the movement is self-winding thanks to an off-center minirotor made of 22K gold; it is fully recessed in the plate. The rotor assures that the watch remains wound as long as it is regularly worn on the wrist or safeguarded in a winder. A calendar adjustment is not necessary until 2100: this is a secular year in which the 29th of February is omitted as a leap day based on the rules of the Gregorian calendar.

True artistry shuns no effort
To adequately showcase the micromechanical brilliance of the Ref. 5073 Grand Complication, Patek Philippe also pulled out all the stops with respect to the case and exterior elements. With a diameter of 42 mm, the heavy case is fashioned on premises with the traditional cold-forming method from blanks made of 950 platinum, the precious metal that is most difficult to machine. Then, the manufacture's master jewelers rely on their artistry to transform it into a breathtaking magnum opus for the wrist. 103 flawless Top Wesselton baguette diamonds totaling approx. 4.33 ct. adorn the bezel and the case lugs. On the black lacquered solid-gold dial, 13 set baguette diamonds (approx. 0.25 ct.) serve as hour markers. And 42 further baguette diamonds (approx. 0.69 ct.) convert even the platinum clasp into a masterpiece of gemsetting prowess. As always at Patek Philippe, a discreet 0.02-ct. diamond between the lugs at 6 o'clock identifies platinum as the case metal. The sparkling fire of precious stones legitimately raises the question whether the adornment of a watch at this level should not count as a complication as well.
The watch is delivered with a solid platinum case back and an interchangeable display back with a sapphire-crystal window that reveals the meticulous finissage of the movement. Highlights that immediately meet the eye are the lavishly guilloched 22K gold winding rotor and, beneath the goldplated cap with the pierced Calatrava cross, the small centrifugal governor that controls the disciplined rhythm of the striking mechanism.
The new Ref. 5073 Grand Complication is a Patek Philippe debut that benchmarks a significant trend in haute horlogerie. While the focus among women is shifting from the outward appearance of precious wristwatches to a greater appreciation of what is inside them, men with a penchant for complicated calibers are also beginning to attach greater importance to elements that adorn their micromechanical masterpieces. The directives of the Patek Philippe Seal explicitly specify that the art of haute horlogerie merits only the ultimate in gemsetting expertise. The Ref. 5073 is a fine case in point.

Antiquorum held an extraordinarily successful end of the year sale "Celebrating 35 Years of Making History in Time" on December 9th at its' US headquarters in New York City with sales totaling an astounding $9,237,600. An impressive 85% were sold by lot and 135% sold by value based on the low estimates.
The auction room was filled to capacity with collectors and dealers alike aggressively bidding on the 402 exceptional vintage and modern timepieces, particularly the extremely rare and highly sought after Patek Philippe ref. 3974 as well as the Rolex Double Red Sea Dwellers formerly owned by renowned world record holding 'Comex' divers, Patrice Chemin and Robert Gauret. The highly competitive bidding for these and other exceptional watches came from countries across the globe, including China, France, Italy, Germany, Martinique, The Middle East and The United States.

