In 1941, Patek Philippe replica began producing the world’s first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, the Reference 1518. The 1518 sold for 2,800 Swiss Francs in 1941, and still dominates the industry’s attention, most prominently at auction. A rare “pink on pink” version of this swiss replica watch sold for over $1 million at the Phillips Auction One this year, to give you an idea of the demand for these vintage pieces.
Ultimately, Patek’s release of the 5270 does well in not sacrificing its balance of form and function in favor of a pure tribute to past references. Patek modernized a gentlemen’s watch, improved its readability, and said, “While we’re at it, let’s create our own workhorse movement to go with it.” To me, this move says “Patek Philippe” even more so than the stamp on the dial. This is a great watch, plain and simple.
While the 1518 proved to be quite the technical feat, the clear aesthetic mastery seen in its dial is also notable. The careful placement of enamel, blue undertones, and the balance of technicality with purposeful artistry (especially in the four incredibly rare stainless steel examples) declares this cheap fake watch a ‘grail’ for many vintage watch enthusiasts. It just looks brilliant. The 1518 technologically changed the watch industry, set a bar for complicated watch production, and placed Patek Philippe at the top of the horological food chain. On top of all of this, Patek released advancements of this series (first in Ref. 2499) half a century before any other brand attempted to serially produce a similar complication.
I do not want to heavily criticize this watch because I know it is meant to attract a very different consumer than myself. While I think the diamonds and platinum are to some extent ostentatious, the 5271 doesn’t even come close to many other pieces on the flashy watch scale. While being almost identical in style and design to the 5270, outside of diamonds and color schemes, this watch continues to honor the long history of the series. Some will point out that the month and day indicator now have the same background color as the dial (a feature not available in the 5270), and there is no longer a small dip on the 6 o’clock subdial that pushed into the tachymeter, but these changes are minimal. Overall, it’s another beautiful watch in this historic series, and Patek did a very good job of balancing the gems with the initially subtle look of the watch.
When it comes to watchmaking, Patek Philippe reminds me of the kid who locked himself in his room and spent hours taking apart and rebuilding his computer. By the time everyone outside became familiar with the model, he was already dissecting the next technological thing he could find. Maybe not all of us knew a kid like that growing up, but it doesn’t matter; what matters is that an honest look at Patek, and this watch, reveals that the brand is not aiming to stun you. You won’t see ads with vaguely unrelated celebrities, bright colors, or even serif fonts; Patek Philippe is simply working to create some of the best replica watches available on the market, and that is all it takes to keep us paying attention.
