Patek Philippe Unveils Four New Rare Minute Repeaters

Four minute repeaters by one of the trailblazers in Haute Horlogerie.

On June 16th, the annual Rare Handcrafts 2021 Exhibition got underway on 41 Rue du Rhône in Geneva, where Patek Philippe has occupied two floors since 1853. It's where the manufacture has been known to unveil pieces designed to showcase the mastery of the artists who work there.

The models are watchmaking masterpieces which exhibit rare handcrafts: various different enameling techniques, miniature enamel painting, decoration by setting the watches with precious stones, wood micro-marquetry and manual engraving. This year's exhibition with more than 70 exhibits offered a platform to present six new models, including four new minute repeaters all in one day. 

Different versions of all of the models have been seen before, but that hardly makes them any less valuable for collectors. In February this year, the company announced it would be discontinuing the production of a number of its bestselling models. One of the watches on this list was the Complications Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002G-010, a watch in a entirely hand-engraved white-gold case with a black enamel dial.

Its removal from the line made room for the novelty that shown in Geneva in June. Now there are 12 complications spread across the two dials of the Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon. Yet the Ref. 6002G-010 wasn't the first in this series either. A version of the model with a blue dial was released until 2016 (Ref. 6002G-001), which itself was the descendant of the Ref. 5002 from 2001 — the manufacture's second most complicated watch.

The new 6002R-001 has been given a brown dial paired with rose-gold (this metal is also used for the cufflinks in the shape of the Calatrava Cross). Two enameling techniques have been combined again to create the dial: Grand Feu champlevé and cloisonné. The manually wound Caliber R TO 27 QR SID LU CL is enclosed in a case which is 44 mm in diameter — not that big at all for a movement which powers 12 functions all at once.

The perpetual calendar with a retrograde date hand, the moon-phase display and leap-year indication are positioned on the front side of the dial. The reverse side is reserved for the astronomical complications: a sky chart with a display of the night sky as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, where the orbit and phase of the Moon are also displayed.

A new version of the Ref. 5304/301R-001 Minute Repeater has also appeared. Unlike the Ref. 6002R-001, the dial of this rose-gold model is dominated by the movement on the skeletonized dial, which appeared in a frame of 80 baguette-cut diamonds this year, weighing a total of 6.22 karats. This model's story can be traced back to the platinum 2006 Ref. 5104 model, which was followed by a rose-gold model in 2014 with white-gold inserts.

Once you've gotten over the initial awe when you see how many exposed parts the watch has, you can then appreciate that the watch is quite practical in its 43 mm case. The current month, date, and weekday shown on the transparent disks are framed in special apertures. Patek Philippe has produced the Ref. 5374G-001 for those with an appreciation for complicated watches but who prefer a more low-key design.

This is a new version of the Ref. 5374 model which debuted in a platinum case with a black enamel dial in 2016. The perpetual calendar display is now set against a blue enamel backdrop. The minute repeater with “cathedral” gongs is part of the automatic Caliber R 27 Q movement. This watch has an even smaller case than the first two minute repeaters which were just 42 mm in diameter and a modest 12.2 mm in height. The list of novelties includes the new Ref. 7040/250G-001 watch for her.

They continue the line which began with the "Ladies First" Ref. 7040/250G-001 — the manufacture's first model to feature a musical complication designed to be worn on a lady's wrist.  Unlike the modest dial which appeared on model in 2011 made until 2017, the new watch's blue enamel dial is decorated with the swirling pattern of flinqué guilloché that can be seen on, similar to the Ref. 992/137G-001 “Siamese Fighting Fish” pocket watches from 2019. The bezel of the 36-millimeter watch is set with 168 diamonds. The watch is powered by the self-winding R 27 PS movement.