The Patek 5930G – A Clever 21st Century Watch
Watch & Bullion
10 November 2016 | 3 min read
Modern day expectations for wristwatches are higher than ever. Us watch enthusiasts want to do nothing more than drop our hard earned money at the door of Swiss watchmakers, but it is the duty of the brands to give us the arguments which help justifying our purchases. This puts brands into the position of having to create timepieces for what they think us consumers would want, a mirror one could say.
No brand is better to analyze for that sake than Patek Phillippe, a brand which just approved its line-up for the 2028 collection. Such careful preparation grants an intimate insight into the mind of the brand who seem to have a set vision which sets trends, rather than having to react to what’s popular (PVD watches I am looking at you).
What does then the latest flagship model from the genevan giant tell us about the brand. Introducing; the Patek 5930G – the centerpiece of Patek’s booth at the 2016 Baselworld.
Patek still knows how to make a really good watch
The Patek 5930G stands without a doubt at the forefront of not just Patek itself but the industry as a whole, not that we can claim to be particularly surprised by that. What was done here for this watch was an elegant fusion of pre-existing movements. The combination of the calibers found in the 5990 and the 5130 created a new caliber lovingly referred to as the CH 28-520 HU (I hope they will start using better names). While i already heard complaints about the modular nature of this movement one has to note that Patek really made an effort to fuse the two seamlessly. We can see that the old dog still has some tricks up its sleeve, dazzling us with superb watchmaking.
Patek is adapting to the market
While the 5930G is based on classics, it takes the form of a rather modern design for the usually more conservative genevans. Thierry Stern touched upon this in an interview with The Jewellery Editor stating that he targeted this watch to be people aged 20 and above. This is a surprisingly young customer base for the Swiss heavy-weight, laying proof to the recent move to appeal to the increasingly young and wealthy customers catching note of the classics of watchmaking.
A Patek will always be a Patek
Now as much as I said above that this is a very modern watch for the standards of Patek, it remains unmistakably a Patek. At 39.5 mm diameter and 12 mm thickness this is the worlds thinnest Fly-Back chronograph with a world timer function. The movement is finished to the standard we expect from a Patek, yet where the brand shines brightest for me personally, is the dial. It is made out of three levels that grant an incredible depth given the watch’s thickness. The rich blue tone of the hand-guilloche dial and the sharp white numerals provide great contrast and legibility. The Patek 5930G sits comfortably as one the world best watches, and leaves not a single doubt about Patek’s skills.
To conclude the Patek 5930G is a watch you will find hard not to love. It pushes the brands comfort zone just enough to be original and intriguing, yet stays true to its roots. Patek has proven again to us why they are the best at grand complications!