Introducing Patek Philippe Launches Six More Limited Editions With Two New References In Milan (Plus A New Steel Aquanaut!)

When it comes to collecting vintage watches, all roads lead back to Rome. Literally. Well, Rome’s home country, at least, where the passion for horology (and vintage Patek Philippe) permeates the culture, and has done so for decades, in a way that you really can’t find anywhere else. Add to that Milan’s status as fashion capital of the world, and it makes sense that Patek Philippe would host the seventh Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan. The free exhibition (with reserved tickets) is meant to celebrate the art of watchmaking viewed through the lens of the craftsmanship (both technically and artistically) of Patek past and future. It opens today, October 2, and runs until October 18. As is tradition, the brand has launched new watches to celebrate the moment: 7 new limited editions and 25 Rare Handcrafts models using various métiers d’art. 

Ben wrote about the big news of a new manual-wind perpetual calendar chronograph (limited to 120 pieces) here. We'll also be sharing all the Rare Handcrafts pieces soon in a Photo Report from Milan. But while they're not all new references, the new treatments of a few pretty outstanding watches deserve their own story. First things first, all of these watches are ostensibly for the Italian market. But hey, better to have loved and lost (...out on a chance to buy them) than to never know they existed.

While the new chronograph QP may be novel, these two new versions of the ref. 5531G—with cloisonné street maps of Milan by day and by night—may be the most coveted releases of the six here today. This is a concept Patek has done before, with a street map of Geneva, for instance, and day and night variations of the 5531 for their exhibition in New York. Limited to only five pieces of each version, they're going to cause some intense fighting among Italian authorised dealers.

For those not frequently considering spending over A$1 million on a Patek Philippe, or a watch, or a house, or anything, you may not realise this, but the ref. 5531 is among the most in-demand watches from the brand, and something that people spend a lot of hand-wringing over. You see, these watches are application pieces—no matter how big of a collector or VIP, you literally write an essay explaining why you should be the caretaker of a beautiful minute repeater worldtimer with an intricate cloisonné enamel dial. The number of VIPs who have told me they worry about how their application will be received, with the same sort of trepidation as a college application, or proudly share their 5531 far surpasses similar messages about any other watch from Patek.

I saw both in person in windows at the show, and I would say that the daytime example is probably the most wearable, but the bright yellow lights of the streets at night are maybe the sportiest and certainly the most avant-garde ref. 5531 that's come to market. It's got a bit of Piet Mondrian-meets-Wassily Kandinsky going on. Any enamel craftsman is an artist in their own right, but here, the dials have the very subtle signature A.P. for the famous Anita Porchet. All the city locations for the time zones are in Italian and, of course, the Central European Time zone is for Milano. Naturalmente. Marone, what a pair of watches.

Even the anti-hobnail part of me can't say no to these watches. The hollowed-out white gold lugs lighten the whole watch up a bit on the wrist; the chime is amazing; it's got a micro-rotor movement with a 48-hour power reserve (which is a bit light, but I'll forgive it), and it even comes with a second solid caseback (which sounds better than a sapphire one). It measures only 40.2mm by 12.08mm, which for how complicated it is (including the push-button adjuster for the world time), seems reasonable. The price, €807,830, is not reasonable to the average person, but to a collector at this level, it does feel fair against the competition (of which there is none, not directly). Ai collezionisti che ne vogliono uno: buona fortuna.

Patek Philippe World Time Minute Repeater Reference 5531G-012 and Reference 5531G-013; 40.2mm diameter by 12.08mm thick white gold case, with dustproof water resistance. Cloisonné enamel maps of Milan's streets, by day or by night; World time watch with minute repeater (chiming on two gongs) powered by the Calibre R 27 HU movement with 48 hours of power reserve. Limited to 5 pieces per dial. Price: €807,830

These are maybe the most surprising releases of the set, and by far the boldest. In fact, the red watch below was Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern's pick for his favourite watch released in Milan. I don't think I ever really noticed how loud the tricolore flag of Italy was until I saw it used individually on three Calatrava-style watch dials, but consider me aware. Let's start with the most reserved, the 7007G-010.

