It has been a long time since Patek Philippe gave us a skeletonized watch, and the Ref. 5180/1 showcased at this year’s Baselworld is definitely well worth the wait.
Featuring an ultra-thin self-winding caliber 240 movement with a 22K gold mini-rotor integrated into the plate, this watch is simply a joy to behold.
To fully appreciate a skeletonized watch, try imagining the number of days, hours, and minutes it takes to painstakingly chip away the dial, plates, bridges, and cocks to their bare minimun, and still achieve a fully functional timepiece.
On top of that, examine the detailed engraving on these same components, and the differnt types of finishing - all of them done by hand - and you begin to apprehend its worth.
For hour markers, the Ref. 5180/1 has 12 spokes - ‘remnants’ of the 39 mm white gold casing ring. The spokes are visible from the back, where this part of the sapphire-crystal case has been given a blue tint.
Though Patek Philippe has not intended the Ref. 5180/1 to be a special, limited edition, only very few of them would be produced each year. Via watchtribune
Interesting article on the Patek Philippe Ref. 5180/1. Over the past few years Patek Philippe has been utilizing a sapphire crystal exhibition back on many of it’s timepieces. If you would like to see photos of these watches with the exhibition back (it displays the movements very well) please visit my website:
http://www.haroldfreemanjewelers.com
There you can read my blogs and view photos of Patek Philippe watches.