Patek Philippe has just presented 3 brand new watches for the fourth and final quarter of 2021, and it has left collectors and enthusiasts simply speechless. All three of these releases from the Genèvan maison are chronographs, with each of them being paired with very sophisticated complications, as you will see later on in this article.
2021 was very fruitful in terms of new releases, indicating that the Pan-les-Ouates manufacturing facility is operating back at full capacity (well, almost). Back in April, we saw the first release of “ladies” watches, with the Twenty~4 collection, followed by the debut of the famous 5711 “green” Nautilus at Watches & Wonders, as well as 3 other models from the same collection and new Aquanauts.
And now, these chronographs! Let’s discover them together.
The New Annual Calendar Flyback Chronograph ref. 5905/1A-001
Among the new Patek Philippe chronographs, the 5905/1A surely stands out, mainly because it follows the green dial trend. However, this is a first for Patek as this reference has never been made in steel before, and combined with a new 3-link integrated bracelet.
As we just mentioned, there’s no doubt that 2021 is the year of green dials. It may be too early to say that we’re already tired of it, because this release actually makes us think otherwise! The pandemic has led manufacturers to operate with great caution, so there were very few “new” watches. In the case of the steel 5905, we can see that Patek is truly making an effort in bringing younger people closer to classic watches, whilst maintaining the typical configuration with 3 windows and the counter at 6.
The bracelet of the 5905/1A is very reminiscent of the Aquanaut’s, with a slight re-design: cleaner, more sleek lines, and probably more comfortable. It is comprised of three links, two of which are polished on the outside – mimicking the case finish, and a satin finished link in the center to keep that sporty character.
The official list price of the new 5905/1A-011 is €52,300.
The New Perpetual Calendar Rattrapante Chronograph ref. 5204R-011
As a Patek enthusiast, I can safely say that the 5204 is still a polarising reference: there is a rather equal split between collectors who are faithful to the historic ref. 5004 for its balanced sizes and proportions, and those who are in favour of the modern variant.
Enter the Patek Philippe 5204R-011 chronograph: a truly unexpected configuration which collectors didn’t see coming. We knew that something was in the works, when earlier this year we saw that its predecessor with a white dial and alligator strap would retire, but we didn’t expect this!
And we can certainly say that we are impressed. This Chronograph paired with a Perpetual Calendar is an expression of purist watchmaking, with a pinch of Patek flair: the split seconds chronograph and the perpetual calendar.
Putting these two complications together was an impressive feat for the master watchmakers as they not only had to entirely engineer the CHR 29-535 PS Q calibre – which contained 7 patented innovations – but they had to assemble and hand finish the timepiece, too. This limits the production to very few specimens per year, whose exact number is still unknown (for the 5004 it is said that they were about 12 per year).
The dial, which at first sight could seem black, is actually a very fine shade of slate grey, reminiscent of the reference 5235 from a few years ago.
The official list price of the new 5204R-011 is of €274,040.
The New World Timer Flyback Chronograph ref. 5930P-001
The last, but by no means least (in fact, quite the opposite) of the trio of new Patek Philippe Chronographs is the platinum cased World-Timer-Flyback Chronograph: the ref. 5930P-001.
Very few words can describe the sophistication of this watch. It contains two very important complications for the maison: the World Timer, and of course, the flyback chronograph. Introduced in 2019, the 5930 entered the catalogue with a white gold case, a blue guilloched dial and an alligator strap matching the dial city disc colour.
As we mentioned earlier in this article, 2021 is the year of green (and that of hope!), and the 5930-001 is no exception. Offered in a platinum case, green makes its appearance on the hand-guilloched dial and through the text on the white city disc, as well as on the “bottle green” alligator strap.
The official list price of the new 5930P-001 is of €88,910.
Final Remarks – Impressions
We are very curious to see how collectors will respond to this hot streak that Patek is on. The feedback seems very positive from what we’ve seen so far, but, as always, we are particularly keen on hearing what @horology_ancienne has to say about this trio.
Talking about the market now is pointless, as the only one that will probably be less subject to speculation will be the 5204R-011 given the high list price of almost €300,000.
What do you guys make of these releases? As always, let us know in the comments.
For further details, head on over to the official Patek Philippe website.
Translated by: Claudio F.
