Patek Philippe

INTRODUCTION

As you certainly know, the new Patek Philippe 5930, which was launched during the last Basel fair, is taking after the older and unique-made 1415-1 piece ordered in 1940. It was the first and only Patek with the World Time and Chronograph complications assembled together.

Surprisingly, this idea had not been followed by a next generation. My opinion would be that the 1940-1970’s era was a time when complicated watches weren’t as popular as today (in addition to being expensive). Thus these watches were not produced at the same volume level (part of the explanation for the prices we see today in auctions for these vintage pieces); and in the 1980’s were quite difficult to deal with when the Quartz movements spread on the market. Then, the 1990’s - which maybe was the starting point of this kind of “glorious twenties” period for the watchmaking industry - was the time when the collections started to be reworked to add the complications and the diversity that led to the picture we have today.

The 5930 reference finds its place perfectly and very naturally I must say in the catalogue regarding the brand’s history, the usefulness of the World Time complication that many travelers appreciate and especially the way it has been designed, technically as well as aesthetically.

THE DIAL

The dial has been designed to provide an optimized legibility, taking into account there is so much information to display regarding the functions it houses. Considering that this is a World Time model combined with a Chronograph function and its scales, I find the dial indeed quite clear to read.

It sports a subtle manually guilloché decoration interrupted only by the applied white gold index markers and the 30-minute chronograph counter. This subdial stands out with a delicate white gold surround, a white minute scale, and a discreet circular-grained finish. I didn’t know what to think about its size or position. It was a point I discussed with Mr. Barat and I must say that considering what had to be placed on the dial and the movement construction, it really couldn’t be placed elsewhere frankly. However, though the size is finally perfect when seen in the 1:1 scale “live” conditions, I think I would have chosen another font style (I have the same opinion about the 5905’s 30-minute counter font). But that’s just me!

One detail I like a lot is the plaque holding the Patek Philippe logo. I find it very qualitative and it doesn’t seem to me that it was used before. It matches very nicely with the other silvery elements (the 24H ring, the chronograph's scale, etc...) and the overall coloring tone.

Finally, I think that, after having seen the 5204 and the 5905P, I like the hands’ style a lot. It is not that they aren’t classical enough (compared to traditional leaf hands): they are as beautifully classical but just from another era, like the Dauphine hands are as well. The fact they have a line of lume inside is of course part of the impression, and they wouldn't have been the same without it, like the 5960’s hands wouldn’t have been as good looking without lume either (and this is also true for the 5370P). I guess this has to do with the more casual look of a 5960 or 5930. Furthermore, the hands are facetted with 3 different levels, details you don’t notice at first but that has a significant impact on the overall impression a watch leaves.

On the contrary to some live pictures, the blue dial color is not really grey; it is made of an average shade of blue that makes the watch less austere and serious than a dressier one with a darker dial (lapis lazuli or night blue). This has nothing in common with the other blue dials from other Patek references we know: this is mainly due to the decoration of the dial base (metallic, sunburst, grainy etc…). It also gives it a little more casual touch. I would say this is suited very well to the “globe trotter” spirit of a world time complication.

In the mean time, the addition of some silvery elements (24-hour ring and chronograph’s seconds scale) makes a two-tone pattern that is very elegant. As I said in the past, I like when colors are combined with grey elements, especially when the color itself is mixed with grey, as it carries a more refined impression. This is a subtlety I like in walls, paint, carpets and any other decoration as well.

As usual, this is something you must see in the metal to appreciate fully. It is a detail that makes the watch deserving the Patek label imho.

Another interesting detail I noticed: the way the 5 and 7 o’clock markers, next to the 30 minutes counter are directed toward the center and tangent to the seconds subsidiary dial perimeter. This makes the dial well balanced and requests an additional crafting work to adjust it carefully. It would indeed have been easier, less time consuming the just cut them in 2 squares but wouldn’t have been as nice.

About the Chronograph display…

As we noticed already in the past, the chronograph counter at 6 is a 30-minute display. I tried to think about the alternatives to this choice and didn’t feel satisfied with what I could think of. It is true that it may be too short for people who will use it for a flight or a long parking time lap for instance.

The problem is that if a 12-hour scale had been chosen instead, it wouldn’t have been precise enough either. A 30-minute scale would be more useful for most of the people still using the chronograph function.

Maybe getting a 60-minute scale instead of 30 would have been the right setup: a longer time lap, remaining precise enough?

