Patek Philippe 5170J

To anyone even remotely au fait with watches, this might seem a surprise – surely Patek, that ultimate manufacture, must have had so basic an item in their catalogue? That the answer is no needs a little historical perspective to understand: until quite recently chronographs, with their column-wheels and reset hammers, were considered such a speciality that no right-minded watch company would even consider trying to compete with the expertise developed by specialists such as Valjoux and Lemania. And, until 2006, Patek chronographs were based on modified Lemania movements – which, by the way, are still much sought after by collectors.

Relying on suppliers for what was seen as less a speciality and more a staple of the catalogue was never going to fit Patek’s long-term plans though, and rumours of a new chronograph were circulating widely prior to the 2006 launch (the previous year saw a new haute-horlogerie split-seconds, not intended to be a series production movement). The surprise was that the new movement was not a simple chronograph, but an annual calendar chronograph.

It was not until 2009 that Patek Philippe launched a simple chronograph-only movement for series production, and even then it was premiered in a ladies’ watch. Only at Baselworld this spring did Patek finally release what is, saving the Calatrava, the ultimate Patek purist’s watch. So while more contemporary versions will doubtless appear in time, it is probably a good thing that the 5170 comes in such traditionalist form, lest the frustration of Patek collectors lead to demonstrations at Plan-les-Ouates. Word of warning: long-awaited new watches from Patek attract demand way in excess of availability, so start making friends with your local Patek Philippe agent now. 

James Gurney is editor of QP. For tickets to the Salon QP watch show, visit salonqp.com. For 20% off, enter SUM1716