At this point I would be repeating myself for saying openly that I am not the biggest Patek Philippe fan and nothing has changed really. That is not to say that there aren’t watches I do like from them like the 5711, 5970 and 5001 that I think are masterful works of the finest art, but on a broader spectrum, I’m just not there yet as being completely crazy about them.
Even most recently they introduced a limited-edition Nautilus to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the collection, and of course they won’t have any issues selling every last one of them, but considering what you get for what you pay, all you should really say is no way. Without getting to deep in details, the only words that truly come to mind when thinking about those anniversary nauts, are lazy and overpriced.
However, no brand is ever immune to experiencing a blunder at some point or another, and Patek Philippe is of no difference. But when you take a step away from thinking about some of the faults in their decisions, you are also reminded of what they also are on the other side, and that’s being one of the world’s most well-known purveyors of fine wrist watches.
A prime example of this sublime skill in watch making is in my opinion the 5170G especially in this exact configuration of the flat black dial inside a gold case with Breguet numerals. From a distance, its proportions are simple and elegant without wanting to stand out at all with its sensible height at approximately 11mm tall while the width remains more classic at around 39mm.
Like most manually wound chronographs of this caliber, the 5170G is fitted with a superbly finished Patek manufactured movement known as the caliber CH 29-535. A superbly hand finished manually wound column wheel chronograph movement that will openly expose more working parts with the absence of a rotor from an automatic movement. Under the loupe, one can always expect an exceptional level of detail in the hand finishing which is still all performed by hand in the house of Patek Philippe.
On the wrist, this watch is just pure unrestrained wild watchmaking that is not visible in plain sight if one were to only focus on the dial. The front side of a watch is that of a polished elegance that does not seek to make a statement, but does only to the most discerning of eyes. The back however, is a wild combination of art, mechanics and sheer will to respectfully craft a beautiful motor that is a work of art in itself.
Overall, the 5170G is probably my most favorite Patek Philippe in their entire collection, and would highly recommend this to anyone who can afford it. The Patek Philippe 5170g manual wind chronograph priced at $81,000.00 and can be obtained from several online watch vernords.