The star lot of the sale was the outstanding 3-dial Patek Philippe ref. 3974 in Platinum. Bidders eagerly competed for the magnificent timepiece ultimately selling for the world record price of $1,200,000 after intense worldwide competition in the auction room including telephones, and Internet bidders.
Many other fine examples of Patek Philippe timepieces sold exceptionally well. Notably, the Patek Philippe ref. 5101P "Ten Days Tourbillon" retailed by Tiffany & Co obtaining a remarkable $295,200 and the Patek Philippe ref. 3450 with crystal display case back achieving a noteworthy $270,000. Equally important was the Patek Philippe ref. 3970 in platinum that brought an impressive $168,000.
"We are thrilled by today's results which wind up 2009 with a record breaking year end total of over $31 million in U.S. sales, figures which would have seemed unfeasible just a few years ago. Our steady growth has proven that the market for collector's watches in the United States is unquestionably a mature and integral part of the worldwide market," said Evan Zimmermann, President & CEO of Antiquorum.
Vintage Rolex sport watches were also in great demand at Antiquorum's final sale of the year. Particularly the Rolex ref. 1665 'Physalie VI' Double Red Sea-Dwellers tested by the renowned divers, Patrice Chemin and Robert Gauret during their world record dive Physalie VI (in a hyperbaric chamber at 2001 feet) achieved exceptional prices. Mr. Chemin's Double Red Sea-Dweller obtained an extraordinary $162,000 (six times its' estimate) and Mr. Gauret's Double Red Sea-Dweller sold for a remarkable $144,000 (five times its' estimate).
Other Rolex watches also attained spectacular results; the Rolex ref. 6234, with exceptional black dial bringing $182,400 while the Rolex ref. 1680 'Comex' attained a noteworthy $130,800. In addition, the Rolex ref. 6102 'Bombay' with an extremely rare blue enamel dial, in great demand by collectors worldwide, achieved $56,400. Moreover, the Rolex DeepSea ref. 116660 'Pro- Hunter' sold for an extraordinary $33,600.
"The impressive outcome for Patrice Chemin's and Robert Gauret's Double-Red Sea Dwellers confirm that collectors in today's market are looking for prestigious timepieces associated with important historical events. Not only are these watches of unquestionable provenance, but they will also forever be linked to their renowned world record dive, adding immeasurably to their value and desirability," said Julien Schaerer, Watch Director & Auctioneer, Antiquorum
Finally, Vacheron Constantin obtained excellent results as well. The Stainless Steel Vacheron Tonneau Tourbillon sold for a surprising $135,600 and the Vacheron Constantin Malte Prepetual Calendar and Minute Repeater in pink gold achieved an excellent result of $216,000.
The extraordinary results achieved throughout our 35th anniversary year confirm that despite this year's global economic recession, Antiquorum continued to achieve unparalleled results—including 9 new world records for timepieces sold at auction. Proving once again that we remain the most important and outstanding auction house in the world specializing only in the field of horology. I can assure you that we have no intention of resting on our laurels, we will strive for even greater success in 2010 by continuing our relentless pursuit of Antiquorum's core values: innovation, transparency and excellence," said Robert Maron, Chairman Antiquorum.

Revue FH - 3 September 2009
As in all other officer's wristwatches, one of the key assets of the Ref. 5153 is the case in 18K yellow gold with the hinged cover that protects the case back. It is one of the most elaborate horological constructions that are still being built. From the front, it reveals the classic sleekness of a Calatrava with a mirror-polished, rounded bezel. Only a few modest details suggest that it is an officer's-style case: the straight lugs with the screwed strap bars, the knurled turban-style crown, and the small case extension ridge on the crown side. This element hides the hinge for the cover that protects the screwed case back with the sapphire window. Such details clearly manifest the precision, the care, and the skill with which the manufacture's cases are made.When the cover is closed, only a hairline joint and the small lip suggest that it is indeed hinged. It can be opened with a fingernail at the unobtrusive cover lip. The gap must be exactly the same width along the entire circumference, without even the slightest play. And not least, the same clean and solid click must be heard when the cover is snapped shut. Only the most talented casemakers can adjust the hinge to make the hinged back mate with the case contours to hundredths of a millimeter. Only then will it click shut with the right sound. Apart from perfection in craftsmanship, this work also calls for ample patience. The casemaker and the polisher normally require nearly two days to complete this challenging task.
Connoisseurs will immediately notice that with a diameter of 38 millimeters, the Ref. 5153 is 2.4 millimeters larger than its predecessor, the Ref. 5053. But even with this si-ze, it clearly remains within the proportions of discreet elegance that Patek Philippe considers paramount for the timelessness that characterizes all of the company's watches.
Regardless of the work invested in the case, the face of the watch deserves the utmost attention as well. So, like all of the officer's watches crafted in Geneva, the Calatrava Ref. 5153 features a particularly splendid dial. It is silvery opaline and features a hand-guilloched sunburst pattern in the center, bordering on a small golden cartouche which displays the arched Patek Philippe Geneve signature in black. Small gilt minute pearls encircle the periphery of the dial. The hour markers are faceted, arrow-shaped gold appliques. The large date aperture at 3 o'clock has a polished gold frame. Two crisply faceted Dauphine hands track the course of time in hours and minutes on this stage, accompanied by a slender seconds hand that extends to the fringe of the dial and carries a wide counterweight at its shorter end.
The precise motion of these hands is assured by a Patek Philippe self-winding 324 S C manufacture caliber. It is endowed with a unidirectionally winding central rotor in heavy 21K gold. Beating at a frequency of 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour (4 Hz) and thanks to its generous amplitude, the balance wheel guarantees a regular rate in the range between -3 and +2 seconds per day, a specification that applies to all of Patek Philippe's mechanical movements. And just like its peers, the 324 S C is a stunning beauty that will mesmerize every watch lover with its beveled steel parts, Geneva striping on bridges and cocks, circular graining, engraved gold rotor, and many other highlights. When the hinged back is open, the movement can be admired though the screwed case back with the sapphire window.

