On the eve of Baselworld 2017, Patek Philippe lifts the veil on two new watches. Both of them occupy a special place in the Geneva company’s collections. The first, because it is pioneering a new sports niche of its own, and the second because of the innovative way Patek Philippe is approaching its customer base.
Before the 5960/1A, Patek Philippe’s sports watches belonged either to the Nautilus or the Aquanaut collections. Then the all-steel annual calendar chronograph, the ref. 5960, arrived, and changed the way the company talked about men’s sports chic. With its outlined counters, small-link bracelet and contrasting white dial, it represented an entirely new language for Patek Philippe. This year the language has evolved slightly, and in an entirely logical direction. Generally speaking, black dials are considered more sporty, and this indeed is the newest colour of the 5960/1A chronograph. It still has the same red accents and high legibility.
For nearly ten years, Patek Philippe has been paying attention to the needs of women watch lovers, producing timepieces with a high horological value for them. Patek is a pioneer of women’s complications, and continues to actively explore this avenue. One of the models most indicative of this focus is the ref. 7130, an automatic universal hour, with a slender case in precious materials, a diamond-set bezel and a diameter of 36 mm. Following on from the rose gold version with beige dial, and another in white gold with a brown and beige dial, a new colour palette has been added to expand the possibilities of this eminently practical watch. Two shades of blue have been paired with a white gold case, still set with 62 diamonds. The centre of the guilloché dial is grey-blue, while the outside, which bears the universal hour indications, is in peacock blue, to match the alligator strap.
