Minute Repeater 5078 White Gold / Arabesque Enamel

In Context

At 38 mm it sits just under the modern norm — the band that suits the widest spread of wrists. At 10.18 mm thick it is about average for a modern wristwatch. 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 winds itself from the motion of your wrist. 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.

5078G-010 is one of 2 executions of the 5078G base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a black dial and a white gold case. Beyond the time it carries a minute repeater.

The R 27 PS is Patek Philippe's automatic minute repeater on a micro-rotor. It returned the repeater to the catalogue in 1989 for the company's 150th anniversary and is the base of every Patek repeater since. It powers 15 watches in this library. A minute repeater strikes the hours, quarters and minutes on two gongs when a slide is pressed, and building one on a self-winding movement was rare; Patek used the micro-rotor of its ultra-thin [240](/calibers/patek-philippe-240), recessed into the plate, so the striking works could sit beside it without adding height. The result is 28 mm across with 39 jewels, a 48-hour reserve and a beat of 21,600 vph, with a small seconds. The [240 piece](/blog/patek-philippe-caliber-240) explains the base. In the library it powers 15 [Grand Complications](/brands/patek-philippe/grand-complications): the 5078 and 5178 at 38 mm, the ladies' 7000 at 33.7 mm, and the 5750 Advanced Research Fortissimo of 2021 with its amplifying "fortissimo" module. 4 are limited editions, and the glossary defines the [grand complication](/glossary/grand-complication). The [R 27 Q](/calibers/patek-philippe-r-27-q) adds a perpetual calendar, and the [R TO 27 PS](/calibers/patek-philippe-r-to-27-ps) a tourbillon.

14 other watches in the library run the Patek Philippe R 27 PS.

Patek Philippe

Minute Repeater 5079 Pragnell

5079R · 38 mm

Patek Philippe

Minute Repeater 5078

5078R-001 · 38 mm

Patek Philippe

Minute Repeater 7000 White Gold New York

7000/250G-010 · 33.7 mm

Patek Philippe

Minute Repeater 5078 White Gold / Cream

5078G-001 · 38 mm