Creating Beauty in the Pursuit of Time

The need to measure short spans of time is the preserve of sporting events, which makes it no surprise that watchmakers then to produce chronograph with sporty or rugged design cues. Not so for Patek Philippe’s new Ref.5370 split-seconds chronograph, which is decidedly traditional, discrete, and timelessly elegant. 

The need to measure short spans of time is the preserve of sporting events, which makes it no surprise that watchmakers then to produce chronograph with sporty or rugged design cues. Not so for Patek Philippe’s new Ref.5370 split-seconds chronograph, which is decidedly traditional, discrete, and timelessly elegant. Incorporating Patek Philippe’s latest in-house developed and built CHR 29-535 PS calibre in its pure form, without the added complication of a perpetual calendar, the Ref.5370 is focused exclusively on time measurement. As such the movement has been optimised in many respects and endowed with patented innovations that make this calibre the most progressive classic of its genre. These improvements include new clutch wheels with patented tooth profiles to boost efficiency, self-adjusting hammers in jewel bearings, and an isolator that uncouples the split-seconds wheel from the chronograph wheel to eliminate unwanted friction. Together with a handful of other improvements, the Ref.5370 is guaranteed to continue delivering a highly accurate reading, lap time after lap time without interruption of an ongoing time measurement.

Its movement has been optimised and endowed with patented innovations that make it the most progressive classic of its genre

As is expected of a Patek Philippe movement, the CHR 29-535 PS calibre is lavishly finished by hand, with most steel parts are painstakingly chamfered and their surfaces straight-grained, and the workmanship behind the movement being further enhanced with contrasting golden hues and sparkling red bearing jewels. Likewise the intense black colour of the solid white-gold dial face of the Ref.5370 is only made possible with genuine enamel coating. Applied by hand, the coating is melted in an oven at 850^oC, which is then allowed to solidify to a glasslike consistency through controlled cooling. At this point, small bores are used to cautiously drill into the hard, but brittle, enamel to accommodate the tiny feet of the applied white-gold Breguet numerals, thus completing its exquisite appearance. The addition of a tachymeter scale that is calibrated to 1,000m further underscores its instrument-like personality.