Patek ref. 6002: Return of the most expensive Patek Wristwatch

*A video of the watch can be seen here

The full press release from Patek can be read here

The Patek ref. 5002, also known as the Sky Moon Tourbillon, is truly the stuff of legends. Unlike the stuffy 11 million dollar "pocket" watch or Eric Clapton's 4 million dollar vintage perpetual calendar chronograph, this is a true modern production watch of immense value. The price tag varied from 1.2 million Swiss Francs (Antiquorum auction on May 12th 2013 for a 18K pink gold iteration) to 1.9 million US Dollars (sold on PuristSPro Market Place for a black dialed platinum version). According to Antiquorum the specifications are:

42.8 mm diameter, 18 mm thick
Minute-repeating on cathedral gongs
Chronometer
One minute tourbillon regulator
Perpetual calendar
Flyback retrograde date
Nocturnal sky chart
Moon age
Lunar Orbit
Time of the meridian passage of Sirius
Time of meridian passage of the moon
Solar mean time
Sidereal time
A total production number of 25 pieces during the 8 years it was offered (until 2012)

Patek has now re-released the watch in a similar iteration, the 6002G, but replacing the original hands indicating perpetual calendar with the more elegant apertures. The moon age has also been replaced with a moonphase. Overall, the watch is both simpler (in terms of display) and more complex (in terms of overall apperance). A surprising choice was the use of white gold instead of platinum for the case material, especially considering the exclusivity of platinum and the similar market price of the two metals. No word on pricing yet, but considering the 1.2-1.9 million that the 5002 was being offered for, a price upwards of 2 million USD can be expected.

 The hand engraving is especially done using sharp tools for extreme detail, the central dial is completed using a cloisonné technique (involving the use of gold wire to form separate compartments which are then filled with enamel and fired), and the rest of the dial is made using champlevé (a technique where troughs are made in a metal disc and filled with enamel). The movements used in both 5002 and 6002 watches are almost identical, and the sidereal time and astronomical complication can be set to a city of the owner's choice.

This watch, as many similar pieces, are not meant to be "wearable", but rather as an exposition of skill, or dare I saw celebration of the ingenuity of mankind. As the MIH in La Chaux-de-Fonds states, watches are a representation of the physical universe, and the ability to model such infinite complexity is embodied in the 6002.

Technical data

Patek Philippe "Sky Moon Tourbillon" Ref. 6002

Movement: Caliber RTO 27 QR SID LU CL

Manually wound mechanical movement. Minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar with aperture displays and retrograde date, moon phases, sidereal time, angular progression of the moon

Overall diameter: 38 mm

Height: 12.61 mm

Number of parts: 686

Number of jewels: 55

Power reserve: Min. 38 hours – max. 48 hours

Balance: Gyromax®

Tourbillon: 1 revolution per minute; number of parts: 69; overall weight: 0.3 g

Steel cage; tourbillon, balance wheel, and fourth wheel on one axis

Frequency: 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour (3 Hz)

Balance spring: Breguet

Balance spring stud: Adjustable

Hallmarks: Patek Philippe Seal, rate accuracy certificate for Patek Philippe tourbillon watches

Displays: Front side, dial: Mean solar time in hours and minutes, perpetual calendar with retrograde date, day of week, month, leap year cycle, and moon phases

Back side, sky chart: Sidereal time in hours and minutes, time of meridian passage of Sirius and of the moon, angular progression of the moon, and moon phases.

Minute repeater: Hour, quarter-hour, and minute strikes on two “cathedral” gongs

Features: 

Case: 18K white gold with reliefed engraving

Sapphire-crystal glass front and rear

Dimensions: Diameter 42.80 mm

Height (crystal to back): 16.25 mm

Height (crystal to lugs): 17.35 mm

Crowns: At 4 o'clock to wind the movement and set the hands for mean solar time, hand-engraved

At 2 o'clock to adjust the sky chart, sidereal time, angular position of the moon, and the moon phase, hand-engraved

Slide: In the case flank to actuate the minute repeater Continued 7

Correction push pieces: Date and day between 11 and 12 o'clock (in the case flank) Month between 3 and 4 o’clock

Moon phase between 5 and 6 o'clock

Day of week between 6 and 7 o’clock

Front side: Gold dial with blue enamel in champlevé and cloisonné

Railway-track minute scale integrated in the blue champlevé enamel, Applied Roman numerals in white gold

Date numerals and markers, signature lettering, and movement number painted bright gray

Hands: Hours and minutes: leaf-shaped hands in white gold, hand-engraved

Date: slender double-leaf flyback hand in rhodiumed steel

Back side: Four metallized sapphire-crystal disks (sky chart) Hours and minutes of sidereal time: white counterbalanced baton hands

Strap: Hand-stitched shiny blue alligator with large square scales and handengraved fold-over clasp in 18K white gold