Horological Meandering

One of the editors in another forum have pointed out the absence of interior angles in the caliber 31-260 powering the 5236P. The caliber’s bridges are rounded at the edges but the expert points out that the lack of interior angles are indicative of lack ...  

Here's the thing - we aren't talking about just any half-baked nouveau hipster brand here, we are talking about The crown-less king: Patek. Scratch that: PATEK. Scratch that: PATEK PHILIPPE. Or 'PP'. Whatever is your jam, no judgement. They are not just p...  

and unfortunately I agree. And it's exactly the same reason why a 5070 is superior to a 5170 and a 5970 is more interesting than the 5270. I still love the band and the finishing is good ... but it could bet better. Interior angels are among the most diff...  

And not even for the looks of the watch. 5711 is quite possibly the ugliest watch out there. I really dislike the the rounded but still somewhat cornered octagon (can't decide what it wants to be) bezel , dial and sapphire crystal. The bezel is also too f... 

You make irrefutable points and in an entertaining way. The hard truth takes a moment to digest. I laughed out loud at "Which is okay because his kids, now in their 20's don't really talk to their dad much, anyway." You paint a picture with your words ver... 

Couldn't agree more. The prices keep going up and the hand work keeps going down, not just PP. Looking at you AP. This is why independents have been able to prosper and that's fine by me.

Would you mind PMing me the link to this Canadian forum? (Assuming that posting it publicly may be against this forum’s rules - although to be honest I have no idea of it is or not.) Best E.

. . . and hasn't been for quite some time. There are still prohibitions regarding self-serving links, but that wouldn't be an issue in this instance. Art

... I'd rather have a watch from the folks who used to make the movements for Patek.

...  

... Thierry Stern. No watch manufacturer in the world would hire this nepot fool. Superb post, by the way. - Scott

Written with a lot of passion and impressive knowledge. A confirmation of what I have felt and feared for a long time. And what I have - sometimes - discovered for myself with my much more modest knowledge. One more reason for me to only buy what I really... 

Time to take out the loupe! Some provocative yet very powerful commentary - time to relook at the collection. Cheers Peter

... that your post was as much fun to write as it is to read!

...and quite humorous too : )

I have to admit, I did hesitate before posting it because I didn't know how it would be received here. I am glad it was taken as it was intended: lighthearted with some information wrapped in a narrative. The Canadian forum is There are a few very experi... 

What do you mean by marching marks? I looked at the picture several times but don't know if I'm looking at the right thing. Could you show it on a picture with a circle on it?

The edge of the micro rotor shows machining marks. It would be preferable if this were polished, but I think one could accept this. The edge of the bridge shows marks from the tool used to create the anglage (bevel). In a movement of with an expectation o... 

Thank you for the information.

....as they say.

We need Pauli for the turnaround of the Swiss Watch Industry

Patek is not even close to being the best, especially for the money. 100% agree with you.

Thats what i love about this place and love to spend time here.

For years I have tried to get excited by Patek watches. They have always failed to excite me except for the rare handcrafts, some vintage pieces and the 5160R/J. Patek does nothing for me.

Superbly done sir. I agree 1,000% and you've brought me great joy in this cleaning of the lens, into the industry (yes industry) in which we amuse ourselves.

I wish this post would be bookmarked so we could read and reread it again. Best Gatsby

I'm sure there were questions asked to the watchmakers as to what was the most labor intensive parts of their work, and those are ones that were trimmed. Patek has done well lately with the advent of the 'gotta-have-it!' crowd fawning over the Nautilus su... 

Patek and AP are just like any other multibillion dollar brand. I would do the same thing if I knew my customer was had no clue what they were buying. Personally, my next big watch purchase will be from Roman Gauthier, who offers a lot more value for the ... 

I began my career in 1992 in marketing. Above my desk was a illustration of a pile of excrement on a plate, surrounded by halogen lamps. The caption read: “It’s a piece of sh!t, but it’s tastefully lit.” Marketing is about seduction, deflection and concea... 

There are varying degrees of hand finishing and I don't think Patek can be considered entirely machine-finished just due to the lack of interior angles. You do get some other nice finishings like the black-polished screws, perlage, cotes de geneve, etc. I... 

...brilliant article on The ABC’s of Watch Finish. This was an eye opener for me when I read it more than a decade ago and it helped me appreciate the beauty of hand finished watches and to also understand the reason why these hand finished works of art d... 

Just read it and although it is a great introduction to watch finishing, I do not agree with some of the statements like "Each one serves a function and, for the vast majority of them, the quality of finish will determine how well the part can perform its... 

