Patek Philippe

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The Patek 5170: Charm from the past.

Without any doubt, the Patek Chronograph 5170 was one of the stars of the 2010 Basel Fair. Its reference number may suggest it is the successor of the 5070 and it is actually the case because: it is the new handwind chronograph of the brand after all. But can we say so when we compare them? They are so different and moreover, they don't share the same caliber.





Jérôme already made a comprehensive post about this watch here:
patek.watchprosite.com

And Nicolas about the 5070 here:
patek.watchprosite.com

So I will just add my feelings.





First of all, this 5170 is the first Men's watch using the caliber CH 29-535 PS. As we know, the caliber was originaly presented with the 7071, ladies first as they said at Patek!









Thanks to its case diameter of 39mm, we get a very balanced watch even if I regret that the 2 subdials cut the pulsometric graduation. The watch is smaller than the 5070 even if the caliber is larger (almost 30mm). The power reserve is 65 hours and the frequency 4 hz. The second hand is located in the left subdial while the 30 minutes counter is located on the right.









It is obvious, the design of the watch is totally inspired by the past and by the chronographs from the 40's and the 50's.

So the next question is: which is the best chronograph between the 5070 and the 5170? The question seems logical but when you think about it, it doesn't make sense. The watches don't play the same league expect the one of the excellence.

The 5070 has a more sportive touch and its unbalanced style, due to its thick bezel, gives him a sort of strong character. The 5170 houses a brand new caliber with upgrated performances (higher frequency and precisely jumping minute counter). But its style is more classic and maybe lacks a bit of extravagance. Some will find it very refined, very elegant, others will find it too quiet. Hopefully the indexes and the hands bring contrast with the dial and volume. But, after all, should you wish a more original chronograph, the 5960 and 5980 are available in the current Patek collection.





Just to give you a few figures and to compare the old and new versions of the « simple » chronographs coming from Patek and Lange, I prepared this table. You will notice that the 5170 is the only one which combines a high frequency with a power reserve higher than 60 hours. For me the caliber / case diameters ratio is a key issue for chronographs. The higher, the better, that's my point of view.



I would say in a few words that the 5170 is a great achievement from Patek: they managed to release a totally different chronograph from the 5070 without losing the roots of the brand. The use of YG enhances its "old style". It will be interesting to discover the future versions of this chronograph with other materials and dials... but for the moment, we can enjoy the elegancy of this charming watch.








Thanks a lot to Patek Philippe France.

Fr.Xavier