As the reference implies, this new time-and-date Calatrava is inspired by the sporty, automotive-adjacent 40mm 6007G line, but now, with a 7 at the front signifying a more feminine-oriented approach, comes the 38mm by 9.97mm white gold case. The carbon weave dial design is still there, but everything is in stark white with bold black accents and blackened white gold surrounds and hands, featuring a luminescent coating. Inside is the same Calibre 26-330 S C, and the watch is paired with a white alligator strap. The watch is limited to 200 pieces and retails for €45,144. And that's just the start.

The complicated bookends to the white centre of the flag are the new green dial perpetual calendar ref. 7147G—another new reference number—and the new minute repeater ref. 7047G are bold. I mentioned recently that I thought that the minute repeater, released just this year, was maybe underappreciated or a bit misunderstood for its sporty design. Well, there's no missing the new version, which has that same carbon-weave design and a red strap. Somewhere, a TV show personality bolted upright from a deep sleep and tried to declare Italian citizenship to buy this watch. At 38mm by 10.62mm, it's a compact minute repeater with the micro-rotor Calibre R 27 PS that was launched way back in 1989. The retail price is €653,392 for the five pieces being made.

The green 7147G should look familiar, as it draws on the same base as the discontinued ref. 7140, a more petite perpetual calendar that used to measure 35mm wide. The new reference is upsized, probably to cater to a wider range of buyers and an overlap between men and women, with a 38mm by 10.18mm white gold case. Inside is the Calibre 240 Q micro-rotor movement that powers the Italian perpetual calendar. For those who are wondering, is an Italian perpetual calendar like the Hebrew, Chinese, or Hijri calendar? Well, no. It's just a perpetual calendar, with the indications in Italian. Try to keep up. Does this mean that we'll see more of the 7147G? I'm not sure, but I kind of hope so. It's slightly smaller and slightly thicker than the 5237, but with less sporty numerals, it could maybe match the thickness. The price here is €130,679.

I never thought I'd see that same woven texture with a perpetual calendar, let alone one with a bright green dial and luminous numerals and hands. There's a ton of depth and a lot of "pop" to the dial when you look up close, so you can't say it's not striking (though technically the 7047G is more striking, in more ways than one). The minute repeater will be made in only five pieces, while there will be 100 of the new perpetual calendar reference. All in all, maybe the most on-the-nose interpretations of Italy come from this trio, but if you're looking for subtlety, wait for our upcoming photo report of all 25 beautiful Rare Handcrafts pieces.

Looks like the Aquanaut is back on the Grand Exhibition menu again, boys, and in steel, no less. The idea of a new ref. 5167A might be salt in the wounds for someone like me who loves the 5164A and desperately wants it back, but it's not a new concept for one of these shows. In fact, one of the most collectible modern Aquanauts is another 5167A, the -012 dial code version made in 500 pieces for Singapore's version of this event. That means that, like the others, it mainly features a dial colour change and a display caseback with the official branding partially obscuring the movement. 

The watch now has a blue-to-black fumé dial treatment, with red minute hashes and a red central seconds hand. The strap is midnight blue rubber, to pair with the dial. This time, however, it's doubly rare—250 pieces in total. Save for the rare 5167A-010 with a khaki dial, this is one of the rarest versions of the watch so far.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Date Reference 5167A-014, 40.8mm diameter by 8.10mm thick stainless steel case, with 30m water resistance. Blue-to-black fumé dial with red accents. Hours, minutes, seconds, and date. Calibre 26-330 S C automatic movement with 45 hours of power reserve. Midnight blue cut-to-size rubber strap with stainless steel deployant. Price: €40,580.

For more on the Patek Philippe Milan Watch Art Grand Exhibition, the watches, and to attend, visit their website.