The Patek Philippe reference 5170 is a historical reference in the brand of manual winding chronographs. It came out in 2010, replacing the popular reference model 5070, and brought a lighter, more wear-resistant case, and more importantly, this is Patek Philippe’s first homemade manual winding chronograph movement.
This example (5170P) has only been produced for two years from 2017 to 2019, and is the last version introduced to the model, ending the ten-year production span for reference. This is a perfect interpretation of the 5170, and a suitable design is used to complete a memorable timepiece. But while the standard 5170P is still an excellent watch, this particular example significantly improves itself with the simple text lines on the “Tiffany & Co.” dial.
If we expand our attention to the infamous Tiffany stamp, we will find an awesome dial. The combination of dark blue gradient color with sunburst texture and grooved sub-base color brings endless fascinating effects, reminiscent of deep sea water, and emits a little sunlight. Combine the dial finish with the baton-shaped rectangular-cut diamond hour markers, and you will find that this watch is a constant dancer in the light. The dial shade and diamond index provide a constantly changing appearance according to the environment. The diamonds on the swiss men watch are usually not my business, but the cutting and implementation methods here keep the overall appearance of the watch gender neutral and not too loud.
To deliberately remove all these glimmers and flashes, white is used on the sub-dial, tachymeter scale, second hand, chronograph minute hand, and minute and hour hands. Even if the shade on the dial changes, the white text and gloss still make the watch clear and easy to read. Although this is a very formal watch, it is also a chronograph, so legibility is key. The 29-535 PS caliber with rapid jumping minute complications further improves clarity.
When the chronograph is running, once the second hand of the stopwatch has finished rotating, the minute hand in the 30-minute sub-dial will immediately jump to the next minute. This makes an accurate reading of the elapsed time insignificant. Such small details help people understand how internal movements optimize the ownership experience.
Patek Philippe’s internal column wheel chronograph movement is the 29-535 PS movement that beat the 5170P movement, which replaced the improved Lémania movement in the brand’s early chronographs. This move towards an internal chronograph movement is a big step for the brand. In fact, they have not done this for more than a century, which explains its difficulty. The movement is printed with the Patek Philippe seal, the movement frequency is 4Hz, and it has a 65-hour power reserve.
The movement is fully visible through the back of the display and, as you might expect, has reached a special standard. There are black polishes and deep tons. Architectural and visual interest are the main reasons why manual-winding chronographs are so popular, and Patek Philippe makes some of the best and most beautiful watches.
In addition to the movement, the biggest feature of 5170P is this situation. It has amazing proportions, with a diameter of 39 mm and a thickness of 8.5 mm. The overall design is classic and timeless, with a simple round shape and thoughtful but not exaggerated character lines. Unlike other reference watches in the series, this case has a minimalist and Calatrava style. I think this style is more elegant and subtle than the bold stepped 42mm 5070 before and the bold 41mm 5172 afterwards. It is made of platinum and is an excellent choice, it helps to maintain the versatility of the watch while maintaining its particularity. In addition, since it is platinum, Patek Philippe placed a top-quality Wesselton diamond between the lugs at six o’clock. This is a meticulous detail recorded by me. I like it very much.
It is difficult to overestimate the particularity of this cheap watch. This is already a frightening reference, but after adding Tiffany & Co. stamps to the dial, it becomes unusually rare. Although no specific figures were disclosed, Tiffany & Co. can only print a few specific types of stamps in a given year. Although this is just a guess, I don’t think it is crazy to have less than 10 5170Ps with Tiffany stamps. The simple co-branding between these two luxury giants automatically obtains any given watch reference and makes it one of the most ideal examples of that reference. For watches like the 5170P that are already extremely important models of the brand, it puts this example on the top of a mountain with a high clock height.