Tourbillon Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar 5016J Grey

In Context

At 39.5 mm it sits just under the modern norm — the band that suits the widest spread of wrists. The case back is open, so the movement is visible without taking the watch apart, and the sapphire crystal will resist everything short of deliberate abuse.

The movement is hand-wound, so winding it becomes part of the day rather than something the watch does for you. 48 hours of reserve is enough to set it down on Friday evening and find it still running on Monday. At 21,600 vph the seconds hand advances 6 times a second, the slower and more audible rate of an older design.

5016J Grey is one of 3 executions of the 5016J base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a grey dial and a yellow gold case. Beyond the time it carries a perpetual calendar, a tourbillon and a minute repeater.

The designation lists the contents: R for répétition minutes, TO for tourbillon, 27 for the ébauche diameter, PS for petite seconde, QR for quantième perpétuel rétrograde. Built for reference 5016 between 1993 and 2011, it gathers all of it into a Calatrava case — 506 parts, of which 72 form a tourbillon carriage weighing 0.3 grams. The repeater strikes on two cathedral gongs and the date hand flies back at month's end.

17 other watches in the library run the Patek Philippe R TO 27 PS QR.

Patek Philippe

Tourbillon Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar 5316 Platinum / Blue Sapphire

5316/50P-001 · 40.2 mm

Patek Philippe

Tourbillon Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar 5016 Only Watch 2015

5016A-010 · 39.5 mm

Patek Philippe

WD Tourbillon Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar 5016P White Diamond

5016P · 39.5 mm

Patek Philippe

Tourbillon Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar 5016 Platinum / Champagne Breguet

5016P-012 · 39.5 mm