Inaugurated and opened to the public in November 2001, the Patek Philippe Museum of Geneva meets an outstanding success among the Genevan, Swiss and international public. Since its creation, more than 130 000 visitors have come to admire its horology and enamelling collections. On the occasion of the International Museum day on Sunday May 17th, organized by the Association of Swiss Museums (AMS) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the Patek Philippe Museum invites you on Saturday May 16th and Sunday May 17th to a "Special Opening" Weekend from 10 am to 6 pm. Late opening Saturday May 16th until 9 pm.  
Thematic animations

On the occasion of this special weekend, the Patek Philippe Museum offers several activities revolving around the theme of travel.
- Travel around the world
Guided tour conducted by professional guides, every half and hour as of 10.30 am, on the third floor of the museum
- World time
Thematic exhibition presenting a selection of 36 travel timepieces, all weekend long

- The travels of Antoine-Norbert de Patek 

Conference retracing the two main commercial trips, done by one of the two founders of the Geneva-based factory Patek Philippe, every 2 hours: 11.15, 1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, auditorium on the ground floor
- Time zones
Horological demonstrations on the functioning of time zones and World time, all day long, on the ground floor.
Visit of the Patek Philippe Museum

Located in a building that was constructed in the early 20th century, the Patek Philippe Museum exhibits important collections of horology and enamelling of Genevan, Swiss and European origins, from the 16th to the 20th century. The building also houses a library featuring more than 8000 works on horology and related subject-matter.
The museum's historic collections are essentially composed of watches, musical automata and portrait miniatures. It is also home to the prestigious creations that Patek Philippe, the Geneva-based firm of master watchmakers, has been designing, developing and producing since its foundation in 1839.

On October 5, 2000, Patek Philippe unveiled the Star Calibre 2000, one of the most complicated pocket watches of all times. Barely six months later, the Geneva workshops are introducing a new Grand Complication - now in a wristwatch format. The " Sky Moon Tourbillon" Ref. 5002 is the most complicated wristwatch ever built by Patek Philippe, and it is the first double-faced wristwatch that features a complete presentation of the nocturnal sky on its reverse side. The new masterpiece displays the apparent movements of the stars, the orbit of the moon, the moon phases, as well as the hours and minutes in sidereal time.

A symphony of the most beautiful complications
As was already the case with the Star Caliber 2000, Patek Philippe's goal in the development of the "Sky Moon Tourbillon" was not so much the number of complications per se. The real objective was to accommodate the most fascinating complications in the small case of a wristwatch: a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date display, a minute repeater, a tourbillon, the display of sidereal time, and a depiction of the nocturnal sky with the motion of the stars, the orbit of the moon, and the moon phases. This turned out to be a formidable challenge because a chart of the heavenly canopy (as seen in the northern or southern hemisphere) requires a certain minimum space to demonstrate the movements of the stars in a sensible and clearly legible manner. The solution adopted by Patek Philippe was borrowed from the astronomical pocket watches made by the company: a moving sky chart on the reverse side of the timepiece. The mechanical module developed by Patek Philippe for the "Star Calibre 2000" was redesigned especially for the "Sky Moon Tourbillon" and was granted Swiss patent CH 688 171 B5.

A minute repeater heralds the third millennium
The acoustic indication of hours, quarter-hours, and minutes is and undoubtedly remains one of the most spectacular functions that a wristwatch can possess. When the slide on the left of the case is activated, the repeater first strikes the number of hours on a low-tone gong, followed by the quarter-hours with double strikes on the low-tone and a higher-tone gong, and finally by the number of minutes which have elapsed since the last quarter-hour on the higher-tone gong. In the "Sky Moon Tourbillon", this chime is implemented in a rare and fascinating manner. In the comparatively small volume of a wristwatch, it is extremely difficult to generate a clear and rich-sounding tone. A few years ago, after intensive collaboration with metallurgists of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Patek Philippe succeeded in developing an alloy for gongs that create a particularly resonant sound. In the meantime, this alloy has been refined, making it possible to produce a special gong that can be more than one case circumference long. It is called "cathedral gong" because it renders the hour strike with a rich, full-bodied tone that like the bells in a cathedral reverberates for a particularly long period of time. 

