Patek Philippe

The other day i went for a wander into central to hunt down my next piece and below are snaps of some of the pieces I tried on in my hunt.

My Patek tour covers the main tourists areas

here are the snaps... (in some of them you'll notice my hands are all mangled up, it's because i crashed my bike a few weeks ago, it's not leprosy 

First stop

Mappin & Webb, 132 Regent St.

These guys usually have a good selection and quite friendly when it comes to trying on.

window display from Regent St

5726 Annual Calendar action - this is an amazing piece that sits very comforable on the wrist

Next up, 5980. while i'm no Chrono fan (unless it's a Speedy Pro), i could get used to this. a lot more heft to this than any other PP i've tried on

Second stop

Watches of Switzerland, Oxford Street

This is one of my favourite shops. Very friendly bunch who usually know their stuff and don't try sell you crap with "price increase in 30 mins".

First up, 6000. This is one of the candidates I was after but i was quite disappointed with it when on the wrist. too small, cluttered dial and i just didn't get the Patek feel from it

Next up, 5130. - what a dial!!! stunning and just the right size

Third stop

Wempe, New Bond St.

This is a must stop when in London. Great selection and very friendly staff. No snobbiness or other nonsense here

Here's one we rarely see, 5124 Gondolo. Stunning art deco watch. Very comfy but at £20k, i'd rather fork out a bit more and get some complications. the tang buckle also didn't do the watch justice

Here we go - AC action! 5146, stunning creamy/ivory dial. Just about the right size and would make even the most fussy collector happy

Next up, 5146. This is more me, very nice slate grey dial and intersting inwards bevels on the sides. Strap too shiny but noting that couldn't be fixed. Score: love at first sight

5960, one of the hottest sellers but i'm not really a Chrono man. If you want weight, this is the one for you. I did find it a bit unbalanced on the wrist

Fourth Stop

Patek showroom, New Bond Street

I'm not going to bother reviewing this place as I stood around for 2 mins while the one free sales person was busy texting away so I moved on. Their selection was also poor.

Fifth Stop

Mappin & Webb, 1 Old Bond St.

Good AC etc selection

the 5726 really sings to me but get this: it had a scratch the width and depth of a badger's whisker! the sales lady told one of assistants to polish it out!! Good grief!!! i wonder what else their watches have to hide!!

No comments needed here

5396. What a watch! great looking piece that looks like a cheapo Seiko so will fly right under the radar. only downside to this was the polished bezel which already showed a lot of marks - but not something that these guys couldn't polish out!

Sixth and final stop

Watches of Switzerland, 61 Brompton Rd, Knightsbridge.

Another must stop. The manager Neil is very friendly and helpful

here's one we don't see too often, 5213. real officer's watch! Stunning watch but a bit spicy at £68k.

ALSO, when inspecting the watch we spotted a piece of dirt on the minute hand!! On another forum we had fellow member whose Aquanaut had a scratched dial. Oh dear. wonder when the QA manager comes back from his/her holiday.

5140, another one we rarely see. stunning blue dial with matching strap. very very nice

case back of the 5213

Last but not least, the 5098. i love the look of this in pictures, but in reality it looks like a Franck Muller - not for me

that's it folks, hope you enjoyed looking at the snaps!