Earlier this year, Patek Philippe released a limited edition Aquanaut Travel Time Ref. 5650G, with the latest technology developed by its advanced research plan. With its extraordinary aesthetics and impressive technological progress, it quickly became one of the most watched watches at Baselworld. Today, we will personally experience this incredible timepiece to further understand what Patek Philippe calls “two important innovations in the field of watch design” and understand the practicality of this watch in daily wear and use.
Patek Philippe Advanced Research
For many people, Patek Philippe is a well-known but conservative watch brand that focuses on traditional design and historical complexity. Despite the truth in the description, the Geneva-based watchmaker is highly innovative, constantly seeking to develop new technologies and improve existing ones. In its long history of 178 years, Maison has developed many complex functions, displays and technical solutions, including the patented Gyromax balance in 1949/1951, which can adjust the balance without changing the length of the automatic winding device. inertia. The hairspring, and of course the invention of the 1996 calendar. It is this pioneering spirit that prompted the establishment of the Patek Philippe Advanced Research Project in the early 2000s.
The turn of the century was a very fruitful period for the watchmaking industry. It adopted new technologies, especially the research and development of new materials. A material that has caused widespread controversy has now been widely used and accepted. Patek Philippe noticed the increasing importance of this material and its related manufacturing processes (such as LIGA and DRIE technology), so it quickly took action. The company always puts independence in the first place, so it chooses to focus on working closely with independent development institutions, such as the CSEM research laboratory and the Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne), which operates the world’s leading micromachines and electronics graduate School. In Neuchatel. Patek Philippe researchers also often collaborate with colleagues from other highly regarded manufacturers, but the main focus is on creating proprietary innovations.
The purpose of the manufacturer to establish this project is to initiate an avant-garde innovation plan to enrich traditional development activities with research in the fields of “new materials”, “new manufacturing technologies” and “new concept foundations”. The first major development was Silinvar®, a patented material based on monocrystalline silicon, jointly developed by Patek Philippe, Rolex and Swatch Group, and Neuchâtel’s CSEM, and launched in 2005. In addition to being almost unaffected by temperature, this new material has a temperature range of -10°C to +60°C. It is very lightweight (only 1/3 of the mass of steel, and twice the hardness), and no lubrication is required. , Corrosion resistance and anti-magnetic.
In the same year, the first escape wheel made of Silinvar® came out, installed in the limited edition Ref. 5250 calendar Patek Philippe Advanced Research. Aesthetically, this watch looks very classic, but Ref. Sapphire display back cover. The 5250 displays a magnifying glass on the escape wheel, and uses a special bridge structure to make this innovative escape wheel unobstructed.
Since then, advanced research projects have carried out several notable innovations, including the Spiromax® balance spring made by Silinvar® (2006), the Pulsomax® escapement system made by Silinvar® (2008) and the Oscillomax® escapement system ( Pulsomax® escapement system with GyromaxSi® balance spring and Spiromax® balance spring (2011). Like the initial unveiling of the Silinvar® escape wheel, every time a new technology is introduced, the manufacturer will launch a special limited edition timepiece, which is This watch is the first to be given the latest solution. Patek Philippe Advanced Research Company. Each model of the dial has a unique classic design aesthetic-consistent with the design we adopted from Patek Philippe-and is used to showcase the movement The latest innovative sapphire exhibition back cover.
Aquanaut travel time reference. The 5650 continues the proud tradition of the Patek Philippe senior research team to showcase the latest technology in limited edition timepieces, despite some significant differences. First of all, this is the first advanced research model that is not fully introduced. This is also the first calendar without an annual or perpetual calendar. Finally, it is more obvious that a technological innovation displayed is boldly displayed on the dial side, making the appearance of this watch more futuristic than what we see from Patek Philippe. Before we start focusing on aesthetics-we will talk about it later-let’s talk more about these two innovations.
More than ten years have passed since Patek Philippe launched the Spiromax® hairspring, and since then, the company has been working hard to make it better. After several years of research and development, the manufacturer introduced a new spring and saw that the original external boss is now paired with the internal boss. The outer boss, also known as the Patek Philippe end curve, improves the isochronism of the balance wheel in all positions by ensuring that the balance spring expands and contracts fully concentrically. On the contrary, the internal boss can offset the change in the position of the center of gravity to ensure the highest speed accuracy in the vertical direction. This means that regardless of its direction, the Discount aaa watches will not run faster or slower.
Due to the development of these new technologies, Patek Philippe announced that the watch equipped with this new balance spring can adjust the average speed of -1 to +2 seconds every 24 hours. The Patek Philippe seal imposes very strict requirements on all manufacturers’ mechanical watches. The average movement rate for diameters greater than 20 mm must be between -3 and +2 seconds per day. For Patek Philippe tourbillon timepieces, the tolerance is 3 seconds per 24 hours, which means that the balance spring equipped with the new Spiromax® balance spring can match the speed accuracy of the Patek Philippe movement to the tourbillon. The purpose is to gradually integrate the balance spring with this geometric shape into the current production plan, which shows that the role of advanced research projects is to benefit the entire Patek Philippe production, and of course, ultimately benefit the owner of the watch.
The second innovation displayed on the dial side of the watch is a time zone correction system that uses a single flexible steel sheet to adjust the GMT indicator back and forth. The main part of the mechanism consists of four intersecting leaf springs-two for each corrector button (one for the setting rod and one for the beak to advance the gear rim), each with a defined pressure point . Each individual leaf spring is very thin and separated from each other by a distance of only 150 microns. The development of the entire system also uses traditional watch steel manufacturing, so complex computer simulation and more than 500 hours of computer modeling are required. Then, cutting-edge computer programmable machines are used to make parts, which explains why it was not feasible to use simple steel to make such technological advances.
The results are really impressive. Prior to the development of this new part, the standard GMT mechanism consisted of 37 individual parts. Now it has been reduced to only 12 parts, and perhaps more importantly, no gears or pivots. This means that there is no mechanical clearance, friction and tool bar wear, which means that there is no lubricant function. This also means faster assembly-with only 4 screws to hold them together-with a flatter profile (1.24mm vs. 1.45mm). What’s exciting is that according to the brand, the first entry into the new field of “flexible mechanisms” was inspired by Professor Henein, who was sponsored by Patek Philippe as the chairperson and opened up many future applications of mechanical timepieces A whole new vision. In other words, pay attention to this space. wholesale watches replica