With these hands, I create
In the poignant prose of Saint Francis of Assisi, “He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” Patek Philippe prides itself on the human touch, applicable not only to the outwardly-appreciable aesthetics of a timepiece but also in the production of movement components.
Undoubtedly, there are areas in which machines would achieve better results. Consistency and margin of error come to mind, but there is little to gain and much more to lose to discard such abilities as enamelling, guilloching, engraving, or gemsetting – the repertoire of any fine Swiss watchmaker.
In addition to the standard pedagogy of master teaching his art to an apprentice, Patek Philippe also famously organises a craftsmanship and precision competition, the seventh edition of which concluded earlier this year. For advancement of these arts, and to honour the relationship with the six Swiss watchmaking institutes, each installment of the Concours de Bienfacture et Précision highlights the most promising individuals to push the boundaries of manual finishing and timing processes.
The following are a curation of Patek Philippe’s Baselworld 2016 novelties, each featuring a noteworthy technique of hand finishing. These are, it goes without saying, very special.
Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5496
Now available in platinum, the reference sets gold and rose gold detailing and markers against a silvery vertical satin-finish dial. In line with the crown are the apertures for day and month, highlighted in applied gold frames. Where the steadiest hand is required, however, is in the application of the 42 date indexes and cabochons on the arced scale within. The rose gold elements are supported by feet one-tenth of a millimetre in diameter, and required 45 minutes per dial to attach individually. Besides the significant risk of breaking or deforming the feet, they have to be inserted in holes barely 0.03mm larger.
Calatrava Ref. 7200/200R
This ladies’ timepiece is diamond-set using Patek Philippe’s registered, and immensely challenging, Flamme technique – new to the horological industry. The reference displays 142 diamonds in parallel rows, mechanically-secured and precisely aligned to the contours of 18-carat rose gold Officer’s-style case. The result appears as an intricate “lace” effect, securely binding the diamonds from above, without protrusion, while allowing as much light as possible to incident upon them. Unlike traditional gemsetting methods, the fire of the diamonds is further augmented by light reflecting from their staggered apertures below.
World Time Ref. 5230
In the case of this legendary collector’s favourite, it carries on the dial not an innovative hand-based timepiece technique, but one dangerously close to extinction. The manually controlled rose engine utilised to guilloche dials is approaching its centenary, yet still lovingly serviced and maintained by Patek Philippe since first commission. The dial is then galvanised to tint it a charcoal grey, before being lacquered and drilled – gently, to avoid cracking the finishing. For 2016, Moscow’s location on the dial has shifted one hour closer to mean time for accuracy: the Russian Capital now adheres to UTC+3.
Chronograph Ref. 5170
Simplicity is the overriding emotion of this classic men’s chronograph, where components which rarely receive attention are subtly enhanced to raise the experience. Keeping up with the theme of introducing rose gold options to existing references, the chronograph hands are delicately sandblasted for exemplary legibility. This, along with the gold Breguet numerals and the three polished time-telling hands, contrast beautifully against the silvery or ebony opaline dials. Without additional complications to attract the eye elsewhere, the matte sheen of the slender chronograph hands easily take centre stage.
