Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/09/14/patek-philippe-5270p-perpetual-calendar-chronograph-reviewed-by-tim-mosso/
—————————————————————————————————–
At 32mm fully dressed with calendar gear, the CH 29-535 movement is sized for modern watches.
Since the Datograph arrived in 1999, debate has raged over who carries the true mantle of chronograph caliber beauty, Lange or Patek. Assuming we stick to major brands, that’s a hard match to call. Lange certainly held pole position in ’99, but Patek caught up with a vengeance.
Movement of the Patek Philippe 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
Every part of this movement is a gilded lily in its own right, but the composition of shape, size, and relative position also imparts architectural grace separate from the degree of decoration.
For example, consider the delicate steel chronograph clutch with its tapered points, chaton-style jewel settings, and the hand-in-glove junction with its anchoring bridge: beautiful.
Then there’s the showpiece of the entire caliber, a black polished and capped column wheel. Often described as a “Geneva style,” the cap on the column wheel has functional roots.
Beautiful movement finishing of the Patek Philippe 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
Once upon a time – that being the pocket watch era – a capped column wheel was considered a practical measure to prevent shock from launching the levers, horns, hammers, and clutch out from between the crenelated towers of the wheel.
Today, the mirror polished cap is a skill-check expected on Patek’s lateral clutch chronographs. Don’t take this grace for granted just because we’re talking about Patek Philippe; the “column wheel” in the mass-produced CH 28-520 vertical clutch chronograph is more of a cam than a column wheel, and it lacks all beauty.
At Patek Philippe, lateral clutch chronographs are considered the premium offering in the model line despite certain technical deficiencies relative to vertical ones.
There are reasons. First, a lateral clutch is beautiful, and a vertical clutch is invisible. Aside from certain Roger Dubuis calibers, I can’t think of any vertical clutches designed to be seen.
Chronograph clutch levers of the Patek Philippe 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
Second, lateral clutches require disciplined adjustment, and this takes time. While vertical clutch systems go together like Legos, the lateral ones require more attention.
See that tension spring on the backside of the clutch? It needs to be bent manually from time to time. Too much meshing tension of the clutch to the chronograph center wheel, and the movement will slow unacceptably. Too little tension, and the chronograph might skip or fail to drive.
—————————————————————————————————–
Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/09/14/patek-philippe-5270p-perpetual-calendar-chronograph-reviewed-by-tim-mosso/