Well, people will see what information they need but remember that a normal chronograph like the 5170 or the 5070 have a 30-minute scale only as well. I guess we’ve been used to having the fantastic 5960’s layout and that we are always being more demanding when it concerns Patek Philippe but this 5930’s chronograph function doesn’t provide less information in the end than a manual chronograph.

About the World Time display…

This dial gathers a complex succession of mobile and fixed parts: the city ring, the 24h ring, the dial.... This is hard to cope with when designing the dial mechanism, making all information available on the same dial while keeping it legible. It is a nice complex show to appreciate.

A small gap between the city disk and the 24-hour ring accommodates the seconds scale for chronograph measurements. It is a narrow white circular scale with fourth-of-a-second graduations. This subdivision reflects the movement frequency of 4 hertz (28,800 A/h), which allows times to be stopped to an accuracy of one-eighth of a second.

It has been updated with new cities (still 24 cities displayed) for some time zones – for instance Dubai instead of Riyadh or Brisbane instead of Nouméa – and takes into account the fact that Moscow changed its local time from UTC+4 to UTC+3.

THE CASE

This is one of the 2016’s collection novelty: a case’s style inspired from the 5X96 line-up (flat and edged instead of round and curved from more traditional references) but that was provided with wonderful “smoother” and more traditional lugs (the ones we can see in the 5970 or 5270 for instance). Patek Philippe opted for this same style pattern in the new 5230 as well.

The 5930 reference is 39.5x12.8mm (as a comparison, the 5230 is 38.5x10.2mm). What is really interesting is that the brand decided to maintain the watch below 40mm while the watch looks a little more casual and is quite complicated (thus has to have a minimum thickness). More complicated watches with a more casual/sporty look are usually on the “bigger” side of the spectrum.

Smaller watches (not too small though) always feel a little more traditional and this is a feature I appreciate. As a comparison, the 5960 model housing a 28-520 base as well (and an Annual Calendar instead of the World Time module) is 40.5x13.55 mm. This shows very clearly the challenge and the work performed in order to maintain the size at the minimum possible considering what it offers movement-wise. It’s an area where Patek puts in a lot of effort; as you see when you look at their production: the 5170, 5270, 5204, 5370, the grand complications (RM together with PC, Chrono, Tourbillon etc…).

As I mentioned after the Basel launch this year and confirmed during my hands-on experience, I appreciate this 5930’s unusual case proportions: it has definitely a slightly different balance, a little smaller width together with a thicker watch from what we are used to seeing nowadays.

Indeed, it reminds me of complicated models we know from the 1950's - 1960's. At that time, it was a very recognizable characteristic from complicated watches that measured from around 30mm to 36mm. I remember seeing pieces from that time that were quite thick and more complicated but which remained in smaller case sizes. We are used to calling them affectionately “hamburgers” today and the 3970 for instance shows this same kind of proportion, bringing an authentic and vintage feeling that I really like. It is related to that older period and these older aesthetical standards that are references of that great creative period. A perfect watch for a 1960’s show we have seen on TV!

Of course, it is 39.5mm this time (and not 34 or 36) includes the reference in today’s standards. Best of both world imho if one is seduced by that. This is a move from Patek I find very interesting and that I wouldn't have thought of for a current collection.

The case features the same winglet-style strap lugs that were a key design element of the 1940s and 1950s World Time watches. The time-zone correction button is still at 10 o'clock and has the same rectangular profile as the two chronograph pushers. In such a technical looking dial, this case brings the touch of elegance it needs to be worthy of the brand. I find them also more exciting than the lugs we find in more classical pieces (like the 5X96 line-up for instance), though they don’t have the same goal.

Hence, I could confirm that this side case is gorgeous and that the lugs count for a huge part in this feeling.

On the bezel’s side, the angled top side shape is much more visible compared to the usual 5296/5396/5496 one, or the 5170's (similar style), a characteristic more visible in the 5930 reference, like a reminder of the “Volcano” 3448’s style.

Finally, the overall impressions I have from the dial is in the same spirit, especially the hands's shape and the markers; very 1940's-1950's. It is not just about adding one or two details in a classical watch. It is a whole new complete and homogeneous design.

It is mounted on a hand-stitched matt navy blue alligator strap with large square scales to match the dial, equipped with a white gold fold-over clasp.

THE MOVEMENT

As I said above, keeping thickness as it is was challenging considering the Chronograph and the World Time complications it houses.

