Introducing – Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738/50P-001 – Celebrating 50 Years Of Golden Style
Patek Philippe unveiled several extremely impressive – and complicated – timepieces this year at Baselworld. The 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with a head-turning salmon dial was a personal favourite, as was the unexpected, but not unwelcome, Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740G. Surprisingly though, it was one of the brand’s non-complicated models that really caught my eye. Artistic yet elegant and flawlessly executed, it celebrates a significant milestone of one of the Geneva-based Manufacture’s more understated collections. Introducing the Patek Philippe 5738/50P-001, commemorating 50 years of the Ellipse d’Or (or Golden Ellipse, in English).
Baselworld is over for another year and while we take a deep breath to compose ourselves and remind our respective families we still exist, it’s time to mentally unpack our time in Basel and compose the chaos into a list. Not just any list, but a Baselworld Top 10 List. Here we go. Hublot Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski All Black This updated Aerofusion ‘Orlinski’ — named for the French sculptor Richard Orlinski, who collaborated on the design — is all about the angles; the muted tones of the micro-blasted black ceramic catches all the light. With a self-winding skeleton chronograph movement and limited to 200 pieces, this model will quickly become a collectable. Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Root Beer” The early hype at the fair was the release of the first stainless steel GMT-Master II since the ‘Batman’ in 2014. While everyone was in a frenzy to get a glimpse of the ‘Pepsi’ on jubilee bracelet, Rolex had another GMT flying a little lower under the radar. The soft tones of the Everose gold is soft enough in colour to play off the stainless steel, and with the ceramic ‘root beer’ bezel, this one is a winner. Longines Legend Diver Black Just when…
Bulgari blew us away last year with their Octo Finissimo Automatic – that mind-boggling thinness; the incredible lightness of being at one with its titanium case and bracelet, feeling it drape around the wrist. For Baselworld 2018, it’s back – this time in full gold. And if you think “solid gold bracelet watch” means 1980s-style bling, think again. Vital statistics In all respects, except the case and bracelet material, the new model is the same watch as before – equipped with that super-skinny (briefly record-breaking) manufacture self-winding calibre BVL 138. At only 2.23mm thick with a single barrel, it packs in a power reserve of 60 hours. The 5.15mm thick, pink gold case has a matching crown with a ceramic inlay and it’s water-resistant to 30m. The dial has a gold finish that exactly matches the case material, with printed black numerals and faceted black hands. On the wrist Having briefly worn the first, titanium version last year and marvelled at its almost unworldly lightness on the wrist, the relatively hefty weight of the gold feels almost strange for such a super-slim watch. But after that momentary surprise, it feels very good indeed. The bracelet has the same fluid-as-a-ribbon feel…
One of the more entertaining games to play at Baselworld 2018 is: “Who is Brand X after with this watch?” In some cases the answer can be as clear as mud, but in the case of the new Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph it’s a bit of a no-brainer. Bright orange accents on its dial, and sold with both black and bright orange straps, this is the new king-casual Patek for a new generation. With the steel Nautilus in brutally short supply these days, this new Aquanaut is expected to be the new entry point into the Patek Philippe universe. Having taken a closer look at the new reference 5968A, we don’t doubt it’ll hook its fair share of new Patek fans. Vital statistics Transferred over from the Nautilus chronograph, the automatic flyback chronograph Caliber CH 28-520 C powers the new Aquanaut, featuring central chronograph seconds and a large 60-minute chronograph counter at 6 o’clock. Unlike current versions of the Nautilus Chronograph, the Aquanaut’s subdial does not include the 12-h totaliser within said subdial, giving the dial a slightly cleaner look. The case size is also increased on this latest Aquanaut, coming in at 42mm in diameter. This is now the largest Aquanaut on…
Since the launch of the Defy 21 last year, and the shockingly innovative Defy Lab later in 2017, it wasn’t a matter of speculation that more releases for the new collection were coming to Baselworld in 2018. The new Zero G is this year’s Halo watch from the brand as we wait for the groundbreaking new escapement to trickle down to series production. Though this is a new execution, the Zero G’s clever gyroscopic escapement — said to have been based on the concept of the gimbals used in old marine chronometers — is nothing new. Oddly enough, the first execution of the Zero-G was also a Defy, known as the Defy Xtreme Zero-G Tourbillon. Since that massive half-million dollar beast’s launch, Zenith have further refined the mechanism, scaling it down to a more modest size that no longer requires a large dome in the crystal to accommodate its freewheeling functionality. Vital statistics Regardless of how new the innovation is, there’s much to love about the new Zero G. At its heart, a high-beat El Primero caliber delivers a 50-hour power reserve to its indication of time and running seconds, with a subtle power reserve display to the right of…
There was a lot of mystery surrounding this piece when it was pulled out of a large green box during our appointment with Rolex at Baselworld. And, to be honest, we were too caught up in the moment, too dazzled by the gemstones, to take it all in at the time. It’s formally known as the Submariner Date ref. 116659 SABR, a variant on the white gold, blue-dialled ‘Smurf’ (ref. 116659 LB), but while at first glance it might look like the stones are the only addition, the dial is completely different. Not only is it darker, and has a sunray effect, but there’s a notable omission. Look closer. Have you spotted it yet? That’s right, there’s no depth rating. On a typical sub, there’s a line underneath the ‘Submariner’ text that says the watch is good to ‘1000ft = 300m’; not so here. And there’s also no specific mention of depth rating on the press release, though it does specify an Oyster case and Triplock crown. But it bears the Submariner name, so you’d expect it to be 300m, though it’s not made explicit, perhaps something to do with all those diamonds. Speaking of stones, the bezel is set, in Rolex’s…