Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the new releases between watches and wonders. A good example is the wonderful flow of Patek Philippe. The brand announced this week a total of 15 new references worthy of our attention. But where do you start? First thing that made it very clear to me. Forget everything called Cubitus or Calatrava. The 5370R split second chronograph in rose gold is the absolute highlight of this year’s Patek Philippe. A good view was enough to stop my world from changing for a minute. The tachymeter scale of the brown Grand Feuillenamel dial with subdials and beige champion enamel is breathtaking. Find out what the story behind the gorgeous face is.
On the last day of 2023, I wrote an article about the rise in popularity of brown dials. Perhaps it would be better to call it a heartfelt plea of ​​something that never actually happened. As it turns out, I recited my wish about 16 months earlier. This year at Watches and Wonders we saw a series of watches that stood out with a brown dial. Some examples are the vibrant A. Lange & Söhne Odysseys Honeygold, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona from the full 18k Eversose Gold with a brown dial, and the Grand Seiko Tokyo Lion SLGC009. This year it’s just too much to call brown the dominant colour, but there are more dials for that colour than usual.
Patek Philippe and Brown Dial for 2025
The brand that surprised us with some brown dial releases is Patek Philippe. I saw the new 40mm rose gold cubitos with a brown dial, the 4946R annual calendar with a chestnut “Chanton” completed dial, and the amazing rose gold 5370R split second chronograph that I rave about in this article. The watch shows a classy appeal and great variations. This is possible in different shades of brown.
But let’s focus on the chronograph at 5370R split seconds. We have seen 5370 different executions in the past, but never in Rose Gold. The first version in Platinum debuted in 2015. Five years later, the brand follows its release and instead houses a blue enamel dial. Both were great releases, but are no longer part of the brand’s collection. Now, five years after that second model, we get the first rose gold version that completely converts the 5370. The warmth is that the combination of material and color awakening is essentially different from the models we saw previously.
Details of Rose Gold 5370R
Let’s start with a few basics to find out what this vintage-inspired split-second chronograph is. The new 5370 has a wonderfully engraved 41mm rose gold case with a thickness of 13.56mm. The wonderfully elegant lines show clear inspiration from Patek’s Classic Ref case. 1436. That second second chronograph, published in 1938, featured a case with a similarly styled lug with a cabocheon, a rectangular pusher and an integrated pusher, energizing the second second mechanism.
The new case is much more refined details than its inspiration. I adore the sides of the case, their brushed hollow grooves hold the pusher and crown on the right side, with no obstruction on the left side. This additional styling element adds the option to find more visual details through a wonderful combination of brushes and polished surfaces. As you can see, the watch’s face features a vibrant finish with a polished rug and polished bezel. It offers a stunning dial-glow frame.
Beautiful enamel dial from 5370R
Of course, we can explain the details of this fantastic dial. But, as is often true, explaining the details is the rationalization of the emotions you get when you see this beautiful dial. I also understand that not everyone shares this feeling. But it’s not often that I was impressed with the dial. It certainly isn’t just about colour. But, let’s start from there. The 18k gold baseplate is hand-converted to a brown groundfewe enamel dial with beige champvee enamel subdials and tathimeter scale. The latter is a technique in which the outer ring and two subdials are carved from the base plate and filled with vitreous enamel. Various enamel parts are polished to create beautifully created and wonderfully finished dials.
But it explains the techniques used to create this dial and give it its fantastic color. The design itself is also attractive. First, the dial is combined with the classic rose gold Breguet digits. Certainly, they are generally not my favorite number style on a chronograph like this. However, the overall creation of this dial brings character and style. So it works very well. However, you will also need to check the font type you have selected for the Tachimeter Scale and Subdials. I love the numbers on the Tachimeter! Open 9 in particular is great. Another highlight for me is two connected beige scales. The outer railway tracks are not minutes or seconds elapsed. Rather, it is for the tachymeter scale, and the marks it is surrounded by displaying hours and minutes. I love that the scale is visually stepped in stages to serve their purpose.
Great results
The result was a surprising detailed dial signed off, simply stating “Patek Philippe”, “Geneve”, and “Email” (the French word “enamel”). There is no unnecessary additional information to clutter your design. The dial toppings are a stunning set of rose gold hand. Central Hour and Minute Hands have rooms matching the cream element on the dial. Secondly, the hands of the two central Rattrapante chronographs are slim and sharp. Finally, the two dagger-style hands used for the subdials can be neatly matched with the central hour and minute hands and create beautiful hands.
In-house caliber Chr 29-535 ps
Looking back at the clock, you will be greeted by an internal caliber CHR 29-535 PS. This is the Rattrapante version of the 29-535 movement that debuted in 2009 as the first manual find chronograph caliber fully created by Patek Philippe. This Rattrapante version consists of 312 parts. It operates at 28,800VPH, has 34 gems and offers a 65-hour power reserve.
This movement features a classic architecture with dual column rings and horizontal clutches. Additionally, the Patek Philippe adjusts the caliber with an accuracy of -3/+2 seconds per day. Of course, all individual parts exhibit meticulous hand washing and feature a combination of polished, brushes, particles and oblique surfaces.
Will this Patek Philippe 5370R be my new Holy Grail watch?
The square scale shiny chestnut brown crocodile leather straps give it a stylish look. It is equipped with a patented triple blade folding clasp that boasts the brand’s logo. This strap is perfect to complement the warm, classic style of your watch. However, I have to say I would like to try out a variety of light nubuck and suede options along the colors used for the dial. Alas, it’s never going to happen considering the price of this new Patek Philippe 5370R is a whopping $288,700 USD.
It’s just money Happy few can spend on the watch. But that doesn’t prevent me from admiring the watch from financial distance. I’m very impressed with this new 5370R, so A. I wonder if it could be replaced by the lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold “Homage to the Fa Lange.” From looking at the images I say that it can. However, I was lucky enough to spend time with Lange, so that made it what holds that special place in my heart. I don’t own this Patek Philippe 5370R, but I settle for a hands-on experience to answer that fiery question. In the meantime, this is my indisputable highlight of Watches and Wonders’ strong lineup of this year’s Patek Philippe release.
