It has been a while since I posted something from Patek. The reason being that there is a lot of rumors regarding the dismisal of hand finishes in all movements except for the very BIG pieces, the blatant manipulation of auctions and an alleged overlooked poor/irregular finish amongst the same watches further down the line. Well, all these things remain to be proven and until then they are just rumors. What is proof is that Patek know their trade and while the rather steep crisis hit most head-on in the luxury business they have managed to remain on top. Could this be the reason for these latest attacks? Maybe, but leaving all these battles aside I would like to remind everybody that Patek is still the "Ambassador" of the Swiss watch industry to the world. So a bit of caution is advised. Anyway, should any of these rumors be true, nobody will be able to shut me up...Well, on to the latest addition to their collection, and it is quite an unusual one. Who would have though, a regulator?!? Quite a surprise if you ask me and surely few saw this one coming. This "baby" comes with the latest Gyro and SpiroMaxes not forgetting that it is fitted with their window display annual calendar. The movement has a similar look to the 240 but slightly more attractive. Can't really critisize that at a list price of 36,150€, mostly when considering the garbage offered out there by others, this piece a real steal. Regardless, I have mixed feelings about this watch.
At a first glance, I am somewhat confused with the overall design. Is it just me or does this look like anything else, but NOT a Patek? The angular watch case, slim straight hands, clean aseptic dial... Don't know about you but to me this is closer to NOMOS than to a Patek. On top of that, what is the point of adding the annual calendar when it almost disappears in the dial? Not a good idea is the relatively simple and uneventful dial. So simple that, I really hate to say this but, as I am writhing this right now you can bet your but that there is a counterfeit mogul somewhere in China nailing this sucker on the fly! By the time the first 5235G is delivered there will we about 20,000 cheap copies for sale at your local and favourite counterfeit dealer. Lovely.
In any case, it is an interesting piece of kit if you overlook the somewhat lacking Patek DNA. The proportions are modern at 41mm and with slightly over 10mm in thinness you can bet it is comfortable enough under any shirt. I would have liked to see some more "spunk" in this piece, but taste is personal. No matter, if you like this dial design you should be aware that this should be a difficult piece to source the next few months. Good luck.
NOMOS! Exactly!
ReplyDeleteHi V.
ReplyDeleteNot that it is a bad thing... I actually like NOMOS, fantastic value for money.
Un fortunately for this Patek I just get that feeling that they could have gone further and did not... it almost feels unfinished. Too bad, would have loved a Patek regulator with the look of the 5124 or a 5208. Now, that would have been in quite a piece!