Patek Philippe watches epitomize the supremacy of superb craftsmanship and sublime engineering over mass-produced and mechanized manufacturing. The company has explained that they aim to capture and combine something you can see (the watch face) with something you can hear (the chimes of the hammer hitting the gongs inside the watch). Every watch is hand-made in Patek Phillipe’s Geneva workshop and hall-marked with the Geneva Seal.

The technical virtuosity of Patek’s master watchmakers is evident in each of the 467 individual parts that comprise the 5074R wristwatch. The elegant simplicity of its 28mm diameter face contrasts with the complex engineering required for the minute-repeating mechanism to function given the space constraints. A single watch takes hundreds of hours to hone to the closest level of perfection possible, an undertaking only trusted to a master watchmaker with at least 15 years’ experience, who can both beautifully craft and capture the harmonious sound that the 5074R is renowned for.

What makes the 5074R truly special is the minute repeater mechanism which is activated by a repeater slide situated on the left-hand side of the case (when looking at the face). When the slide is manually released, two small hammers inside the watch strike a gong in a specific pattern that allows the wearer to know the time without having to look at the watch. Hours, quarter hours and minutes are indicated by different pitches based on which of the two hammers hits the gong: one hour is marked with a single low pitch, one minute a single high pitch and one quarter-hour is registered by a double-strike sound of a high and low pitch. The longest pattern that can therefore be struck is at 12:59 which comprises 32 strikes: 12 strikes from the first hammer that produces 12 deep notes; three double-strikes or double-chimes of alternating deep and high hammers (to indicate 45 minutes); and then 14 strikes from the second hammer to produce 14 high notes. 

What makes the 5074R even more special is the innovation of a Cathedral gong which are extra-long gongs, double the length of regular gongs, made of a steel alloy. This length enhances the vibrancy and quality of the sound. It requires extraordinary skill to adequately place and space the gongs inside the mechanism; the watchmaker aims to achieve a perfect balance between the timbre of the sounds and the speed at which they chime for “truly exquisite tones”.

The face of the watch contains three subsidiary dials which show the date and day, the leap year cycle and month and moon phases. The watch has a self-winding movement when worn. Off the wrist, it has power reserve for between 38 and 48 hours. The watch’s perpetual calendar will run until 28 February 2100 when it will need to be adjusted because there is no 29 February that year. (A leap year is skipped if a year is divisible by 100 but not by 400). The watch has two case back options, one in 18k gold and one of sapphire crystal. 

The Patek 5074R minute repeater is famed for its attention to detail and purity of sound. The company is fastidious about taking their time before they release a watch for sale. The technical sophistication and dedication of producing a watch of this caliber is why it’s so rare, and why people wait years to be able to acquire one. This specific Patek Philippe remains in its original packaging and has never been worn.

Details and Specifications: 

Certificate of Origin: dated 6 March 2009. Comes with the certificate and a custom display box embossed Patek Philippe Geneva.

Reference: 5074R-001
Movement no.: 1906208/4442080 
Dial: Black
Case: Rose Gold

Caliber: R 27 Q
Diameter: 28 mm 
Height: 6.8 mm
Number of Parts: 467
Winding Rotor: 22k Gold Minirotor, unidirectional winding
Power Reserve: minimum 38 – maximum 48 hours
Vibrations / hour: 21,600 (3 Hz)
Hallmark: Geneva Seal (Patek Phillippe Seal)