SuitbertW
2411
*Basel 2007* New Ref. 5098
New Ref. 5098
Press release
Gondolo
Patek Philippe Geneva
April 2007
In good form: the new Patek Philippe Ref. 5098 Chronometro Gondolo
A genuine surprise by Patek Philippe at this year’s BASELWORLD is a watch of great poise
with an evocative name: Chronometro Gondolo. In 1927, the last watch of this series was
issued from Geneva. Now, 80 years later, the legend is reborn.
The new tonneau watch bears a name that resonates in the heart of every connoisseur. Particularly
in Brazil, the name Patek Philippe Chronometro Gondolo inspires awe among collectors and
aficionados. A hundred years ago, Patek Philippe was a synonym for watch in this country on the
equator. “My Patek says it’s half past two”, people would state, even if they were not wearing a
timepiece from the eminent manufacture in Geneva. Chronometro Gondolo was the name of an
entire suite of watch models created by Patek Philippe explicitly for the Gondolo & Labouriau jewelry
and watch retail company in Rio de Janeiro. For this once so important buyer, the workshops crafted
the exclusive Chronometro Gondolo collection for nearly thirty years. It featured square and
rectangular as well as tonneau- and cushion-shaped cases. This is why Gondolo remains the name
chosen for all current form watches made by Patek Philippe in Geneva. Now, the collection has just
been enriched with the new, exclusive Chronometro Gondolo Ref. 5098P. It transports the design of
the historic 1925 Chronometro Gondolo into the new millennium with perfect aplomb.
Historic Predecessor from 1925
The tonneau is one of the classic case shapes in watchmaking, and it has never been as
consummately refined as for the Ref. 5098. Departing from a 1925 Chronometro Gondolo model,
the case design was subtly reworked, the contours delicately retouched, and the silhouette gently
cambered for a snug, comfortable fit on the wrist. The curvature is also repeated in the crystal and
display back. It takes advanced technologies and rare skills to shape sapphire crystal, an extremely
hard mineral, to three-dimensional contours. The result is an aesthetically appealing case –
available exclusively in platinum – with a beautifully balanced look and the functionality needed to
protect the precious manufacture movement inside. Like all current Patek Philippe models with
platinum cases, the new Chronometro Gondolo Ref. 5098P has a small diamond discreetly set
between the lugs at 6 o’clock. The watch is worn on a matte black alligator strap with a platinum
prong buckle inspired by its historic predecessor.
A new Patek Philippe form movement
The mechanical movement of the new Chronometro Gondolo Ref. 5098P was developed especially
for this watch. It is the manually wound caliber 25-21 REC PS (REC stands for rectangular), the
manufacture’s first simple form movement since its famous 1930s and 1940s predecessors,
including the 9-90 caliber that was introduced in 1934 and built for more than thirty years. Together
with the 25-21 REC, the Patek Philippe portfolio of manufacture movements currently encompasses
23 basic calibers that are crafted in 45 versions. In decisive details, its architecture follows the
formal design that accounted for the beauty of the Chronometro Gondolo movements of the early
20th century. This applies to the elegant, S-shaped minute-wheel bridge and the slender escapewheel
and fourth-wheel bridges that afford a generous glimpse of the rest of the movement. Patek
Philippe’s proprietary Gyromax balance is one of the contemporary features of the watch. The
movement beats at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 semi-oscillations per hour) to assure aboveaverage
rate accuracy and convenient adjustability for long-term precision.
A face that reflects the times
The dial of the Ref. 5098P is as authentic as its 1925 precursor. It is a miniature work of art in
rhodiumed gold, with a gentle curvature that extends to the horns. Its center and the zones outside
the oval railway-track minute scale are carefully guilloched by hand. Guilloching has become a rare
craft and this watch is a fine example of meticulous artisanship. The oval hour scale lies between
these guilloché zones, and cartouches at 12 and 6 o’clock showcase the brand name “Patek
Philippe Geneve” as well as the model designation “Chronometro Gondolo.” Two pear-shaped
hands in black oxidized gold hover above the dial and move with chronometric precision.
Gondolo & Labouriau: a legendary name
On the 12th of November 1872, Patek Philippe shipped a pocket watch to Gondolo & Labouriau in
Rio de Janeiro. This marked the beginning of a long-lasting business relationship. In 1902, it
culminated in a watch collection that Patek Philippe had designed explicitly for its Brazilian retailer:
thus, he Chronometro Gondolo was born. In turn, Gondolo & Labouriau devised a totally new sales
strategy especially for this watch collection. Since the sales price of 790 Swiss francs was roughly
equivalent to what a qualified worker in Brazil earned in an entire year, customers were offered an
attractive payment scheme: 10 francs a week for a maximum of 79 weeks and admission to an
exclusive club with 180 members that operated the Plano do Club Patek Philippe System. Clubs like
these were considered private societies and did not fall under the ban on public gambling. Indeed,
the Plano do Club Patek Philippe System was a lottery in which one Chronometro Gondolo was the
prize in each of 79 consecutive weekly drawings. The first winner received his watch for free, while
the winners of the 78 subsequent drawings had to pay an amount between 10 and 780 francs for
their watches. The remaining 101 members had no option but to pay the full price.
The first Chronometro Gondolo wristwatches – in square, rectangular and tonneau styles, and also
in a cushion-shaped carré cambré version – appeared around 1910. For this reason, all current
Patek Philippe form watches – models whose cases are not circular – belong to the so-called
Gondolo collection. In the second half of the Roaring Twenties, the global business climate began to
chill and the last Chronometro Gondolo watch was delivered to Rio de Janeiro in 1927. Now, after a
hiatus of 80 years, the collection is experiencing a spectacular comeback.
Greetings from Basel
Suitbert
This message has been edited by SuitbertW on 2007-04-11 03:00:37
*Basel 2007* New Ref. 5098