...but meaningless. The Patek sells for multiples of the JLC or the Rolex. And it sells itself on the basis of being The Best, peerless, etc. It’s something of an apples vs oranges comparison. Best E. (It’s been a while since I’ve looked at the 2121 movem... 

Looking at the movement, it seems clear that economy was not among its design goals. It is certainly respectable to design a movement for the purpose of making it easy to manufacture and finish, and I certainly don't approve of complexity for the sake of ... 

of Thierry Stern on his 100 million dollar yacht planning his next trip on his private jumbo-jet.

... I was thinking exactly the same thing. Gotta pay for that stupid yacht somehow. Philippe must wake every morning cursing himself for entrusting his buffoon-of-a-son with the family jewels. Just sayin'.

Produced my favorite watches. Thierry is far more interested in the art of watch making as a purely commercial concern. Thierry can make watches faster and cheaper and charge more ( obviously much more) money than his predecessors ever could. I have two p... 

... As you do would concern Thierry's predecessors to the nth degree. As it stands, the yacht captain could care less.

I don't always know what I'm looking at or am educated enough in movements to communicate what my eyes are seeing or might be missing. I'm in my 30's and always happy to learn, so don't worry, there's hope for future generations! Loved the post and reply.... 

can someone explain what exactly is an interior angle?

...  

... Must display a number of finishes. Interior angle is just one of the finishes. Clearly, PP has literally cut corners. Which sucks because PP watches start at 30 grand. In other words, buy a watch from Jaeger LeCoultre, the folks who used to make the m... 

There are two main types of angles: acute (<90°) and obtuse (>90°). (There are also straight, right, zero and full angles but that is not the discussion here Acute angles, called here interior are more difficult to finish (files even small cannot easily f... 

Since I’m doing this for a while I can assure you that it’s not just Patek, the same goes for Vacheron, AP, Lange... I had a chance to see the finishing if the VC Corn de vache recently and can assure you that it’s not even close to the finishing of the M... 

Why spend money on more costly (and beautiful) movement layouts and finishing when the ROI on marketing is so much higher? Instead, automate the hell out of production and spend vast dollars selling prospective buyers on the idea that they're getting some... 

U can live on reputation only for so long becore u are being found out.

Not a macro shot, but one can see the mostly machine finish of the mighty triple split. Yes, lots of curves and bends but no inward angles or nice large anlage as it used to be... ...  

The finishing on the VC Cal 1140/1141/1142 has been inconsistent. Looking at my own admittedly beautiful Historiques Chronograph, I think the movement finishing is off the top level and was possibly improved in models that came afterwards. Prestigious bra... 

about it. “Our watch is so great, only we are qualified to certify how great it is” At the time the official PP line was that too many other brands were able to get the Geneva seal, they wanted to show they were even better. The only way the Patek seal ma...  

... And a tribute to what real movement finishing is all about. It was a strange move when PP decided they were going to certify their own watches, which clearly means nothing.

For the sake of argument on this topic, this has been their practice for a long time?

I'm tempted to borrow a real macro set up to take shots as I don't have the equipment. I'm also happy to have a seal that is independent of the brand itself. Certifying the quality of your own product should go without saying.

I’m quite happy with their current 324 movement finishings. ...  

As show in yours and my 5960P-001 with Geneva Seal, there was no inward angles all the time. Maybe for Grand Complications like 5236P, it should.

Never claimed it had inward angles. I do know it achieved that seal’s standards, which some of the movements shown by BFP would likely not have if PP was still submitting them for consideration. 👍

Here are some beautiful examples of what Patek produces in their ultra expensive pieces ( nice internal angles as well) Minute Repeater - Internal angles finished to perfection esp the bat-wing bridge Caliber 29-535 to show the beautiful bevelling ...  

Let's be serious, we're just a bunch of watch nerds. When the caseback were sealed and hidden, finishing was excellent and pristine. Quality was for granted. Today they sell us emotions, something valuable for the next generations. Laser cutting machines,... 

This is part of the premise of Paul’s post. Patek is now in the business of selling emotions, not top line watchmaking. Some people care very much about such finishing techniques (or lack thereof), but for PP those people are drowned out by the masses tha... 

I think the minute repeaters are one of PP's real strengths, and they still make those better than anyone else.

And my 240/324s and it seems PP movements don’t have much inward angles...Even the 5372P doesn’t have much, maybe one inward angle. This practice has been like that long ago so what’s the surprise today? I’m clueless....new expectations?

the chrono-clutch alone has 4 ...i do spot 6 at least