Watches and Wonders 2024: Patek Philippe Exhibits Impressive Rare Handcrafts With the Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Rose Gold

High complications are of synonymous essence at Patek Philippe. The unofficial leading leg of the Holy Trinity, Patek Philippe commands a unique and ceaseless speciality when it comes to offering grand complications of petite scale. At the Watches and Wonders 2024, the Maison offers a replacement of its white gold Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Rare Handcrafts by announcing the latest Reference 5160/500R-001 in rose gold construction.

An Artisanal Novelty with A Venetian Charm

The exceptionally ornate case and dial of the Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Rare Handcrafts doesn’t shy away from offering remarkably complex mechanical pairings. Equipped with a retrograde date hand, the model is a rare darling among high complication connoisseurs. The scope of its artisanal prowess is hallmarked by the hand engraved dial centre and the rose gold bezel, case middle, crown and lugs, as well as the fold-over clasp and strap screws. The officer’s-style case features a sapphire crystal case-back protected by a hinged cover. The case cover too expresses a rich detailing of hand engraved motifs.

Exquisitely crafted with intricate hand-engraved designs, the watch’s decoration features elegant volutes and foliage, drawing inspiration from a pocket watch housed in the prestigious Patek Philippe Museum. Paired with warm-hued the rose gold case is a silver opaline dial adorned with Breguet numerals in blackened white gold and pear-shaped hands with a black-oxidized yellow gold surface.

A Mechanical Mastery Consistent in Class

Powering the Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Rare Handcrafts Reference 5160/500R-001 and its impressive array of complications and displays is the in-house self-winding 26-330 S QR movement. It drives the time telling functions and displays of day, leap-year cycle and month through apertures at 9, 12 and 3 o'clock. The retrograde hand gracefully sweeps over an arc between 8 and 4 o'clock to indicate the date.

The movement features a 21k gold central rotor winding the timepiece to an autonomy of 45 hours. It beats away at a visually interesting rate of 28,800 semi-oscillations/hour or 4 Hz. All of its 368 components get haute horlogerie finishing treatment while the timepiece delivers superlative chronometric precision consistent with its high watchmaking charm.

Aristocratic Charms Paired with Pure Complexity

In its rose gold avatar, the Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Rare Handcrafts Reference 5160/500R-001 revealed at Watches and Wonders 2024 is an impressive of the Maison’s undeniable authority in traditional watchmaking crafts. This watch is a frame-worthy example of luxury finishing not even spared for even the most petite elements. It is by far, the most striking and ocularly-pleasing novelty of the fair.