The tourbillon defies gravity

Every mechanical watch with a balance wheel has a so-called positional error when held vertically, because the centre of gravity of the balance spring is then outside of its axis of rotation. This error can be compensated with a tourbillon, a rotating carriage which incorporates the escapement, balance wheel, and balance spring, and as a rule turns about its own axis once per minute. Due to this rotary motion, the centre of gravity of the balance spring also rotates about the balance axis once per minute and thus automatically compensates the positional error. In the Ref. 5002, the tourbillon, the balance wheel, and the fourth wheel are located on one axis. This configuration is particularly difficult to implement, but it best exploits the principle of the tourbillon. The tourbillon in the Ref. 5002 is quite amazing: Crafted from steel, the tiny mechanism is composed of no less than 69 individual parts, yet it weighs a scant 0.3 grams - this suggests how microscopically small and filigreed the individual components must be.

The perpetual calendar with a retrograde date

The perpetual calendars of Patek Philippe are legendary. This also applies to the "Sky Moon Tourbillon", whose perpetual calendar has been refined with a date display that has an automatic flyback hand (retrograde date). It displays the date on a 270° arc on the dial. Every day, the date hand moves forward by one position and after the end of the month (the 28th, 29th, 30th, or 31st day) automatically jumps back to the beginning of the month scale. As opposed to conventional solutions with cams, this retrograde date is based on a patented ratchet wheel mechanism that features an extremely high degree of hand positioning accuracy. At the moment when the date hand leaps from the end to the beginning of the scale, the mechanism prevents it from inadvertently rebounding to the second or third day marker. Thus, when a new monthly cycle begins, the hand is instantly stopped and reliably retained at the position of the first day.
The remaining displays of the perpetual calendar are indicated with four subsidiary dials: the days of the week at 9 o'clock, the leap year cycle at 12 o'clock, the month at 3 o'clock, and the moon age at 6 o'clock. All displays are perfectly harmonized and need not be corrected until the year 2100 provided the watch is regularly wound.

Heavenly complications on the reverse side
A very unusual feature for a wristwatch can be seen on the reverse side of the "Sky Moon Tourbillon". The canopy of the northern (or on request of the southern) hemisphere rotates counter clockwise under the sapphire crystal case back, showing the motions of the stars and the moon, the meridian passages of Sirius and the moon as well as the waxing and waning moon phases. Additionally, two hands from the centre indicate sidereal time on a 24-hour scale. An elliptical contour indicates the portion of the nocturnal sky which can be viewed from a specific location. The breathtaking presentation conceals a module with a patented gear train never before built in this manner.
With its celestial mechanism for the "Sky Moon Tourbillon," Patek Philippe has succeeded in achieving an unprecedented degree of precision in the display of astronomical indications.
A lunar day is defined as the period of time which elapses between two consecutive passages of the moon across a certain meridian. On average, it is 24 hours, 50 minutes, and 28.328 seconds long. A lunation (the period between two consecutive full moons) lasts an average of 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.82 seconds. A sidereal day is defined as the period of time between two consecutive passages of a fixed star (Sirius, for example) across a certain meridian. Its duration averages 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.09892 seconds in units of mean solar time. The geographical longitude of a specific location can be calculated with sidereal time.
For the respective displays, these deviations from mean solar time require appropriate transmission ratios in the gear train that delivers the force from the barrel to the individual astronomical displays. Some of these ratios favour the accuracy of the moon phase display versus the sidereal day, others the accuracy of the sidereal day versus the motion of the moon, etc. Overall, more than 25 trillion possibilities of varying the reciprocal transmission ratios in the gear train were computed. From this staggering number, Patek Philippe has found the optimum variation that achieves the smallest possible error for all displays. The result of the theoretical calculations has surpassed all expectations: 

• For a lunar day, the error is 0.05 seconds per day, 18.385 seconds per year, or 30 minutes and 38.5 seconds per century.
• For a sidereal day, the deviation is 0.088 seconds per sidereal day, 32.139 seconds per year or 53 minutes and 33.9 seconds per century.
• For the moon phases, the error is 6.51 seconds per lunation.

