We just finished dinner here in Geneva, where Patek Philippe revealed its latest and greatest (seriously, it's a new take on Patek's most complicated wristwatch ever). Tonight, in the private salon above Patek's downtown Geneva boutique, we were shown the Sky Moon Tourbillon Reference 6002. While the technical differences between this Sky Moon and the original (reference 5002) are not extensive, they are there, and where this new reference shines is in its case and dial work.
Let's first cover the technical strengths of the 5002 and the new 6002 Sky Moon tourbillon to see where they differ. Both features 13 complications and two dials. They each possess a minute repeater with two cathedral gongs and a tourbillon; on the front dial, they both indicate standard time and feature a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date and a moonphase display. The rear dials set the stage for astronomical functions: they show the northern sky, sidereal time, and the angular progression and phases of the moon.
But, the 6002, unlike the 5002, indicates the moon phases instead of the moon age, and features apertures instead of hands for the day of the week, month, and leap year displays.
But the biggest differences are physical. Patek calls the Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002 "a sculpture for the wrist." Here's why:
"The case of the Ref. 6002 is a superb oeuvre carved from the massive white-gold blank entirely by hand. The eloquent ornaments, arabesque garlands, and gently curved elements of the Calatrava cross are produced with chip removal techniques using sharp burins that not only incise the precious metal but actually "lift" the decorations out of the gold surface. An involuntary movement or a brief moment of distraction would ruin the case and it would have to be re-melted. But the engraver not only molds the gold in bas-relief but also applies the chisel to sculpt life into the small surfaces between the three-dimensional structures. Thus, more than one hundred hours of work are invested until the engraving alone meets the approval of the master artisan and Patek Philippe's President Thierry Stern. With the same precision and artistry, the engraver uses relief techniques to decorate the minute- repeater slide in the case flank, the two crowns, and the white-gold clasp that locks the strap. The ornaments of the two crowns are as informative as they are decorative: The dynamometric winding crown at 4 o'clock shows an arrow in relief to indicate the direction of rotation, while the moon and stars in relief on the crown at 2 o'clock reveal that it is intended to adjust sidereal time and the celestial functions on the rear dial."
And on the dial side?
"The front dial of the Ref. 6002 is a work of art in its own right. Its small surface unites the skills of many specialists who master milling, applique setting, and ?most spectacularly ?enameling with the champlevé and cloisonné techniques.
The dial is crafted from a thin disk in gold that is milled out until the crisp railway track scale, the surrounds of the dial center, calendar apertures, and moon-phase display stand out in relief. This is followed by the work of the specialized champlevé enameler who fills the recesses around the relief contours with molten enamel by hand. The viscous mixture of vitreous powder, metal oxides for color, and oil is applied with an ultra-fine brush. Even the smallest bounded recesses are carefully filled with enamel. When all recesses have been uniformly filled, the miniature oeuvre is fired in the oven at 850° Celsius.
Conversely, the center of the dial is decorated with so-called cloisonné enamel. This technique involves shaping the contours of the blossoms and leaves using fine, flattened gold wire that must be affixed to the dial. The result of countless hours of painstaking work is numerous separate cells (cloisons) that are then filled with enamel of different shades of blue. Again, the next step is firing and fusing for eternity in an oven at about 850° Celsius.
While most contours in the form of silvery relief structures are embedded in blue enamel, the Roman hour numerals are gold appliques. Other dial elements such as the numerals and the markers of the retrograde calendar scale, the PATEK PHILIPPE GENEVE and TOURBILLON inscriptions, the movement number and the delicately pointed stars are painted bright gray.
The small lunar disk is another fine example of champlevé: the circumference of the moon is elaborated in relief and enclosed with blue enamel. The cratered landscape of the moon's surface is emulated with gradations of white, gray, and black enamel. This represents a huge effort for a single dial element, but it certainly ranks among the most poetic complications imaginable. For a fake watch of the likes of the Sky Moon Tourbillon, no amount of work can be deemed unreasonable when the issue is to pay tribute to the movement that ticks beneath the phenomenal dial."
Sounds complicated, huh? It is, and that's why we let Patek explain it to you themselves above. Like the 5002, this Sky Moon has a caliber with 686 components at just 12.6mm thick - impressive for the level of complexity. There is no word on pricing officially, but the last known price of a Sky Moon was around $1.2 million, so assume the 6002G will be slightly higher.
Here are some live photos of this monster fake watch I took tonight:
And here all the press photos you could ask for:
Patek-philippe Introducing The Patek Philippe ref 5374G 001 Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar 8808