MY WATCH STORY: Julian’s Patek Philippe 5975-R (175th anniversary multi-scale chronograph)

Felix Scholz

Beautiful watch – tell us a little bit about it.
It’s the Patek 5975 in rose gold. It’s a special multi-scale chronograph Patek made to commemorate their 175th anniversary. I applied to get the platinum version, but the rose gold was what I was offered, and given that it’s limited to 400 pieces, I was happy to get it. I really love the soft rose gold of the case. I find gold watches can sometimes be a bit stark, but that’s not an issue with rose gold.

What’s it like to wear?
I generally wear small vintage pieces, so this is a big change for me. It’s 40mm in size – one of the biggest watches I own – and has a presence on the wrist. However,the case has lovely features including the deco style stepped lugs, which seem to soften things. The vintage appearance makes the watch wear smaller than its measurements.

There’s a lot going on in that dial – pulsometer, telemeter and a tachymeter! Is it hard to tell the time?
At first glance it does look very busy, with lots of numbers and curves. It also lacks the elapsed time subdials you’d normally associate with a chronograph, so it’s a bit of a different look. But somehow the gold dauphine hands stand out well against the lighter silver opalescent dial. I’m not really distracted by all the numbers unless I look carefully. A glance is enough to get the time.
Another positive is that my wife – who often doesn’t like what I buy – loved it. She said it was the best looking piece in my collection, and that’s good enough for me.

What else do you like about it?
The whole presentation of the watch is on another level. It comes in a lovely dark mahogany box with the Patek Calatrava cross as a handle, and there’s a special anniversary medal, too. All these little touches add to a very special piece.