For €4,000,000,000, the owner of these watches will receive a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater with cathedral gongs, and a respectable design with exotic touches such as Balinese mother-of-pearl and Paraiba tourmalines.
Each year, Patek Philippe releases watches at the intersection of high watchmaking and high jewelry artistry. Among the brand's novelties presented at the Watches & Wonders salon, one particular model could have gone unnoticed because all 8 pieces in this series were sold during the exhibition. What makes these watches so unique?
We are looking at a combination of a minute repeater and a perpetual calendar housed in a platinum case. The use of platinum is indicated by a diamond positioned at the '6 o'clock' mark. The case dimensions are 42 x 12.28 mm. It is not waterproof, but is protected against moisture and dust. The back features a double case back, with a sapphire glass window near the movement and a solid metal back closer to the wrist.
It's easily visible that the dial is made of mother-of-pearl. In this case, it is white mother-of-pearl sourced from Bali, mounted on a pink gold plate. The hands are crafted from white gold and coated with white luminous material.
The highlight of the dial is minute markers laid out with 48 baguette-cut tourmalines. These aren't just any tourmalines, but Paraiba tourmalines, first discovered in sunny Brazil in the 1980s. They are distinguished from ordinary tourmalines by their bright neon color, ranging from blue to green-turquoise - this effect is due to copper content. The color is so vivid that the stones literally glow from within.
At 5-minute intervals, the tourmalines alternate with 13 baguette-cut diamonds. Baguette diamonds can also be seen on the bezel, lugs, and sides of the case, including the minute repeater slide. In total, the watch's decoration includes 171 diamonds weighing 9.85 carats.
The model operates via the caliber R 27 Q. This is a movement with a balance frequency of 3 Hz, equipped with an off-center rotor. The repeater mechanism uses cathedral gongs, also known as cathedral gongs. They are longer than usual gongs and produce a richer, more echoing sound. This voluminous sound is reminiscent of cathedral bells (hence the name).
The watch is proposed to be worn on a gray calfskin strap. The strap is equipped with a triple folding clasp in platinum, which is inlaid with 36 Paraiba tourmalines.
The estimated price of the model is €4,171,577.
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