Patek Philippe’s desk clock rewrites the rules of time
It was pronounced as the biggest release of Watches & Wonders 2025 by watch aficionados, something quite inconceivable perhaps in today’s era of digital minimalism and short attention spans. This year, Patek Philippe moved in a different trajectory by taking a pause and looking back. The result is the creation of a mechanical object that would be described as quaint, were it not for the impressive price tag it comes with.
The value, while seemingly staggering, is reflective of the complexity of the creation. At this year’s watch fair, Patek Philippe revealed the Complicated Desk Clock reference 27000M-001. More than just a clock, the Reference 27000M-001 is a mechanical marvel disguised as an objet d’art — a hand-wound, perpetual calendar desk clock with a 31-day power reserve, a precision rate of ±1 second per day and a green Grand Feu enamel cabinet worthy of being placed in a museum.
The watch was created during the golden age of American industrial wealth and mechanical ingenuity / Photos: Patek Philippe
To understand the significance of the creation, one must journey back to the 1920s. This was the golden age of American industrial wealth and mechanical ingenuity, when men like James Ward Packard and Henry Graves Jr weren’t just collectors but were patrons of horological progress. They commissioned Patek Philippe to build custom pieces that pushed the boundaries of what timekeeping could be. For Packard, the watchmaker created a desk clock in 1923 that featured an eight-day power reserve, a perpetual calendar, and a silver case ornamented with yellow gold and winged bronze lions. For Graves, another clock came in 1927 with revised functions and bespoke finishing.
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Both are now housed in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. Both represent a moment when clocks were not just about serving a function but also about making a statement. And it is precisely this intent that the Reference 27000M-001 seeks to encapsulate.
The desk clock is manually wound, comprises 912 parts and is the result of seven years of engineering
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The most impressive feature of the new desk clock lies at its heart — the entirely new calibre 86-135 PEND S IRM Q SE. It is manually wound, comprises 912 parts and is the result of seven years of engineering.
The movement is governed by a trio of going barrels connected in series, delivering an astonishing 31-day power reserve. But endurance alone isn’t enough for Patek Philippe. This calibre maintains a razor-sharp precision rate of ±1 second per 24 hours, a feat enabled by a constant-force mechanism at its core. The balance amplitude remains unwavering from Day 1 to Day 31.
The movement features nine patented innovations — from a stop-seconds mechanism that enables precise time-setting to energy-efficient systems that reduce wear on the perpetual calendar components. These innovations aim to strengthen long-term reliability, reduce the energy consumption of the perpetual calendar, enhance ease of use and secure the functions against inadvertent mishandling.
The new desk clock is powered by the entirely new calibre 86-135 PENDS IRM Q SE
The Reference 27000M-001 features a perpetual calendar with day, date, month, leap year, moon phase, and even a weekly calendar displayed in a rotating aperture around the periphery of the dial. A jumping seconds hand marks each passing second with crisp precision, recalling the regulators of yesteryear. Hours and minutes are relegated — elegantly — to an off-centre subdial at 12 o’clock, while a discreet power reserve indicator glides through the centre.
However, despite these technical feats, the designers of the new Reference 27000M-001 innovated on the 1923 design by incorporating a genuine mechanical dashboard in American walnut wood veneer, housed beneath a hinged bonnet that opens from the right. This modern control console system ensures that the clock is indeed user-friendly, in compliance with Patek Philippe’s philosophy. The dashboard features winding ports, setting squares, and an aperture for halting the seconds to set the time with scientific accuracy.
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Below the dial, the designers incorporate five push-piece correctors, adorned with a letter or a symbol. These pushers simplify the process, allowing the user to adjust the perpetual calendar indications by simply pressing with a finger, from left to right: the week, the day, the moon phase, the month and the date.
For the exterior, the inspiration came from the lavish ornaments of the historic “Packard” model from 1923, but re-interpreted in a style suitable for the present. Crafted in 925 silver, the cabinet is adorned with green Grand Feu flinqué enamel over a swirling guilloché base. These panels, which are counter-enamelled to maintain structural integrity during firing. The process requires a level of skill only a handful of artisans possess.
The designers of the new Reference 27000M-001 innovated on the 1923 design by incorporating a genuine mechanical dashboard in American walnut wood veneer
The decorative details are reminiscent of the historic Packard piece: three vermeil rosettes are located in the corners, while at 12 o’clock, acanthus scrollwork surrounds a Calatrava cross, and four winged lions that serve as feet.
Patek Philippe succeeded in teasing collectors by donating a unique preview version, the Reference 27001M-001, for sale at the charitable auction Only Watch 2021, which fetched a whopping CHF9.5 million ($15.3 million). That version featured American walnut panels and a slightly different execution, but the message was clear: the market understands the magnitude of this creation.
The amount raised was an indication of the impressive price tag that accompanies the desk clock. The excitement surrounding the Reference 27000M-001 when it was unveiled itself proof that it is a testament of the philosophy that Patek Philippe subscribes to, that things should be built to last. It is a reminder of what the watchmaker stands for: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”
The cabinet is adorned with green Grand Feu flinqué enamel over a swirling guilloché base
