Comments:
Having also had the opportunity to try it on during my last visit to the Patek Philippe Salon last December, here are my impressions, which echo Thomas's.
First, the fit on the wrist of the 38 mm Officer-style case is perfect.
Yes, the watch is 11.81 mm thick, but it is below 12 mm and, as it features a hinged Hunter-style caseback I personally don't mind.
Of course, with its hand-engraved case and dial, this is an extravagant watch.
But it is extraordinarily appealing because everything is so refined and well balanced.
Of course, because it is so ornate, few of us could imagine wearing it on a daily basis.
Not even me, who likes dress watches.
But everything is so well done on this dial: the applied and printed numerals, the pear hands, the layout of the retrograde PC and, of course, the central engraving.
The caseback is even more extravagant, but always in a beautiful way.
The only thing which is less appealing or more ordinary (at least to me) is the central rotor automatic caliber 26-330 S QR.
Compared to two of the other watches I could try on this day (ref. 5328G-001, which I reviewed here and ref. 5930P-001, which I reviewed here) it is clearly my favorite.
Caliber 26-330 S QR
Caliber 12-600 AT: The most beautiful Patek Philippe central rotor?
Caliber R27
Another hands-on experience with the ref. 5160/500R-001
Yesterday, Thomas shared with us how impressed he has been by this Rare Handcrafts Retrograde Perpetual Calendar.
First, the fit on the wrist of the 38 mm Officer-style case is perfect.
Yes, the watch is 11.81 mm thick, but it is below 12 mm and, as it features a hinged Hunter-style caseback I personally don't mind.
Of course, with its hand-engraved case and dial, this is an extravagant watch.
But it is extraordinarily appealing because everything is so refined and well balanced.
Of course, because it is so ornate, few of us could imagine wearing it on a daily basis.
Not even me, who likes dress watches.
But everything is so well done on this dial: the applied and printed numerals, the pear hands, the layout of the retrograde PC and, of course, the central engraving.
The caseback is even more extravagant, but always in a beautiful way.
The only thing which is less appealing or more ordinary (at least to me) is the central rotor automatic caliber 26-330 S QR.
So, in conclusion, I would say that considering acquiring such a watch for a significant event like a 60th birthday makes a lot of sense...
Thanks for reading.
Best, Emmanuel
Review by Tim Mosso
A work of art!
Its unique lavish beauty may narrowly tailor its wear (depending on the person and their lifestyle of course!), its beauty remains monumental!
Something that deserves a display case at home when not in use! š
Thank you for sharing these sumptuous shots!
My pleasure! It's not only an impressive piece,
it's also more subtle than one could think based on photos and it's really appealing in person.
As always, the real life experience is even better than what photos can show.
Best, Emmanuel
As always, the real life experience is even better than what photos can show.
Best, Emmanuel
A museum piece. Not to my taste but I Cleary appreciate the craftsmanship. Thanks again Emmanuel
My pleasure, Tony.
In person, this watch even more appealing than on photos because it appears less extravagant: it's more a subtly ornate and quite gorgeous 38 mm watch.
Best, Emmanuel
Best, Emmanuel
beautiful Emmanuel, special watch for special days.
As you implied It would have been irresistible with manual wound movement, even with this movement it is irresistible.
In person, it is really appealing, even if a little extravagant, of course.
Best, Emmanuel
Hi Emmanuel, the baroque style is quite interesting ! For me, the dial is
too busy. To each his own. 
Hi Emmanuel, the baroque style is quite interesting ! For me, the dial is
too busy. To each his own.
This is obviously a debatable timepiece.
I fully understand that itās not to everyoneās taste. But itās quite impressive in person.
Best, Emmanuel
Best, Emmanuel
Yes, the 5159G might be a very good choice indeed for a more daily use.
Best, Emmanuel
For me this watch is a true piece of art.
I think if it has a manual movement it would be even more beautiful but i can live with a automatic if necessary š . Oeff what a beauty
In person, it's even better than on photos.
Manual winding is rarely used for perpetual calendars, and for good reason, of course (some liking to use a winder). However, the movement or rotor could be a bit more visually appealing.
That said, this watch is stunning.
That said, this watch is stunning.
Dear Emanuel, this is a truly great review!
Thank you very much for your thoughts. They are very valuable for me in my personal decision process.
You know that I only discovered this watch recently. But ever since, I have been very āpregnantā with it.
It is, as you kindly mentioned, actually my first candidate for my personal milestone birthday in October.
What surprised me a bit is that I can easily imagine wearing this watch on a daily basis. Which may sound slightly absurd considering how baroque, opulent and elaborate it is. But on my wrist it felt much more balanced and wearable than the pictures suggest.
I would probably still buy this watch even if it were not a āPatekā. For me the appeal lies very much in the craftsmanship, the engraving and the overall character of the piece.
When it comes to movements, I tend to value reliability and functionality more than āpure decorationā. A movement that is robust, precise and well engineered matters much more to me than one that is merely visually spectacular.
