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Patek Philippe's Modern Chronographs

The concept of a white slate (tabula rasa) or "clean slate" goes back to the roots of Western philosophy. to Aristotle. In his treatise "On the Soul," he evokes the image of the "unwritten slate," referring to the state of man's pure potentiality before he is subjected to the experiences that shape him. The idea was developed by the Persian philosopher Ibn Tufail in the 12th century, prompting him to write his seminal novel Hayy ibn Yaqdhan, literally "Alive, Awakened Son". The book, a precursor to Western works like Robinson Crusoe, depicts a wild child — a blank slate — growing up far from organized society. What is being described is the innate decency of human nature despite the stamp of experience, good and bad, upon him. But John Locke is the most famous proponent of the "blank slate" as the natural state of the human mind. Locke argues that our experiences shape us, but we are not enslaved by our tendencies. This idea in particular conflicts with the more pessimistic belief of Thomas Hobbes, who believed that humans are born with a sense of self-preservation that takes precedence in the way we see the world. But in the end, the optimists among us—and fans of the final act of "A Tale of Two Cities"—will root for Locke, believing that it's the birthright of human beings to be the creators of their own souls.

Especially when confronted with a scrubbed manuscript, the creativity of the Stern family is particularly outstanding. When the opportunity arises again and again to define a new watch or propose a new movement, a new era is always created. Remember, just nine years after they took the helm of Patek Philippe, the Stern family created two of the most important complications of the 20th century: the 1518 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph and the 1526 Perpetual Calendar. Both watches were launched in 1941, when the world was in the throes of World War II. Together, they introduced us to the modern era of complicated wristwatches. But, in every way, these two watches are the fruit of a blank slate. The Stern brothers (Charles Stern and Jane Stern) essentially started from a blank slate, using only their imagination; their astonishing creativity defined the prevailing 20th century modern watch industry. Aesthetic and technical language. Nearly half a century later, in 1989, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the brand, Philippe Stern launched the record-breaking caliber 89 and defined a new era once again.

Likewise, in 2009, when Patek Philippe launched its first in-house hand-wound chronograph, the resulting movement would usher in a new era of Patek Philippe technical excellence. Under the supervision of Thierry Stern, the CH 29-535 caliber proves his horological ambitions and fuses them into the most innovative hand-wound chronograph movement ever .

But looking at the movement purely from a performance standpoint doesn't quite capture the genius of it, which resolves every fragility and ingenuity of the traditional chronograph's past with an elegance and ingenuity that can only be described poetically. susceptibility. For me, the CH 29-535 will become the emblem of Patek Philippe because, first of all, it only hints at the incredible thought and research that goes into it, and like the first sip of Romanée-Conti, you will only have It can only be understood through further and more meaningful exploration. The purpose of this story is to uncover the palimpsest of CH 29-535 and reveal to you these remarkable qualities. However, before delving into the alluring complications of this movement, the CH 27-70 deserves a more detailed exploration of its famous predecessor.

CH 27-70
Looking at the history of Patek Philippe's hand-wound chronographs prior to 2009, you might be surprised that only three movements have powered nearly a century of watchmaking icons. The first was the caliber 13-130 based on the Valjoux 13 caliber. The second is based on Victorin Piguet ébauche's caliber 13, notably in many of Patek Philippe's split-second chronographs, and even powered some of the early chronographs. Examples of ref. 130, including the ornate steel cased 130. 198073, featured in John Goldberger's iconic book Patek Philippe Steel Watches. By the way, the "13" in the names of the two movements refers to 13 lignes, which is equivalent to 29 mm and is also the diameter of the two movements.

The third chronograph movement we explored was the CH 27-70 movement based on the Lemania 2310. Though meticulously reworked by Patek Philippe, the CH 27-70 is still based on a movement introduced in 1942. The 2310 was designed by Albert-Gustave Piguet, Lemania's talented young technical director, and it was his first major achievement. Its significance is profound, because it is indeed the world's first modern high-performance chronograph movement. As proof, the Omega Caliber 321, based on the Lemania 2310, was the only movement to pass NASA's famously rigorous testing, making the Speedmaster the official watch of the Gemini and Apollo astronauts.

The 2310 is available in two versions: the CH 27-17P double counter version (seconds and chrono minutes) and the CH 27-12P triple counter version (seconds, chrono minutes and hour totalizers). To further complicate matters, the movement was available in a 17-jewel version (which formed the basis of the Omega 321), and a 21-jewel version with a gooseneck regulator called the Lemania 2320. The movement beats at a rate of 2.5 Hz or 18,000 vibrations per hour. Each Patek Philippe movement is based on an ébauche (kit of blank movements) selected by the Stern family, reinvented by Patek Philippe for its combination of reliability and aesthetic potential, with a dizzying array of embellishments of excellence.

What distinguishes the Patek Philippe CH 27-70 from the basic Lemania 2310 is its free-spring Gyromax balance wheel and many other signature Patek Philippe details, such as the stunning Y-shaped chronograph bridge. The CH 27-70 was also the first Lemania 2310-based movement to receive the Hallmark of Geneva, and as such has all the high-quality details required, including the polished cover for the movement's famous column wheel.