Something we learn about the construction’s uniqueness (in the video with Mr. Philip Barat, Director of Development, https: ) is that, in order to gain space and reduce the thickness of the movement, the aesthetical parts (dial) are merged with the movement elements. Another interesting detail about the fact that Patek uses room in the watch as efficiently as possible. We may say that the watchmaking industry is not innovative enough but in this case they definitely bring something more, i.e. better.

It is always harder to compile mechanics in a smaller space and even more interesting of a challenge when it can be observed in the final result and wearability.

When compared to the VC (42.5x11.62mm, with 37 cities) for instance, a very nice Worldtime-only piece, we can appreciate the work done by Patek for the 5930, especially in terms of wearability and comfort and even more so when considering the fact the 5930 offers a vertical clutch Flyback Chronograph as well.

Back to the movement, the biggest difference from its ancestor is that both the World Time and the Chronograph Flyback complications have significantly evolved since 1940, as you can imagine. Thus, the combination of both is a totally different mechanism from its ancestor.

The movement used as a base in the 28-520 caliber is the same we saw in the 5960 or 5905 families but the chronograph movement and the World Time mechanism were enhanced with extensive modifications in order to adapt the chronograph's minute counter to the WT's cities and 24H/Day-Night rings mechanism. You certainly can imagine that the different rings moving on the dial need a mechanism spread all under it and that including other mechanical elements linked to the time and the chronograph may become “quite tricky” to say the least.

As Patek says, axes were shifted, bridges thinned and newly designed, and component clearances changed - so much so that the caliber CH 28-520 HU can legitimately be called a new movement. It embodies everything that belongs to Patek Philippe's proud watchmaking heritage.

It is also very easy to understand and to use. Like with the 5960, because the chronograph hand is powered via a vertical clutch, it can also be used as a permanently running seconds hand without risking undue wear and without affecting the rate accuracy and power reserve of the watch.

The caliber is equipped with the Gyromax balance and patented Spiromax balance spring in Silinvar (silicon-based material) visible through the Sapphire-crystal case back. It is a way for Patek, since the first Advanced Research references, to bring innovation in a useful way (timekeeping accuracy, oil ageing issues etc…) without neglecting the essence of traditional watchmaking.

CONCLUSION

The new Patek Philippe 5930G is a reference that typically slowly grew on me, because of its uniqueness, the engineering process and because I appreciate the style orientation chosen.

It is definitely a novelty for Patek in a way it has been a surprise in terms of style (very different offer from the usual collection) and its unique complications combination.

How many times in the past has Patek found to be right launching non-consensual models?

Many times. Although the brand has kept a traditional and quite conservative image in some ways, it is definitely looking forward. Sometimes these moves are difficult to understand (like the Nautilus in 1976, the first Advanced Research, the 5070, and of course the 5960P to mention a few of them). Of course, mistakes will also happen (as it happened in the past) and this is natural.

This effort to progress is totally what Patek Philippe has been doing in the past, especially when considering the caliber’s engineering (finding new technical solutions that are time and budget consuming, optimizing space and functions etc…). But this is something part of their DNA and also why people are very demanding when it comes to Patek watches.

The brand has to look forward; has to create new models while keeping them unique, elegant and timeless. This has always been a job performed in order to escort the evolution of times, the will of future customers, more than anticipating it is more about shaping the next generation’s tastes. One must read into the world trends and transformations in order to provide, not what people want, but to seduce and influence what people will want. From the top and not from an average and mediocre position. There are risks in doing so but it is mostly rewarding when done by talented people though not always understood at first.

This 5230/5930 new style is another family added to the catalogue and a very nice one imho. It brings modernity with classicism in the right proportions.

Pricing is €.66 870 in France (incl. VAT) and should come to retailers now (so should the 5230). More on the watch on Patek Philippe's website, here.

Thank you for reading and it would be interesting to have your feeling now that several months have passed by.

Best, Mark

The 5930 next to the two other World Time novelties from Baselworld 2016, the 5230 in rose and white gold...

________________________________________________________________

Technical data

Ref. 5930G World Time Chronograph

Movement: Caliber CH 28-520 HU Self-winding mechanical movement, column-wheel chronograph, vertical clutch, local time, display of 24 time zones, day/night indication

Diameter: Overall: 33.00 mm

Basic caliber: 30.00 mm

Time-zone module: 33.00 mm

Height: Overall: 7.91 mm

Basic caliber: 4.9 mm

Time-zone module: 3.01 mm

Number of parts: 343

Power reserve: Min. 50, max. 55 hours

Features

Water resistant to 30 meters (3 bar)