A masterpiece of perfection
The manually wound movement is masterpiece of precision engineering composed of a total of 694 individual parts, each meticulously finished by hand. The edges of all steel parts are bevelled and each individual tooth of every single gear is hand polished in an additional process using a rotating hardwood disk. This degree of perfection is not an end in itself. Polishing reduces friction at the tooth contact surfaces, thus contributing significantly to the timekeeping precision and longevity for which Patek Philippe watches have a legendary reputation. The plate and the module with the perpetual calendar are finished on both sides with an engraving technique known as "perlage" or circular graining. The bridges are decorate with an engraving technique known as "vagues de Geneve" or Geneva striping. Because of the painstaking processes and work-intensive steps needed to test timekeeping accuracy, it takes many months to complete one movement. The result is a flawless marvel of precision engineering worthy of the prestigious Geneva Seal embossed on its bridge, the highest official hallmark of quality awarded to mechanical timepieces. Each individual "Sky Moon Tourbillon" Ref. 5002 watch is delivered with a COSC chronometer certificate, as are all Patek Philippe tourbillon timepieces.

Perfect technology in a beautiful case
The case in 18K yellow gold or solid platinum affords both aesthetic and effective protection of the "Sky Moon Tourbillon" movement. It looks gracious and elegant despite its sizable dimensions: 42.8 millimetres in diameter and 16.25 millimetres in height. The comparatively wide case is decorated with an engraving of halved Calatrava crosses. The crown at 4 o'clock is used to wind the movement and set the hands on the front side. The crown at 2 o'clock corrects the position of the sky chart and the hands that indicate sidereal time; turned in the other direction, it corrects the position of the moon and the moon phase display. The side of the case also accommodates a number of correction buttons which are activated with a setting stylus. The first button, between 11 and 12 o'clock, simultaneously corrects the date and the day of the week. The second one, between 3 and 4 o'clock, corrects the month. The third button, between 5 and 6 o'clock, corrects the moon age display, and the fourth one, between 6 and 7 o'clock, corrects the day of the week only. The slide which starts the minute repeater is recessed in the case on the left-hand side. The precious timepiece is worn with a hand-stitched strap made of crocodile leather; the prong buckle is made of 18K yellow gold or platinum to match the case.

The two faces of the Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002
The design of the dials on the front and reverse sides of the timepiece is a challenge in itself. A multitude of indications must be accommodated on comparatively small surfaces without compromising legibility and the harmony of the individual displays. The front dial is crafted from gold with a silvery opaline coating; at its periphery, the hours are represented by Roman numerals from I to XII. The retrograde date display is on an inner ring between 2 and 10 o'clock with a feuille hand made of blued steel. The minutes are indicated on a railway scale with a gold poire hand that matches the colour of the case. The day of the week and the months are displayed with blued-steel poire hands on subsidiary dials at 9 and 3 o'clock, respectively. The leap-year cycle and the moon age are indicated with gold feuille hands on subsidiary dials at 12 and 6 o'clock. The moon symbols on the moon age display are made of yellow or white gold to match the case. The new moon symbol is black. The middle of the dial is decorated with a pattern composed of small Calatrava crosses.
The rear dial showcases the astronomical functions. It has a 24-hour scale with Arabic numerals at its outermost periphery, used to indicate sidereal time with white, balanced poire hands. A blue sapphire crystal disc with 279 teeth rotates to track the angular motion of the moon and in a small round aperture shows the moon phases. The sky chart is on a separate, transparent sapphire crystal disc with 356 teeth. Both discs are protected by the sapphire crystal case back which on its inside bears the 24-hour sidereal dial and a golden ellipse framing the portion of the sky that is visible from a given location.

A genuine rarity forever and a day
The "Sky Moon Tourbillon" Ref. 5002 is the most complicated wristwatch in regular production by Patek Philippe. Because of its complexity and the great amount of time that must be dedicated to the many highly sophisticated production, assembly, and regulating steps, annual production is limited to only two watches.

Description Ref. 5002
The Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002 is the most complicated wristwatch ever produced by Patek Philippe and also the workshop's first double-face wristwatch. Its movement consists of 686 parts, some of which are microscopically small.

Mechanical manually wound movement
Caliber R TO 27 QR SID LU CL
Minute repeater with tourbillon escapement
Chime with two "cathedral" gongs activated by a slide piece in the case

Front side: Perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand
Hours and minutes of mean solar time
Day, month, leap year by hands
Moon age
Crown at 4 o'clock: setting of the time and winding
Opaline-white dial with embossed Calatrava cross motif, gold applied Roman numerals
9 hands
Reverse side: sidereal time, sky chart, phase and orbit of the Moon
Crown at 8 o'clock (24-hour scale): correction of sky/moon indications
Case is humidity and dust protected only (not water resistant)
White gold

Case diameter: 42.8 mm
C.O.S.C. certificate