One of the most respectable watchmaking brands, Patek Philippe, has launched amazing new Ref. 5200 Gondolo timekeeper with the extended power storage that lasts for eight days. The watch features a power reserve indication, as well as date and day of the week display. It is fitted into a rectangular case made from solid gold and equipped with a new manufacture hand-wound caliber which incorporates components made from high-tech Silinvar material.
Patek Philippe Gondolo Ref. 5200 8 Days Blue Watch
The newcomer by Patek Philippe and its proprietary 28-20 REC 8J PS IRM C J movement are largely influenced by Ref. 5100 timekeeper with ten days of power storage which was launched 13 years ago. Unlike the predecessor, the new piece also includes displays for date and day of the week which explains its slightly shorter power reserve. Moreover, the calendar indications included are pretty special themselves, since they turn to the new appropriate position at midnight almost simultaneously. The maximal difference between the changes of the indications measures to just three milliseconds which is way faster even than the blink of an eye. Considering this trait, the watch’s power reserve looks even more impressive.
High-Tech Materials for Improved Performance
There are several solutions that contributed that the movement with twin in-line barrels has such a long reserve and one of the most significant is certainly its patented oscillator. This component is made with high-tech material parts; it includes patented components – a Spiromax balance spring and a Pulsomax escapement – which utilize the benefits of the new silicon-based Silinvar material. As a matter of fact, this is the first caliber by the watchmaker which beats at the frequency of 4 Hz and utilizes these patented parts. Thanks to these elements, the movement does not require any lubrication. Even so, the level of friction is practically nonexistent which is the trait that enables the conservation of energy. Not only that, Silnivar is very hard, antimagnetic, resistant to corrosion and extremely light. Additionally, the efficiency is even more enhanced with an extremely precise machining. The featured balance spring is likewise made from Silinvar which is yet another contribution to the accuracy of the movement. In order to display its innovations as much as it is possible, the case-back has a transparent section which reveals the escapement, the balance spring, the lever and the escape wheel.
Patek Philippe Gondolo Ref. 5200 8 Days Watch Caseback
Caliber 28-20 REC 8J PS IRM C J which is featured and made especially for this model consists of 235 components and integrates 28 jewels. It is rectangular in shape, with the length of 28 mm, the width of 29 mm and the height of 5.05 mm. In order to fully wind the movement, the wearer has to turn the crown no less than 134 times.
Furthermore, the movement has a large mainspring barrel plate, trompe l’oeil going train bridge and a substantial and rigid balance cock. Among the decorations featured in the piece are Cotes de Geneve stripes, gold-filled engravings, chamfered and polished edges, as well as longitudinally grained edges. In spite of its amazing intricacy, the proprietary caliber featured in new Ref.5200 Gondolo timepiece is thick exactly as its predecessor which was featured on the Gondolo timepiece with a 10 day power reserve.
Art Deco Styling
After the technical specifications of the watch, let us examine its visual characteristics. The newcomer by Patek Philippe is made with a curved rectangular case, created in the best tradition of the art deco movement. It is crafted from white gold and has two-tiered flanks. Amazingly, the case is made from solid gold bars which are treated with the cold-forming technology. Once the case is finally shaped in the desired form after the process which includes numerous steps, it is mirror-polished by the specialized artisans. Speaking about the dimensions of the housing, we could say that it has rather modest size since it is 35.2 mm thick, 32.4 mm wide and 11.65 mm thick. The back of the case is screwed and designed ergonomically, while the front side includes a convex sapphire crystal. Featured water resistance of the model measures to 30 meters below the surface.
Patek Philippe Gondolo Ref. 5200 8 Days Silver Watch
Beneath the sapphire curved glass of the new Gondolo watch by Patek Philippe lays a dial which is available in a silvery white or blue sunburst color. As it has been said, the features a power reserve indication which has a red section that reminds the wearer that it is time to wind the timekeeper. Apart from this indication on the top, the face of the watch likewise has calendar indications on its lower half. They include a scale with 31 days, as well as an aperture used to signify the current day of the week. A small seconds dial is integrated with the scale that is used to show the date. Moreover, the dial has faceted hour markers made from white gold which are mirror-polished in the darker variation and blackened in the lighter one. The hour and minute hands are in dauphine style and with the same finishes as the markers, while the rest of pointers feature either a white lacquered or a blackened finish.
Patek Philippe Gondolo Ref. 5200 8 Days Watch Side
For the attachment, legendary watchmaker chose a hand-stitched alligator strap with large scales which is available in a shiny blue or a matt black color and which fastens with a prong buckle made from 18 K white gold.
