A few days ago, on October 13, 2014, Patek Philippe celebrated its 175th birthday. As expected, the Swiss luxury watchmaker created a stunning timepiece for this special occasion – the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175.
A work of art and a mechanical marvel, this fabulous watch comes in a fully hand-engraved rose gold case measuring 47.4 mm in diameter and brings together an astounding 20 complications, with no fewer than 1,366 pieces. The most remarkable of these mechanisms are the grande sonnerie (one of the most difficult complications in watchmaking, it automatically chimes the hours and quarters on three gongs), the minute repeater (which can be started by gently applying pressure to the winding crown’s pusher), the instantaneous perpetual calendar, and the perpetual date repeater (the first such function ever created).
Only seven of these horological masterpieces will be created. Priced at CHF 2.5 million (almost $2.7 million) each, six of these watches will be sold, while the seventh will be kept at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Switzerland.
[Perpetuelle]
