Patek Philippe’s showcase of novelties at this year’s Watches and Wonders in Geneva emphasised the brand’s enduring strengths, with 15 creations that deliver on innovation and technical mastery. From a desk clock with a month-long power reserve, to a blinged-out Nautilus featuring over a thousand diamonds, each of the novelties extends every segment of the brand’s collection in new, exciting ways.
It may have been over two months since these were first unveiled, but they’re certainly still locked in our minds’ eyes. Here, we zoom in on five particularly stunning pieces: the desk clock (reference 27000M-001), Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date (reference 6159G-001), Nautilus Haute Joaillerie (reference 58111460G-001), Quadruple Complication (reference 5308G-001), and Calatrava 8 Day (reference 5328G-001).
Calatrava 8 Day
As its name suggests, the Calatrava 8 Day’s standout feature is its power reserve of — you guessed it — eight days, marked by an indicator at 12 o’clock with a ninth day in red. The enormous power reserve comes by way of two barrels connected in series in the manually wound calibre 31-505 8J PS IRM CI J.
The subtle contrast of the red “extra” ninth day, also seen on the “1” of the date subdial at 6 o’clock, against the textured blue dial with black-gradient rim gives this watch a ruggedness; the otherwise clean and bare aesthetic keeps things classy and refined.
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The Calatrava 8 Day is housed in a white gold case, with a hobnail guilloché motif along the caseband. The watch is delivered with a navy blue calfskin strap with a fabric pattern, as well as a second strap in grained taupe calfskin; both have a triple-blade foldover clasp.
Desk clock
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Inspired by a similar model delivered to American industrialist James Ward Packard in the 1920s, this desk clock with a perpetual calendar and weekly calendar features a new movement, the calibre 86-135 PEND S IRM Q SE. This manually wound movement with 912 components has an accuracy of ±1 second per day, and boasts a power reserve of 31 days.
On the outside, the desk clock has a silvery opaline dial with black transfer-printed indications. At the very centre is the power reserve indicator, flanked on either side by the day and month apertures.
The blackened white gold pear-shaped hour and minute hands are placed on a subdial at 12 o’clock; another subdial at 6 o’clock shows the date and moonphase, with apertures for the leap year cycle and day-night indicator at 4 o’clock and 7 o’clock, respectively.
The desk clock is housed in a sterling silver cabinet with vermeil decorative elements and green Grand Feu flinqué enamel panels guilloched with a swirling pattern. The front opens up to reveal the buttons and keys for winding, as well as the correctors on the bottom.
Quadruple Complication
We last discussed the Quadruple Complication after it was first unveiled at Watches and Wonders, but we figured it merits a second look. After all, it’s quite the technical marvel.
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This cool-toned iteration of the original Quadruple Complication — a salmon-dialled version introduced at the Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Tokyo — combines a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph and an instantaneous perpetual calendar with aperture displays.
All housed in a 42mm white gold case, the watch is powered by the calibre R CHR 27 PS QI, which contains 799 components. Nearly a third of these are focused on the instantaneous perpetual calendar, which allows the day, date, month and leap-year indicators to jump in just 30 milliseconds. The self-winding movement runs at a frequency of 3 Hertz, with a power reserve of up to 48 hours.
On the outside, the Quadruple Complication has a sunburst ice-blue dial and navy alligator leather strap. Two interchangeable casebacks are delivered with the watch: one in white gold, matching the rest of the case, and the other in clear sapphire.
Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date
Taking its style cue from the triple grand complication reference 5316/50P-001, this new Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date features the same grey metallised sapphire dial with a black gradient rim, offering a view into the watch’s inner workings.
Surrounding this is a bezel with a hobnail guilloché motif, which adds texture and character without losing the watch’s inherent sleekness. Completing the look of the watch are faceted baton-style hour markers and dauphine hands, all in white gold; the perpetual calendar indications are highlighted with a grey electroplated outline.
The Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date runs on the calibre 26-330 S QR, a self-winding movement that can also be viewed from the sapphire caseback. The 39.5mm watch in a white gold case has a thickness of just under 11.5mm, making it a comfortable wear across many wrist sizes.
Nautilus Haute Joaillerie
This updated version of the Nautilus features rows upon rows of white diamonds to emphasise the watch’s iconic design. Unlike the last fully diamond-set version from 2017, this one eschews a date window for a cleaner look; it also is a touch larger than its predecessor, with a 41mm case instead of 40mm.
Framing the rounded octagonal bezel of the new Nautilus Haute Joaillerie are 32 baguette diamonds totalling 4.84 carats. The rest of the case, meanwhile, has 100 brilliant-cut diamonds. On the dial are nearly 300 more brilliants, laid out in neat rows. And of course, the bracelet is entirely diamond-set, with 150 baguette-cut diamonds and — for those who believe in the power of numbers — 888 brilliants.
In total, the watch comes with a whopping 1,480 diamonds, with a total weight of 19.7 carats. Inside, the Nautilus Haute Joaillerie is powered by the self-winding calibre 26-330 S, which runs at a frequency of 4 Hertz and has a power reserve of 45 hours.
