Believe it or not, this picturesque wristwatch is actually a brand new Patek Philippe, and one of the most complicated watches this famous Swiss manufacture has ever created.
The new Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon is a successor of the Ref. 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon, which is regarded as the manufacture’s most complicated watch, with no less than 12 different complications on two dials. The Ref. 6002 is based on the original Sky Moon Tourbillon, and it possesses all of the same complications as its predecessor. What makes the new model outstanding and completely different from the rest of the Patek Philippe watches are its flowery case and ornamental dial, which require the highest level of workmanship and talent.
Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref 6002 features a minute repeater with two cathedral gongs and a tourbillon. The front-dial shows standard time and a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date and moon phases, while the back-dial shows the map of the northern sky, sidereal time and the angular progression and phases of the moon. This is where another difference between two references comes to light – while the Ref 5002 indicates the moon age, Ref 6002 indicates the moon phases and has apertures instead of hands for calendar displays.
Afore mentioned case and the dial are decorated using two artisanal skills: engraving and enameling. The case, measuring 42.80 mm, is carved from a single block of white gold using the chip removal techniques. The ornaments, arabesque details and curves of the Calatrava cross appear to be lifted from the golden surface. The ornaments are not only decorative but they are also informative. For example, the winding crown shows an arrow relief, to indicate the direction of rotation. Similarly, the moon and stars relief on the other crown suggest that it is aimed to adjust sidereal time and celestial functions. No less than one hundred hours of work are required for each of the Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref 6002 cases, and it was the master artisan and Patek Philippe's President Thierry Stern who approved as finished every single one of them.
The dial is made using champlevé and cloisonné enamel techniques. The dial is crafted from gold that is milled out until the dial elements stand out in relief. The recesses around the relief are then filled with vitreous enamel and fired at a temperature of more than 850° Celsius (1562° Fahrenheit). The center of the dial is decorated using the coisonné enamel technique in which the golden wires are first fastened to the dial and each of the cells, that were formed this way, are filled with blue enamel of different shades. The moon phase disc is also decorated with champlevé, as the shape of the moon is carved and then enclosed with blue enamel. The remarkable moon landscape is made with nuances of white, grey and black enamel.
Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon REF 6002 uses mechanical manually wound movement Caliber RTO 27 QR SID LU CL. In the spirit of true haute horlogerie, the mechanism is lavishly hand-finished and stamped with Patek Philippe Seal on the plate (which is reserved only for the top-class movements). The watch is delivered in a special presentation box crafted from rare Macassar ebony with hand-engraved white-gold and blue lacquer decorations. The box contains this precious timepiece along with two unique hand-engraved white gold cufflinks blue lacquer fillings.
Author: Marina Milojevic
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