In the 1980s, with the resurgence of the quartz crisis, the Lemania 2310 became the performance canvas for the most respected watchmaking brands, eventually including Vacheron Constantin, Breguet and Roger Dubuis. ). But the first and foremost of these is Patek Philippe. Philippe Stern first used the CH 27-70 in 1985 to replace the 2499 Valjoux 13-130, creating the stunning 39.7 million perpetual calendar chronograph.

Due to the Lemania 2320’s 27mm diameter, Stern was actually able to make a smaller 36mm watch than the 2499’s 37.5mm diameter. In 1994, the CH 27-70 was used to create one of the most iconic perpetual calendar split-second chronographs – the holy grail of watch collecting – known as the Patek Philippe 5004. Four years later, in 1998, this chronograph movement also powered Patek Philippe. referee. 5070. This extraordinary timepiece is the largest mass-produced chronograph ever made by Patek Philippe, measuring 42 mm, and is based on the oversized pilot's chronograph on display at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. Finally, the CH 27-70 was used in the successor to the 3970, the larger 40mm 5970, designed by Thierry Stern and launched in 2004. BTW, for me the 5970 is the most beautiful perpetual calendar chronograph ever made.

As for why Philippe Stern decided to use the Lemania 2310 ébauche as the basis for a chronograph movement that has dominated Patek Philippe's 26-year history, I think we need to look at his choice in context. I think Philippe Stern was the most important figure in the revival of Swiss fine watchmaking after the quartz crisis. If Nicolas G. Hayek, founder of the Swatch Group, kept the industry alive and empowered the industry with the creation of cheap Swiss mechanical watches called the Swatch Stern reconnected the world with values. Haut de Gamme Horology. Key to his strategy was the rebirth of mechanical complications, resulting in the world's most complicated watch (beating out the Patek Philippe Grand Complication made for Henry Graves in 1933), Caliber 89, to celebrate Patek Philippe's 150 anniversary. If this stunning panjandrum is the culmination of his vision, the Reference 3970 will be his prelude and an important symbol of his belief in the renaissance of technical timepieces – the category of watchmaking created by his ancestors in 1941.

So it is likely that when he was in the industry looking for an engine for his perpetual calendar chronograph, he quickly realized his limitations. The quartz crisis of the 1970s all but destroyed the Swiss mechanical watchmaking industry. Movements were sold by weight, and the machines used to make them were ruthlessly discarded to make way for new technology when the panic was at its worst. So even if he wanted to use the Valjoux caliber 13 (which formed the basis of the caliber 13-130 that powered the 1518 and 2499), it would likely not be produced anymore. So he focused on Lemania 2310, which had somehow survived the widespread obsolescence and which he knew was very reliable, as evidenced by its relationship with NASA, and capable of turning into a A dazzling work of horological beauty. It must be said that the Patek Philippe 27-70 movement is, in my opinion, the most beautiful classic chronograph movement ever made, even when compared to similar movements from other brands, the finish and design of the components such as the chronograph comparable. The majesty of a bridge or coupling is unmatched.

Thierry Stern said: "The movement based on the Lemania is a very important movement for Patek Philippe. It is present in some of our most iconic watches, such as the one designed by my father. 3970 or ref. 5970, this is the first project I have overseen from start to finish. It is a movement that holds a very special place in my heart."

referee. 5070 Manual Winding Chronograph
With a diameter of 42 mm, the 5070 can be called a bold work in the world of horology. Indeed, because after an absence of nearly 40 years – the last Patek Philippe chronograph was the reference 1463, which was discontinued in the 60s – it marked the return of Patek Philippe as a major producer of gentlemen’s chronographs. , in this case, is a watch with very bold proportions. “The 5070 was inspired by a unique oversized 46mm pilot split-seconds chronograph on display at our Geneva museum,” says Thierry Stern. Novices to Patek Philippe are sometimes mistaken for the 5070, the superlative watch that dominated the first decade of the new millennium. Born in the age of big watches. But that's not true. The 5070 was introduced in 1998. Remember that the Panerai brand was launched by the Richemont Group at the Salon Internationale de la Haute Horlogerie in 1998, a few years before the trend towards larger watches took hold in dress watches. In order to launch the incredible 5070 in 1998, Philippe Stern had conceptualized and designed this extraordinary oversized watch many years earlier.

Compared to the reference 3970 or 5004, both 36mm in diameter, introduced in 1985 and 1994 respectively, the 5070 (which is a full 6mm larger) seems like a crazy, almost sexual departure. But in fact, oversized chronographs have always been Patek Philippe's tradition. For example, in 1937, a year after Patek Philippe launched the Reference 130 (the first series of gentlemen’s chronographs) with a diameter of 33 mm, it launched the Reference 530, which increased its size by 3.5 mm to 36.5 mm. To understand this, you have to remember that in the context of the 1930s, there was no such thing as a sports watch. In fact, to create a watch suitable for sporting use, such as the burgeoning fields of aviation or racing, you simply need to create a larger version of your existing watch to improve visibility in the cockpit when engine vibrations obscure vision. Perhaps the best example of this is the legendary Patek Philippe chronograph delivered to gentleman racing legend Count Carlo Felice Trossi in 1932, with a staggering 46 mm in diameter. Here is a wonderful picture, Trossi calculates his average speed when he bought the famous Ferdinand Porsche designed Mercedes SSK in 1933, a year before he received the equally legendary Patek Philippe Chronograph.