Patek Philippe: Perpetuating artistic values

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Patek Philippe “Common Pheasant” Ref. 5077/100R-014. This limited edition rose gold piece houses the Calibre 240 ultra-thin automatic movement and its yellow gold dial is decorated using champlevé and cloisonné enamel on a hand-guilloched background with hand-engraved feathers on top. The bezel and lugs are set with 113 diamonds (approx. 0.8 carats) and the prong buckle has 29 diamonds (approx. 0.22 carats). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Timmy / Elfa. Photo taken with a Leica D-Lux 5

Patek Philippe “Common Pheasant” Ref. 5077/100R-014. This limited edition rose gold piece houses the Calibre 240 ultra-thin automatic movement and its yellow gold dial is decorated using champlevé and cloisonné enamel on a hand-guilloched background with hand-engraved feathers on top. The bezel and lugs are set with 113 diamonds (approx. 0.8 carats) and the prong buckle has 29 diamonds (approx. 0.22 carats). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Timmy / Elfa. Photo taken with a Leica D-Lux 5

Patek Philippe has been supporting Singapore’s Esplanade – Theatres by the Bay since 2003 as one of its arts benefactors. This explains why, as part of its 175th anniversary celebrations in 2014, Patek Philippe was presenter for the performance “Principal Conductor Valery Gergiev with London Symphony Orchestra” in November 2014.

Patek Philippe “Water Lilies and Dragonfly” Ref. 5077/100R-015 limited edition in white gold. The white gold dial is decorated with water lilies in cloisonné enamel on a hand-engraved background with the inclusion of a silver leaf. The bezel and lugs are set with 113 diamonds (approx. 0.8 carats) and the prong buckle has 29 diamonds (approx. 0.22 carats). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Timmy / Elfa. Photo taken with a Leica D-Lux 5

Patek Philippe “Water Lilies and Dragonfly” Ref. 5077/100R-015 limited edition in white gold. The white gold dial is decorated with water lilies in cloisonné enamel on a hand-engraved background with the inclusion of a silver leaf. The bezel and lugs are set with 113 diamonds (approx. 0.8 carats) and the prong buckle has 29 diamonds (approx. 0.22 carats). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Timmy / Elfa. Photo taken with a Leica D-Lux 5

During the event, Patek Philippe also presented some of its collections to its valued clients and these included beautiful limited edition handcrafted pieces featuring champlevé and cloisonné enamel work on the dials. Examples include the Calatrava “Feathers” like the “Common Pheasant” and “Water Lilies”.

Patek Philippe “Water Lilies and Frog” Ref. 5077/100R-012 limited edition in white gold. The white gold dial is decorated with water lilies in cloisonné enamel on a hand-engraved background with the inclusion of a gold leaf. The bezel and lugs are set with 113 diamonds (approx. 0.8 carats) and the prong buckle has 29 diamonds (approx. 0.22 carats). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Timmy / Elfa. Photo taken with a Leica D-Lux 5

Patek Philippe “Water Lilies and Frog” Ref. 5077/100R-012 limited edition in white gold. The white gold dial is decorated with water lilies in cloisonné enamel on a hand-engraved background with the inclusion of a gold leaf. The bezel and lugs are set with 113 diamonds (approx. 0.8 carats) and the prong buckle has 29 diamonds (approx. 0.22 carats). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Timmy / Elfa. Photo taken with a Leica D-Lux 5

What is the link between such performances and Patek Philippe? “… we have a common shared commitment to continue to nurture the arts, preserve artistic tradition and to inspire and evoke a love for the arts in the next generation,” explains Deepa Chatrath, general manager South East Asia, Patek Philippe.

Indeed, the timepieces highlighted requires serious handcrafted work and it requires years of training and experience for these artisans to attain such a high level of beauty found in these artistic dials.

Such craftsmanship should be retained and these skills must be passed down for future generations to continue enjoying the true spirit of human creativity and artistry.

Rolex Milgauss: Generation Z

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The 40mm Rolex Milgauss (Reference: case: 116400 GV, bracelet: 72400) launched at the 2014 BaselWorld watch fair houses the Calibre 3131 automatic movement and features the Z blue dial. It is water-resistant to 100m (330 feet). Priced at CHF7,800. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. BaselWorld 2014

The 40mm Rolex Milgauss (Reference: case: 116400 GV, bracelet: 72400) launched at the 2014 BaselWorld watch fair houses the Calibre 3131 automatic movement and features the Z blue dial. It is water-resistant to 100m (330 feet). Priced at CHF7,800. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. BaselWorld 2014

In 1956, the Rolex Milgauss was introduced and it was targeted at engineers and technicians, notably those who were regularly exposed to magnetic fields due to the nature of their profession.

The Milgauss was designed to resist strong magnetic interference of up to 1,000 gauss. The “Mil” came from “mille”, the French word for “thousand” while “gauss” is a measurement for magnetic induction.

It seemed that the Milgauss was the watch of choice for scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva.

According to Martin Skeet and Nick Urul in their book, Vintage Rolex Sports Models, the first version of the Milgauss was the 6541 model. They add that it was the third version of this model that had a red arrowhead at the tip of the continuous sweep seconds hand.

The characteristic lightning bolt seconds hand seen on modern-day Milgauss watches was first introduced with the fourth version of the 6541 model. However, it was dropped when the Model 1019 Milgauss replaced the 6541.

The first generation Rolex Milgauss with the green sapphire crystal was launched in 2007.

The second generation Milgauss with the green sapphire crystal, launched in 2014, and seen above now features an electric blue dial, named the Z blue dial. The alphabet used refers to the zirconium content.

Ferromagnetic alloys surrounding the movement within the Oyster case of the modern-day Milgauss are its first line of defence against magnetic fields.

The second line of defence involves two key components of the movement – the oscillator and the escapement which are both made of paramagnetic materials developed by Rolex.

The Parachrom hairspring used in the Calibre 3131 of the Milgauss is not affected by magnetic fields and is highly stable even with temperature variations.

Moreover, it is ten times better than a traditional hairspring in the event of shocks.