Patek Philippe is highly recognized as one of the most prestigious and best-selling high-end luxury watch brands on the market. The company values creativity and craftsmanship and goes to great lengths to achieve impressive design and quality milestones. Each finished Patek Philippe watch results from a staggering amount of care, expertise, and artisanal skill.
This reputable brand prioritizes quality over quantity, and it takes great pride in the exclusivity of its timepieces. Many of today’s most popular complications in Haute Horlogerie were pioneered and popularized by Patek Philippe. Perpetual calendars, minute repeaters and other chiming complications, various types of chronographs, and the patented World Time complication are among them.
Its collections are truly extraordinary, spanning over 500 years of European watch craftsmanship history. Here’s the list of Patek Philippe’s wonderful watches ever made.
Nautilus, Ref. 5711/1A
Gerald Genta designed the original Nautilus ref. 3700, a stainless steel luxury watch influenced by nautical motifs, in 1973 and introduced in 1976. Genta’s decision to make the Nautilus from steel, a material rarely used in luxury watchmaking, was also audacious. Early Patek Philippe Nautilus’ advertisements proudly declared that “the world’s most expensive watch is made of steel.”
In 2006, on the model’s 30th anniversary, Patek Philippe released a new Nautilus, ref. 5711, a modern update praised for its graceful synthesis of historic details and contemporary styling. The maritime porthole, which inspired Genta, is referenced in the watch’s namesake—Captain Nemo’s trusty Nautilus submarine from Jules Verne’s epic novels.
Genta, on the other hand, deviated from the traditional circular porthole by giving the Nautilus a unique rounded octagon bezel and case. The original case’s “ears” protruding from beneath the bezel enhanced the porthole effect by resembling porthole hinges. With its integrated chain-link bracelet, the Nautilus was large, robust, and solidly constructed as a single piece. Because of its unrivaled sturdiness and boldly masculine style, this revolutionary “monobloc” design would later become the standard in sports watches.
Sky Moon Celestial, Ref. 6102P
Someone familiar with Patek Philippe’s early twentieth-century oeuvre will recognize the Sky Moon Celestial, Ref. 6102P as the wristwatch progeny of the astronomical pocket watches the firm created for collectors such as Henry Graves, Jr. and James Warm Packard, whose gentlemanly battle to own the world’s most remarkable watch is legendary.
The model which debuted in 2015, pays homage to Patek’s illustrious history while remaining contemporary. Patek Philippe has a long history with celestial complications, which this timepiece builds on flawlessly. The poetic complication, combined with the unapologetically larger size, makes this one almost perfect.”
Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, Ref. 5970P
As far as timepiece holy grails go, the Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, ref. 5970, is the granddaddy of grand complications. Collectors admire the 5970, a direct descendant of Patek Philippe’s iconic references 1518 and 2499, for its superbly balanced proportions and 40 mm case diameter. The 5970 combined modern styling with the classic roots of its revered vintage models, with square pushers and tasteful stepped lugs.
It was the brand’s last perpetual calendar chronograph to use a highly modified outsourced movement, a well-respected Lemania-based caliber when it was released in 2004 and produced for only seven years. Developed in 18-karat yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, and platinum, its stunning, classic aesthetics, and relative scarcity make any version extremely desirable today.
According to Denis Boulle, founding partner of de Boulle in Dallas, the model’s limited production run contributes to its mystique, rendering the platinum and yellow gold variants “the most collectible of them all.” The 5970 is popular among men who aren’t afraid to flaunt a few diamonds because it laid the groundwork for another sought-after grand complication, the 5271P-001: Based on the 5970P, this timepiece adds an amazing factory-set bezel, elevating the entire affair to create a perfect black tie timepiece.
First Ladies Chronograph, Ref. 7071
Patek surprised collectors and fans in 2009 with a model they did not expect. The Ladies First Chronograph, ref. 7071, was named after a legendary chronograph caliber developed exclusively for Patek Philippe by Nouvelle Lémania in 1986. The fact that the company presented its first entirely in-house traditional chronograph movement (column wheel, horizontal clutch, manual winding) in a ladies’ timepiece sparked an industry-wide discussion about how to court female buyers.
The CH 29-535 PS movement has since been used in additional men’s and women’s timepieces in their collection. No one else could simply ignore the model’s voluptuous good looks: it has both cushion-shaped cases. The manufacturers introduce new complications for women’s watches before men’s watches. This is exactly how Patek Philippe approached its first in-house chronograph movement: by paying homage to its female clientele first and then housing it in a cushion-shaped gold case. It is a truly magnificent piece of horology.
Takeaway
Patek Philippe has always been known for its complicated watches, which are currently available in the Complications and Grand Complications collections. The brand’s unmistakable technical mastery and innovative brilliance are prominently displayed. Models are naturally distinguished by the complexity and breadth of their complications.
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