Patek Philippe Ref. 5004

250K. Patel Philippe is well known for its grand complications. Among its most ambitious creations is the US$250,000 Patek Philippe Ref. 5004.

Patek Philippe Ref. 5004. The Patek Philippe Ref. 5004 is one of the company's grand complication watches. It is a split seconds chronograph with a perpetual calendar, moon phase indicator and a A.M./P.M. indicator.

Split Seconds. The basic chronograph allows the measurement of a single event, and soon watchmakers began searching for a way to simultaneously measure multiple events beginning at the same time.

This was done by having two chronograph seconds hand, one of which could be stopped while allowing the second one to continue moving. This complication was called the split-seconds chronograph. A split-seconds chronograph features a clutch system with clamps that connect and disconnect the split-seconds hand and the main chronograph hand. A third button is added to the chronograph to activate the stopping of the split-seconds hand. Pressing this third button again allows the split-seconds hand hand to catch up with the chronograph hand, and the two hands, superimposed, continue together.

Perpetual Calendar. Many watches display the date on their dial. But since some months have only thirty, twenty-nine of twenty-eight days, you need to adjust the date at least five time per year. A perpetual calendar is a mechanism that automatically takes into account the varying number of days in each month as well as leap years so that the watch displays the correct date each month without the need of adjuctment. A perpetual calendar watch will not need correction for more then a century.

Other complications. In addition to the two main complications, the Ref. 5004 has several other complications. The watch displays the day and month at the 12 o'clock position. At the 3 o'clock it has the standard 30 minute chronograph counter with a leap year indicator (small short hand) in the sub-dial used in conjunction with the perpetual calendar function. At the 6 o'clock, the watch displays the day of the month and the moon phase indicator. The moon-phase mechanism which remains accurate for 122 years and 45 days, and then only has to be corrected by one day. At the 9 o'clock position you have the small seconds hand with a the day night indicator (24 hour hand) built into the same sub-dial.

To execute these complicated functions, 407 individual parts must interact in perfect harmony.

Other specifications. The Patek Philippe Ref. 5004 has case diameter of 36.7 millimeters. It comes with a clear case back and a solid case back which can be interchanged. Powering the Ref. 5004 is Patek's caliber CHR 27-70 Q movement. The manual winding movement produces 18,000 vibrations per hour, resulting in a smooth sweeping seconds hand. The movement has a long 60 hour power reserve. The movement automatically recognizes the duration of each month and keeps track of leap years.

The watch is available in white gold, yellow gold, rose gold and platinum, with white and black dials. With a retail price of US$250,000, it is one of the most expensive and most complicated watches Patek Philippe has created.

About Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe & Co. was founded in Switzerland in 1851. The companies emblem, the Calatrava Cross, was adopted by it at the end of the 19th Century. It is acknowledged as one of the finest, if not the finest, watchmaker in the world.