Patek Philippe calibres

Patek Philippe has long been known as a producer of some of the finest watch movements known.

Nomenclature

Most Patek Philippe calibres carry a numeric identifier. When identifying a movement, it is common only to refer to the number and any prefix. For example, Calibre R 27 PS QR would be referred to as "Calibre R 27" generally, while Calibre 324 S C might typically and properly be called "Calibre 324" or "PP 324".

Most historic Patek Philippe movements are identified by a two-part number. The first part was the size of the movement, first in ligne and later in millimeters with the second being a unique calibre number. For example, Cal. CH 28-520 C is a 28 mm chronograph movement and Cal. 10-200 is 10 ligne across.

Today, Patek generally uses simply a model number as the base indicator, though most of their chronograph calibres and historic pieces still use the old "dash" nomenclature.

Complications

Historically, Patek Philippe would also add a numeric indicator of the module added for complications, such as 315/290.

However, in recent decades, the company has taken to using a number of alphabetical abbreviations indicating the complications present. Note that Patek does not always indicate every complication present but only the most notable and distinctive to this particular calibre.

• C - "Representatives calendar" - Date window or pointer
• CH - "Chronographe" - Chronograph
• CL - "Ciel" - Celestial display
• FUS - "Double Fuseau" - Dual time display
• HU - "Heure Universelle" - World time indicator
• IRM - "Indicateur de Réserve de Marche" - Power reserve indicator
• J - "Jour" - Day window
• LEP - "Lépine" - Lépine configuration
• LU - "Phases de Lune" - Moon phase
• PS - "Petite Aiguille de Seconde" - Small seconds
• Q - "Quantième Perpétuel" - Perpetual calendar
• QA - "Quantième Annuel" - Annual calendar
• QI - "Quantième Perpétuel Instantané" - Perpetual calendar with instant change
• QR - "Quantième Rétrograde" - Perpetual calendar with retrograde date indicator
• R - "Répétitions minutes" - Minute repeater (typically listed before the calibre number)
• REC - "Rectangulaire" - Tonneau shape
• REG - "Affichage de Type Régulateur" - Regulator configuration
• S - "Seconde au Centre" - Central seconds
• SAV - "Savonette" - Savonette or hunter configuration
• SID - "Temps Sidéral" - Sidereal time
• SQU - "Squelette" - Skeletonized
• TO - "Tourbillon" - Tourbillon (typically listed before the calibre number)
• 8J - "8 Jours" - 8-day power reserve
• 24H - "Indication 24 Heures" - 24 hour or 12-hour plus day/night indicator

