The Grandmaster Chime is the most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch ever made. It boasts twenty complications, a reversible case and two independent dials and six patented innovations.
The development, production and assembly process covered a staggering 100,000 hours.
Patek Philippe holds a long heritage in creating 'Supercomplications'. In 1927, Henry Graves Jr., the famous American Financier, commissioned Patek Philippe to build the world's most complicated pocket watch. Six years later, the 'Graves Supercomplication', complete with 24 complications, was delivered to him.
To celebrate the 150th anniversary, the Manufacture introduced the iconic Calibre 89. A technical achievement never-seen-before, featuring 33 complications and 1,728 individual parts.
And to mark the new Millennium, the Star Caliber 2000, composed of 1,118 parts and featuring a total of 21 complications, joined the exceptional 'Supercomplications' collection.
In 2014, to commemorate their 175th anniversary, Patek Philippe created a collection of limited-edition commemorative timepieces. The center piece was the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175; a grand complication wristwatch.
Only seven examples of were made, one of which is displayed in the Patek Philippe Museum, Geneva.
View the 175th anniversary Collection
The movement of the Grandmaster Chime features no less than 20 complications; a Grande and Petite Sonnerie, minute repeater, alarm with time strike, date repeater, second time zone with day/night indicator, instantaneous perpetual calendar (date on both sides, day of week, month, leap-year cycle, four-digit year display, 24-hour and minute subdial, moon phases), strikework mode display, strikework isolator display, alarm ON/OFF, crown position indicator and power reserve indicators for the movement and the strikework.
The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime presents a unique repertoire of acoustic functions, unmatched by any other timepiece in the world; a Grand and Petite Sonnerie, minute repeater, date repeater (patended) and alarm (patended).
For the first time in the history of watchmaking, the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime uses the minute repeater strike sequence as an acoustic alarm and to indicate the date.
The beating heart of the Grandmaster Chime is the caliber 300 movement that consists of 1,366 individual parts.
A truly astonishing display of fine watchmaking prowess. Such complexity and skilled craftsmanship requires the unmatched talent and expertise of exceptional engineers and master watchmakers.
Technical data
Grande and petite sonnerie. Minute repeater with classic gongs. Strikework mode display (S G P). Alarm with time strike. Alarm on/off indication. Date repeater. Movement and strikework power-reserve indication. Strikework isolator indication. Second time-zone. Second time zone day/night indication. Instantaneous perpetual calendar. Day, date (on both dials), month, leap-year cycle by hands. Four-digit year display in an aperture. Moon phases. 24-hour and minutes subdial. Crown position indication (R A H). Diameter: 37 mm. Thickness: 10.7 mm. Number of parts: 1366. Jewels: 108. Movement power reserve: 72 hours. Strikework power reserve: 30 hours. Balance: Gyromax®. Frequency: 25,200 semi-oscillations/hour (3.5 Hz). Balance spring: Spiromax®. Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal.
Seven patents and innovations were specifically developed for the Grandmaster Chime movement, caliber 300. These consisted of an alarm mechanism with time strike, isolation of the Grande Sonnerie in the Silence mode, the selection of strikework operating mode, a date repeater, a mechanism for a four-digit year display, as well as the strikework differential and reversible wristwatch case.
While a typical watch case usually consists of no more than 12 parts, the case developed for the Grandmaster Chime has no fewer than 214 components.
The Grandmaster Chime does not have a front and a back face in the ordinary sense. Instead, it has two equivalent sides of equal distinctiveness, whichever way it is worn. When the crown points to the right, the user can read the dial with the time displays. The reverse side shows the full perpetual calendar with a 24-hour dial and the four-digit year display.
The Grandmaster Chime has two dials, both crafted from solid 18K gold plates. When the crown points to the right, the wearer sees the dial that shows the time of day.
When the crown points to the left, a completely different yet equally legible dial displays the perpetual calendar side. Both dials indicate the time and the date.
The Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300
The engravings on the Grandmaster Chime are expertly applied by skilled artisans to serve key functions. The engraving “Date” identifies the pusher that triggers the date repeater. A bell-shaped engraving adorns the alarm on/off pusher. The hand-engraved inscriptions LUNE (Moon), QUANTIEME (Date), JOURS (Day) and MOIS (Month) as well as MILLESIME (Four-digit year display) with “+” and “–” are placed with the corresponding correctors in the lavish caseband.
To discover more about the Grandmaster Chime view our TechNews series. A series of videos created to provide easily comprehensible, in-depth insights into the design and functionality of Patek Philippe’s horological mechanisms.
Patek Philippe TechNews
Ref. 6300
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