For many, the Patek Philippe 5016 is the ultimate “grail watch.” A sophisticated grand complication, this watch has all of the impressive complications while also being relatively low profile and elegant in its appearance. At the time of production between 1993 and 2011, this minute repeating, retrograde perpetual calendar, tourbillon was the most complicated watch in Patek Philippe’s illustrious history and could only be acquired through an application process.
The design of the 5016 perfectly bridges the gap between the vintage references seen throughout the brand’s almost two century history and todays more innovative creations. The dial beautifully displays a plethora of information including the day, date, month, year, moon phase and leap year.
We currently have a platinum Patek Philippe Minute Repeating Tourbillon 5016 available here.
Key features:
- Retrograde Perpetual Calendar - A retrograde calendar displays each day on a linear path, in this case nearly 3/4 of a circle, and then the date hand jumps backwards to “1.” A “perpetual calendar” accounts for changes in the dates on leap years so that it will remain accurate in perpetuity.
- Tourbillon - The tourbillon complication is a watch escapement that was created for carriage clocks to negate the effects of gravity on movements that sit stationary.
- Minute repeater - Patek Philippe is considered by many to be the king of minute repeaters. Few repeaters create a sound quite like a Patek Philippe minute repeater. On this 5016, the repeater trigger slides up the left side of the watch. Once struck, the chimes in side the watch will sing off each hour, quarter hour and minute of the currently displayed time.
