Patek Philippe launches a limited edition with an exclusive new movement in tribute to Philippe Stern
To commemorate Philippe Stern’s 85th birthday, Patek Philippe has introduced a novel chiming watch featuring a minute repeater and an alarm that chimes the programmed time on the repeater mechanism’s two gongs. This exclusive 30-piece limited edition, equipped with a unique movement that will remain exclusive, stands out with its platinum Officer’s-style case and a Grand Feu black enamel dial showcasing a portrait of Philippe Stern in Grand Feu white and gray miniature painting on enamel.
Since its establishment in 1839, Patek Philippe has earned a reputation as a virtuoso in crafting chiming watches, encompassing those that strike automatically “in passing” (grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie) and those that strike on demand (repeaters). In 1989, on the occasion of the manufacture’s 150th anniversary, Philippe Stern, then company director, initiated a renaissance of the wrist-worn minute repeater by introducing the groundbreaking self-winding caliber R 27. Since then, minute repeaters have reclaimed a prominent position in Patek Philippe’s product range, constituting the most extensive collection of minute-repeater wristwatches in regular production, with over a dozen timepieces offering this Grand Complication, either alone or combined with other functions (grande and petite sonnerie, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, chronograph, World Time, etc.).
In homage to 85 years of watchmaking passion, Thierry Stern, appointed president in 2009 and a member of the fourth generation of the Stern family, decided to honor his father by creating a special edition of 30 watches. These timepieces, identified as Reference 1938 in honor of the honorary president’s birth year, feature a completely new movement developed exclusively for this edition. Philippe Stern’s favorite complication, the minute repeater, is combined with an exclusive acoustic function: an alarm chiming the programmed time. This intricate mechanism, one of the five acoustic functions and a pair of patented world firsts unveiled in 2014 for the manufacture’s 175th anniversary on the Grandmaster Chime Reference 5175, is equipped with the manually wound caliber 300 “GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM”.
Integrated into the regular collection in 2016 as Reference 6300, the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime brings together a grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, minute repeater, date repeater chiming on demand, and an alarm chiming the programmed time.
Tackling the challenge of integrating the alarm function chiming a programmed time into the iconic caliber R 27 proved to be a formidable task for Patek Philippe’s engineers. The development of the new caliber R AL 27 PS self-winding movement required a fundamental rethinking of the minute repeater mechanism to accommodate the alarm. The objective was to create a watch in which the minute repeater and the alarm chime on the same two classic gongs while retaining the signature slide piece set into the left flank of the case.
Overcoming these technical hurdles involved the addition of 227 parts, including a lever and column wheel for selecting the chiming mode and a fusee device with a strike-work detent mechanism, usually reserved for grande sonnerie watches. Four new patents were filed for mechanisms ensuring safe switching between chiming modes, delaying the alarm strike until the right moment, guaranteeing the correct strike sequence of “hours, quarters, and minutes,” and ensuring that the strike-work barrel is always fully armed with each slide actuation.
Maintaining the brand’s philosophy of technical complexity allied with user-friendly operation, a push-piece integrated into the crown allows users to select the chiming mode, displayed in a small bell-shaped aperture at 3 o’clock. The platinum case, chosen for its nobility and acoustic challenge, features a sapphire crystal back protected by a hinged dust cover engraved with a heartfelt inscription to Philippe Stern.
The 18K gold dial pays tribute to Philippe Stern with a portrait in Grand Feu white and gray miniature painting on enamel, set against a background of Grand Feu black enamel. Applied Breguet-style numerals and hands in white gold, contrasting with the rose gold of the alarm hand and scale, add elegance to the time display.
The platinum case, hand-polished throughout, measures 41 mm in diameter, reminiscent of one of Philippe Stern’s cherished creations from 1989. Platinum was chosen not only for its nobility but also for the acoustic challenge it presents for a minute repeater striving to achieve the true “Patek Philippe sound” beloved by connoisseurs. Reference 1938P-001, like all Patek Philippe platinum watches, features a diamond set into the caseband at 6 o’clock. The case is also equipped with a sapphire crystal back protected by a hinged dust cover bearing the hand-engraved inscription “A mon père, 85 ans de passion horlogère” (To my father, 85 years of watchmaking passion). The sapphire crystal offers a clear view of the meticulously finished new R AL 27 PS self-winding movement, featuring chamfered edges on the bridges and hammers gilded in 22K yellow gold. The mini-rotor, also in 22K yellow gold, is rhodium-plated with yellow-gold edges and adorned with a black-lacquered hand engraving reproducing Philippe Stern’s signature. The emphasis on elegance and comfort extends to the alligator leather strap in shiny black with a platinum fold-over clasp.
The caliber R AL 27 PS is granted four patents:
- Unidirectional coupling mobile (European patent EP4058853A1): Designed to connect the rack and the strike-work barrel drum during the winding of the strike-work barrel spring, this unidirectional coupling system ensures the rack winds the barrel on the way out, disconnecting on the return to prevent unwinding.
- Timepiece incorporating a minute repeater and an alarm, with reversible selection by the user (European patent EP4071560): This system allows the user to switch between “minute repeater” and “alarm” modes, ensuring the correct strike sequence and insensitivity to manipulation errors.
- Timepiece with repeater and constant-travel slide piece (European patent EP4071561): Ensuring the slide piece for the striking-work always travels the same distance, regardless of the striking mode selected, prevents breakage and ensures the striking mechanism always has sufficient “wind.”
- Striking mechanism equipped with a delaying device (European patent EP4071562): This system synchronizes the racks in striking mechanisms, delaying the fall of the minute rack until the quarter jumper has moved towards the surprise-piece, ensuring the correct strike sequence.
For more information, please visit Patek.com.