For those who prefer manually wound timepieces, Patek Philippe’s Gondolo 8 days, day & date indication holds a special appeal. The watch has a new caliber and contains innovative Silinvar components from the Patek Philippe Advanced Research think tank for which the manufacture has been granted numerous patents in the past.
The timepiece is an elegant and stylish one with a genuine 8-day power-reserve display. Its date by hand and large aperture for the day of the week – are a treat to behold for the serious watch enthusiasts. The caliber is accommodated in a structurally curved rectangular case that celebrates the art deco style. It is an example of Patek Philippe’s competence in designing and building extraordinary timepiece cases.
The rectangular caliber 28-20 REC 8J PS IRM C J form movement enriches the Patek Philippe collection of currently produced manually wound movements. It was developed explicitly for the Ref. 5200 Gondolo; in twin in-line barrels, it stores the power needed to guarantee that it will run non-stop for 192 hours. This doesn’t mean that the watch will stand still then; instead, it has the power reserve required to safeguard the steady amplitude of the balance and its rate accuracy up to and including the eighth day
The innovative rectangular movement is housed in an anatomically curved and elongated white-gold case with two-tiered flanks reminiscent of the most memorable art deco creations. In the Geneva workshops, it is crafted from solid gold bars using the cold-forming technology, shaped to perfection in numerous consecutive steps, and then gradually polished to a mirror finish by experienced specialists who invest countless hours to achieve the perfect result.
The screwed case back incorporates an anatomically contoured sapphire-crystal insert, and the crystal that protects the dial is ground to a convex shape that follows the silhouette of the case without distorting the view of the elegant and well-organized face. The dial is available in blue sunburst or silvery white. Emphasizing the ninth day in red to remind the owner to wind the mainspring, the 8-day power-reserve indicator occupies the upper half of the dial. Its lower half is reserved for the calendar functions, featuring a 31- day scale for the date and an aperture for the day of the week. The seconds sub-dial is integrated in the date circle. Securely riveted to the face, the faceted white-gold hour markers are mirror-polished for the blue dial and blackened for the silvery opaline dial.
The faceted Dauphine-style hour and minute hands in white gold are either mirror-polished or matt-blackened to match the dial color. The date hand with the red tip and the hands for the subsidiary seconds and power-reserve indicator are finished in white lacquer to contrast against the blue dial and blackened to match the silvery white dial. Discrete elegance and excellent legibility are two key prerequisites for the timelessness and lasting value of this watch, which is designed to serve its owners across several generations. Unquestionably, it is a paragon of aesthetics and functionality.
The watch comes equipped with a hand-stitched alligator strap with large square scales, which is secured with an 18K white-gold prong buckle. The strap is shiny blue to match the blue dial and matt black for the model with the silvery white dial.
