Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Tourbillon Leads a Trifecta of High-End Complications

To the relief and delight of many a watch aficionado, Swiss high-complication specialist Patek Philippe has unveiled three new timepieces for 2020, after the maison initially indicated that it would push most or all of its planned releases to 2021 in response to the pandemic and its economic fallout 5303R-001 Minute Repeater, the first Patek minute repeater with an openwork-design, dial-side chiming mechanism; the others are reinterpreted versions of the Ref 5303 Minute Repeater Tourbillon, a slightly modified version of the 12-piece limited edition introduced in Singapore in 2019, Patek Philippe builds upon its revered history of chiming watches, which began in 1845 and attained new levels of complexity in recent triumphs such as the Grandmaster Chime.

Patek Philippe launched the first split-seconds chronograph with its in-house Caliber CHR 29-535 PS in 2015 The movement, which superseded the Lemania-based calibers that Patek Philippe had been using in its chronographs prior to its introduction, is equipped with a column wheel and horizontal clutch, along with six patented inventions that include optimized tooth profiles for the wheels and self-adjusting reset hammers Like all of Patek's in-house movements, it features the lavish finishing necessary to earn the Patek Philippe seal, with decorative highlights including Geneva stripes and chamfered, polished edges on the bridges and plates.

Combining perpetual calendars with chronograph functions is a Patek Philippe specialty - few other watchmakers even venture into that high-horology territory - and one of the standouts is the Ref. . Source