Hand Winding

• Tonneau
  • Cal. 8-80 (1934-1960) - Small movement for ladies watches, 3,918 made
  • Cal. 25-21 (-current)
  • Cal. 28-20 (-current)
  • Cal. 9-90 (1934-1987) - 19,800 A/h, 18 jewels, Gyromax added later, 17,890 made, references 425/1, 494, 528 562, 564, 579, 596, 1434, 1450, 1480, 1482, 1507, 1553, 1593, 2495, 2440, 2441, 2442, 2443, 2456/1, 2471, 2503, 2517, 2519
• 13.5 ligne
  • Cal. 13.5-320 (1959-1971) - 25,000 made
• 7 ligne
  • Cal. 7-70 (1941-1969) - 11,780 made
  • Cal. 16-250 (-current) - 28,800 A/h, Patek's smallest modern movement
• 8 ligne
  • Cal. 8-85 (1936-1967) - 8,300 made, references: 556, 560, 576, 588, 589, 1421, 1478, 3424/1
• 9 ligne - First produced in 1930
  • Cal. 175 - 18,000 A/h (Piguet 21 ebauche)
  • Cal. 177 (-current) - 21,600 A/h (Piguet 21 ebauche)
• 10 ligne
  • Cal. 10-105 (1939-1946) - Small seconds, 1,914 made, references: 1406, 1410, 1413, 1414
  • Cal. 10-110 (1940-1950) - Small seconds, 2,463 made, references: 1428, 1469, 1525, 1537, 1539, 1542, 1548, 1551
  • Cal. 10-200 (1946-1965) - Small seconds, 20,197 made, references: 431, 482, 1419 (also with Cal. 10-105), 1458 (also with Cal. 10-105), 1519, 2407, 2408, 2440, 2488, 2496, 2501, 2527, 2528, 2546, 2547, 2548, 2549/1, 2549/2, 3496
  • Cal. 23-300 (1956-1975) - 21,600 A/h, small seconds, references: 2592, 2594/10, 3405A, 3412, 3413, 3548
  • Cal. PP 215 (1974-current) - 28,800 A/h Gyromax, small seconds
• 12 ligne
  • Cal. 12-120 (1935-1953) - Small seconds, 24,188 made, references: 96, 1435, 1510, 1527, 1528, 1534, 1543, 1565, 1571, 1582, 1583, 1584, 2405, 2428, 2431, 2439, 2459, 2478, 2511
    • PP12-? (1938-1950) - references: 96 SC, 592, 1497, 1536
    • Cal. 12-120 HU (1939-) - World time
    • Cal. 12-120 Q (1942-1952) - 210 made, perpetual calendar, Ref. 1526
    • PP 12-SCQ (1944-1947) - Perpetual calendar, center seconds, 12 made, Ref. 1591
  • Cal. 12-400 (1950-1961) - Small seconds, 10,000 made, references : 2532, 2536, 2537, 2538/1, 2560, 2569 2570
  • Cal. 27-SC (1946-1970) - Direct central seconds and minutes, 12,879 made, references: 2457, 2460, 2467, 2467, 2481, 2482, 2508, 2514
    • 27-SCQ (1952-1963) - Perpetual calendar, moon phase, 179 made, Ref. 2438/1, 2497
  • Cal. 27-400 AM (1960-1983) - Antimagnetic, 5,222 made
  • Cal. 27-460 (1960-1970) - 6,900 made
• 13 ligne
  • Cal. 13 Q (1930) - Split-seconds chronograph, 3 made
  • Cal. 13 Q (1950-1985) - Perpetual calendar, moon phase, 349 made, Ref. 2499
  • Cal. 13-130 (1950's) - Chronograph (Valjoux 23 ebauche), references: 130, 1463, 3670
• 17 ligne
  • Cal. 17-140 and 17-145 - Lepine pocket watch
  • Cal. 17-170 - Lepine pocket watch
  • Cal. 17-210 - Lepine pocket watch
  • Cal. 17-250 - Lepine pocket watch
  • Cal. 1-17 (-current) - Lepine pocket watch with power reserve indicator

Hand Winding Chronograph

• CH 27-70 - 1986- - Based on Lemania 2310
• CH R 27-525 (2005-current)
• CH R 29-535 (-current)

Automatic

Patek Philippe's first automatic watch movement, Cal. 12-600 AT, is also one of its best. Introduced in 1953 and improved (as Cal. 27-460) in 1960, this movement lasted in production for 32 years. Its successor was the micro-rotor Cal. 240, introduced in 1977 and still in use today.

The quest for a thinner and simpler movement has not been so straightforward. Patek Philippe tried peripheral rotor technology with the ill-fated Cal. 350 before turning to Jaeger-LeCoultre to supply a replacement, Cal. 28-255. This was replaced by Cal. 335, another in-house disappointment, which was quickly refined and replaced by Cal. 315. It was not until the 2004 introduction of Cal. 324 that Patek Philippe could claim to have a solid high-beat "workhorse" automatic movement of their own.

High-End

• Cal. 12-600 AT (1953-1960) - Central rotor 19,800 A/h, 7,100 made
  • Cal. 27-460 (1960-1985) - Central rotor 19,800 A/h, 6,900 made
• Cal. PP 240 - (1977-current) - micro-rotor 21,600 A/h Gyromax, 2.4 mm thin for perpetual calendar use
• Cal. 31-260 (-current) - micro-rotor regulator

Mainstream

• Cal. PP 350 - Peripheral rotor 21,600 A/h
• Cal. 28-255 (1970-1980) - Central rotor 19,800 A/h JLC 920 ebauche, replaced by PP 335 and PP 315.
• Cal. PP 335 (1980-1984) - Central rotor 28,800 A/h
  • Cal. PP 310 (1980-1984) - Reduced-height PP 335
• Cal. PP 315 (1984-present) - Central rotor 21,600 A/h
  • Cal. PP 330 (1984-present) - Modified calendar from PP 315
• Cal. PP 324 (2004-current) - Central rotor 28,800 A/h

Automatic Chronograph

• Cal. CH 28-520 (-current) - Central rotor automatic chronograph

Quartz

• Cal. E 19
• Cal. E 23
• Cal. E 27
• Cal. E 15 (-current)
• Cal. E 23-250 (-current)

High Horology

• R TO 27 (-current) - Tourbillon repeater with micro-rotor
• Cal. R 27 (-current)
  • R 27 PS, R 27 PS QR, R 27 PS QR LU, R 27 Q, R CH 27 PS QI

External Links

• Patek Philippe Timeline - The First 120 Years