Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Men's Watch 5159J

6th November 2009

"Ladies first" was the maxim of the evening celebrating Patek Philippe's refurbished boutique on Paris's prestigious Place Vendôme on November 5. This was an evening that had yet another premiere to celebrate: the first hand-wound chronograph fully conceived, developed, and manufactured in-house.

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Patek Philippe fans may wonder about the latter statement, for Caliber 27-70 has long been regarded as an exceptionally classic hand-wound chronograph movement, and one that also provides the base for the Genevan company's perpetual calendar. In reality, however, this caliber introduced in 1986 was based on an ebauche delivered by Nouvelle Lemania in accordance with Patek Philippe's specifications - specifications strict and elegant enough to fulfill criteria for the Geneva Seal after Patek Philippe's own watchmakers reworked the blank.
High-end chronograph for the female wrist
The new caliber, named 29-535 in honor of its dimensions, shares a great number of elements with its predecessor, but dimensions are not one of them. Two millimeters larger in diameter at 29 mm, its height is somewhat more svelte than that of Caliber 27-70, making it an ideal choice for a high-end chronograph for the female wrist. This latter statement may seem a little odd for a movement created to become the new reference for the traditional company's hand-wound chronograph and perpetual calendar - a module is slated to be added down the road - and indeed it does come as somewhat of a surprise.
Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern was quite clear about his intentions for this movement, however, and wanted to signify his continued desire to serve the ladies market with classic mechanical treasures. He was certainly quite motivated by the success of the Twenty-4, which was primarily a quartz timepiece and only available powered by a mechanical movement in the very expensive fully paved version. He also stated that his decision was motivated by the many requests he has received over the past years for just such a timepiece, particularly from Asian markets. "The whole world told me it is now time for such a ladies watch," he confirmed during an interview prior to the boutique event. "We don't want to be aggressive in the ladies market; we actually see it as a continuation ."

Contrary to the Twenty-4, which was conceived as a designer watch and therefore powered by a versatile quartz movement according to Stern, the new Ladies First Chronograph was designed with female connoisseurs in mind. "The price is too high for it to be anything else," Stern quipped.

Six patents
Stern also confirmed that the production figures for this timepiece will in no way match those of the previous Nouvelle Lemania-based caliber, and he expects production not to exceed 700 pieces in 2010, with delivery expected to begin in early 2010.
The idea for the look and feel of the actual chronograph is not new: a small exhibition of pieces from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva put together for the boutique opening and explained by museum curator Arnaud Tellier clearly exhibited that the 39 mm 18-karat rose gold cushion shape of the case and the layout of the dial could be found as early as 1929 in various Patek Philippe monopusher chronographs.
Ladies First Chronograph is not a monopusher, but controlled by a typical set of start/stop and reset buttons on the right side of the case. The running of the chronograph is, however, something completely new and rather unique. The 269 components making up Caliber 29-535 were conceived to have the sweep second counter also act as the running second hand, precipitating a virtually unheard-of state for such a movement, which boasts a guaranteed 65 hours of power reserve with the chronograph running, and more than 70 hours if the timer is not in action. Laurent Junod, who is in charge of Patek Philippe's U.S. service center, explains that one of the six patents taken out on this new movement - all of which are aimed at improved reliability - is for the asymmetric tooth profile of the chronograph's clutch mechanism. It is this detail that makes both this long power reserve possible and also ensures much smoother running of the sweep second hand, avoiding much of the jumping often seen under a high-speed camera.
Traditional horizontal clutch
While Caliber 27-70, which oscillated at 18,000 vph, was outfitted with a vertical clutch - a clutch control system many consider top dog among chronograph styles - the new 28,800 vph movement is outfitted with a more traditional horizontal clutch. "We wanted this to be a fully traditional movement," Junod explained of the caliber christened with the new Patek Philippe seal, which fulfills all the criteria of the Geneva Seal.

One other important difference between the new and old movements is found in the hacking seconds of Caliber 29-535, which means that when the crown is pulled out the balance wheel stops, allowing the watch to be set precisely to the second by its owner.
Recent changes at Patek Philippe
This new movement comes hot on the heels of two other recent changes at Patek Philippe: the announcement of Thierry Stern taking over the helm of the family-owned business and the recent purchase of the former L'Oreal property in Plan-les-Ouates, now christened PP5 and designated as space for further complicated component manufacture and service.
What remains to note is the evening's big surprise: the fact that the traditional new base chronograph is premiering in a ladies watch. Very much emulating Patek Philippe's 1930s style, which might otherwise be termed the golden age of chronographs, this timer would be near perfect - if it weren't for the 136 diamonds surrounding the dial underneath the sapphire crystal.