Before the fever of Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022, which ended on April 5, Patek Philippe introduced a new watch. It was released alone because I was worried that it would lose attention if it was released together with several new products. A glance at the watch is a nod to Patek Philippe’s intentions. The basic frame is similar to Patek Philippe’s two-counter chronograph, but as you can see from its classification as a grand complication, Patek Philippe’s long-honed technology and interesting stories are in it.
The deep blue dial, accented in intense red, resembles the Grand Complication Split Seconds Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Ref. Looks like a 5004T. Ref. While the 5004T used titanium as its case material, which was very unusual, the Ref. The 5470P-001 is crafted from noble platinum. The diamond hidden at the 6 o’clock position on the case is the proof. It is 41mm in diameter and 13.68mm thick. Water resistance still stays at 30m.
Breguet-style Arabic numerals with indexes or elongated leaf hands, opposite small seconds and chronograph 30-minute counters are the Split Seconds Chronograph Ref. It seems to have brought the configuration of the 5370 as it is. Ref. The point is that the 5470P-001 is a monopusher chronograph with one button instead of three. In the center of the dial are two needles of different colors. The red needle measures 1/10 of a second, and the white needle measures 1 second. When the button at 10 o’clock on the case is pressed, the two hands start at the same time as in a split-seconds chronograph. But the distance between the two soon widens. This is because the white needle that counts 1 second makes one revolution per minute, while the red needle that measures tenths of a second rotates once every 12 seconds. To measure down to tenths of a second, the second track on the edge of the dial is divided into ten seconds. wait here. A prerequisite is that it must be light in order to rotate the needle quickly. Patek Philippe found a solution nearby. It was to make needles out of the silicone material they had developed and patented, Silinvar®.
A light, precise, yet hard needle was completed using the DRIE (Deep reactive ion etching) etching method used in the semiconductor industry. The needle obtained from the wafer is then attached to a round piece of metal to secure it back to the shaft and then painted with red lacquer. To make the 1/10-second chronograph second hand easier to read, each second is marked with a red bar. 1/10 SECOND is engraved on the bottom of the dial. That is why this watch has a special meaning.
Looking back on Patek Philippe’s history of creating numerous complications, it has never challenged a high-vibration chronograph of 36,000 vph per hour (5 Hz). Instead of creating an entirely new movement, replica Patek Philippe decided to use the resources it already had. Caliber CH 29-535 PS 1/10 changes the frequency per hour of the in-house hand-wound chronograph caliber CH 29-535 PS developed in 2009 by Patek Philippe from 28,800 vph (4 Hz) to 36,000 vph (5 Hz), 1 This movement incorporates a separate module for measuring tenths of a second. Thanks to this, traditional elements such as the carrying arm horizontal clutch and column wheel have not been lost.
The mechanism for measuring 1/10th of a second is the same as for normal chronograph power transmission. An anti-backlash driving wheel connected to wheel 4, which rotates at one revolution per minute, is attached to a clutch wheel with serpentine spokes. When the chronograph is activated, the clutch wheel engages the pinion associated with the 1/10 second hand, and the needle begins to move. Measuring just 1.46 mm in diameter, this pinion sits on top of a chronograph driving wheel. It is made of very fine teeth and precisely meshes with the clutch wheel. In summary, the chronograph second hand, which rotates once per minute, operates independently of the conventional chronograph mechanism, and the 1/10 second hand that rotates once every 12 seconds is operated independently by the 1/10-second chronograph mechanism. As the number of gears increases, problems also arise. The needle bouncing phenomenon, which is often seen in horizontal clutch type chronographs, is a typical example. Patek Philippe installed an anti-backlash wheel between the driving wheel and wheel 4 and made the teeth as small as possible so that the chronograph starts and stops smoothly. However, making the teeth of the gears small has a fatal problem. It is vulnerable to external shocks. It is especially important to secure the 1/10-second chronograph clutch wheel so that it does not wobble. Patek Philippe solves the problem by installing two Pendulum shock absorber levers. These levers ensure that the 1/10-second chronograph clutch wheel engages the driving wheel when the chronograph is activated while keeping the levers in place without being dislodged by impact.
Another thing to pay attention to is balance. The addition of a 1/10-second chronograph mechanism means even greater power losses. Adding a barrel to compensate for this not only requires a new design of the movement, but also increases the size of the movement. Since we have decided to use the canvas caliber CH 29‑535, neither method is feasible. Patek Philippe introduced the Oscillomax® system to maximize reliability and accuracy while increasing efficiency. Oscillmax was developed in 2011 by Advanced Research Ref. It was first revealed through the 5550P. This is the first time Patek Philippe has applied the findings of Advanced Research to its current collection. Oscillomax is a new concept of regulating system consisting of a butterfly-shaped Gyromax® in Silinvar® balance with a gold weight attached to it, a Pulsomax® escapement and a Spiromax® balance spring. The key to Oscillomax is to increase energy transfer efficiency through light weight and aerodynamic design. Due to its light weight, it is suitable for rotating the balance quickly, and it is also free from lubrication, which is one of the difficulties of high vibration. Patek Philippe seems to have introduced the oscilloscope to increase the frequency, although there are many reasons. Perhaps even this was not enough, Patek Philippe also worked on the barrel and mainspring. We wanted to reduce the diameter of the barrel arbor to fit a longer mainspring and increase the power reserve. In this way, we saw that the lost power could be offset to some extent. If the main spring becomes longer and the barrel arbor becomes smaller, the tension of the spring may increase undesirably and an accident may occur. Patek Philippe succeeded in reducing the spring tension to an appropriate level by adding a notch to the barrel arbor. As a result, a power reserve of 48 hours was obtained. Caliber CH 29-535 PS’s 65 hours is not enough, but it’s understandable.
A navy blue cowhide strap with a fabric pattern and red stitching for unity of design comes with a folding buckle. Patek Philippe Grand Complication 1/10th second monopusher chronograph Ref. The price of 5470P-001 is 380,000 Swiss Francs (about 498 million Korean Won). It is released as a regular edition, not a limited edition.