In that sense, I have always considered the caliber 26-330 S QR to be a very solid evolution of the 324 family. Reliable, technically mature and designed for real use rather than just display. But I am not a specialist in Patek. My opinion is based only on some personal observations and, above all, on reading everything I could find about this movement.
Your comments about the caliber 26-330 S QR made me a bit more cautious though, and I will certainly take another closer look at it.
One (very small) negative point for me is the rather modest power reserve, which is likely a consequence of the relatively thin architecture of the movement.
Thank you again for the thoughtful review and your very interesting remarks. I truly appreciate your perspective, especially coming from someone with your level of expertise.
Warm regards
Thomas
You know that I only discovered this watch recently. But ever since, I have been very āpregnantā with it.
It is, as you kindly mentioned, actually my first candidate for my personal milestone birthday in October.
What surprised me a bit is that I can easily imagine wearing this watch on a daily basis. Which may sound slightly absurd considering how baroque, opulent and elaborate it is. But on my wrist it felt much more balanced and wearable than the pictures suggest.
I would probably still buy this watch even if it were not a āPatekā. For me the appeal lies very much in the craftsmanship, the engraving and the overall character of the piece.
When it comes to movements, I tend to value reliability and functionality more than āpure decorationā. A movement that is robust, precise and well engineered matters much more to me than one that is merely visually spectacular.
In that sense, I have always considered the caliber 26-330 S QR to be a very solid evolution of the 324 family. Reliable, technically mature and designed for real use rather than just display. But I am not a specialist in Patek. My opinion is based only on some personal observations and, above all, on reading everything I could find about this movement.
Your comments about the caliber 26-330 S QR made me a bit more cautious though, and I will certainly take another closer look at it.
One (very small) negative point for me is the rather modest power reserve, which is likely a consequence of the relatively thin architecture of the movement.
Thank you again for the thoughtful review and your very interesting remarks. I truly appreciate your perspective, especially coming from someone with your level of expertise.
Warm regards
Thomas
Dear Thomas, thank you so much for your kind words.
My only reservation regarding the 26-330 S QR movement is aesthetic, not technical. When everything is so beautiful in a watch (the dial, the case), one expects to find a beautiful rotor (I mean beautifully decorated), but instead, Patek has retained the classic rotor, which is aesthetically rather unrefined. And since the movement's bridges are mainly machine-finished, I find this creates a slight disconnect with the rest of the watch, which is full of artistic craftsmanship.
From a strictly technical point of view, the 26-330 S QR movement seems to be of very high quality, and the fact that Patek engineers chose to prioritize accuracy rather than increasing the power reserve to 60 hours is very well explained in this High Time article, which you are probably familiar with: https://www.hightime-reviews.com/patek-philippe-26-330-caliber-review/
Here is also the Patek page dedicated to all versions of the 26-330: https://www.patek.com/en/collection/movements/26-330
Patek Philippe could have taken the refinement a step further by decorating the rotor in the spirit of the Rare Handcrafts, making the opening of the hunter caseback and the discovery of the movement even more exceptional. Nevertheless, this watch remains absolutely unique and extraordinarily charming.
What exactly I have in mind is the central rotor of caliber 12-600 AT or the micro rotor of the caliber R27 family, both being guillochƩ (see below). I'm not sure that guillochƩ would have been aesthetically consistent with the rest of the watch, but it seems to me that they could have considered a decoration of this kind.
Best, Emmanuel
Caliber 12-600 AT: The most beautiful Patek Philippe central rotor?
Caliber R27
Dear Emmanuel,
wow! Thank you so much for these additional informations. Love it. I didnāt know the High Time article.
You might think I'm crazy, but if this really is going to be my anniversary watch, then I could imagine having the rotor replaced or even custom-made. I have a good friend who owns almost all the watches from the 5159 series, and he even had the hands replaced on one of them to improve readability (I think it was the G).
I have no idea what it would cost to replace the rotor. Probably a fortuneā¦
Of course, all of this should remain at least somewhat economically reasonable.
You might think I'm crazy, but if this really is going to be my anniversary watch, then I could imagine having the rotor replaced or even custom-made. I have a good friend who owns almost all the watches from the 5159 series, and he even had the hands replaced on one of them to improve readability (I think it was the G).
I have no idea what it would cost to replace the rotor. Probably a fortuneā¦
Of course, all of this should remain at least somewhat economically reasonable.
Your good friend seems to have quite a collection!
I assume he must have some general idea of how much a different rotor (if Patek agrees to do such a thing) would cost. I personally have absolutely no idea.
Of course, it would be a wonderful way to āelevateā this watch even further.
But one could probably also argue that it is perfect as it is, and that the simplicity of the rotor makes a welcome contrast to the engraved case and dial.
Best, Emmanuel
Of course, it would be a wonderful way to āelevateā this watch even further.
But one could probably also argue that it is perfect as it is, and that the simplicity of the rotor makes a welcome contrast to the engraved case and dial.
Best, Emmanuel