Last week Sylvester Stallone made big headlines.
Not in a new movie.
But by selling a watch.
One he’d never worn.
It shot out of Sotheby’s in New York for $5.4 million (and Patek Philippe are apparently a little annoyed that it was resold).
The Grandmaster Chime is a beautiful watch.
It takes two faces to deliver all the information that the Grandmaster Chime measures.
Advertised as one of the most complicated - perhaps the most complicated - ever made.
But what does that mean?
A complication is just another way to describe a feature delivered mechanically on a watch.
And Sly’s Grandmaster Chime, which isn’t his any more, has 20.
This is what they are and what they mean:
The watch has two dials and can be turned with a simple mechanism so you don’t even have to take the watch off.
Here we refer to the “front” as the face with the traditional 12-hour clock dial on it and the “rear” face as the dial with the perpetual calendar on it.
Movement Power Reserve Indicator
With mechanical power you can’t just look at some battery lights. But, the power reserve can be measured on a watch by minutely measuring the tension left in the main spring of the watch.
This complicated measurement is an extremely rare complication that tells you when you’ll need to rewind your Grandmaster Chime.
Alarm with Strike Time
Alarms are easily enough understood, though to set them and provide the machinery to make them ring out via entirely mechanical means is extraordinary.
An alarm with strike time rings the alarm and also the time at which it goes off.
Strikework Isolator Display
The Grandmaster Chime has two types of chiming and this complication allows the wearer to switch between them, or turn them off, with a single switch.
Second Time Zone Day/Night Indicator
The wearercan see a small day/night indicator on the main face of the watch that records the time in the second time zone.
Hit the button at the top of the crown to chime out the time.
Strikework Mode Display SGP
The SGP here stands for “Silence” and “Grand” and “Petit” sonerie, the three possible chiming settings.
Second Time Zone
The second time zone is set with a second hour hand that can be moved forwards and backwards to the hour.
Crown Position Indicator (RAH)
A small indicator at the bottom right of the dial indicates in which position the crown is: winding R, alarm setting A, or handsetting H.
There's a lot under the bonnet, a broad case and two faces.
Moonphases
Moonphases were initially added to clocks and watches to help sailors who used them in navigation. The extent to which they’re used that way now is debatable, but they are a clever and beautiful addition to any watch or clock.
The moonphase of the Grandmaster Chime shows on the front face.
Grand Sonnerie
The Grandmaster Chime has five acoustic functions, for which it needs 3 gongs and hammers. Grand sonnerie is the most complicated and it chimes the hour, the quarter, and the minutes past the quarter on request.
Petite Sonnerie
Petite sonnerie chimes just the hour and the quarter.
Strikework Power Reserve Indicator
On the front face of the watch is a power indicator for the sonnerie mechanisms.
Minute Repeater
Minute repeaters tell you the time audibly on request. Press a button and the time will ring out in hours, quarters, and then minutes.
Date Display
The Grandmaster Chime incorporates a perpetual calendar that should never need to be adjusted.
The date display is on the front face of the watch.
Month Display
Months are shown on the rear face of the watch in one of four dials there.
24-Hour Dial and Minute Subdial
There is a 24-hour clock dial on the rear face of the watch. While this may appear redundant, 24-hour dials help to keep time and date set accurately.
Date Repeater
A date repeater chimes out the date on request. This has to include two audibly distinct signals to work.
The perpetual calendar is a masterpiece.
Leap Year Cycle
A leap year dial is shown on the rear face of the watch.
Day of Week Display
The perpetual calendar on the rear face includes a day dial (in French, like all the dials, as standard).
Four-Digit Year Display
At the centre of the perpetual calendar display on the rear face is a 4-tumbler display showing the full year in 4 digits.
Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar
The rear face comprises the complete instantaneous perpetual calendar, updating automatically and instantaneously so that the date repeater can chime accurate dates.
The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime is an extraordinary watch.
It will undoubtedly remain in demand and hold its value for generations.
In fact, it’s only likely to get more valuable.
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