THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: PATEK PHILIPPE
MODEL: 5350R-001
YEAR: 2007
BOX/PAPERS: YES/YES
CASE DIAMETER: 39MM
CASE MATERIAL: 18K ROSE GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC
In 2005, Patek Philippe launched the “Advanced Research” programme, with a simple concept in mind: “To show the world all the watchmaking knowledge and mastery of Patek Philippe,” as eloquently described by the late Thierry Stern. In a world where genuine technical progress in mechanical watchmaking had become increasingly rare, the programme aimed to develop innovations that truly added value to the quality, precision, and reliability of mechanical watches.
The beginning of the Advanced Research programme is inextricably linked to Silinvar: a patented material based on monocrystalline silicon, developed through a consortium between Patek Philippe, Rolex, the Swatch Group, and the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM). The result was a material that is significantly lighter than steel, stable across a wide temperature range, non-magnetic, and requires no lubrication.
Silinvar first made its way into the debut Advanced Research Patek, the ref. 5250 Annual Calendar, in 2005. A year later, the present ref. 5350R was introduced as a limited edition of just 300 pieces. The ref. 5350R featured the Spiromax balance spring, manufactured from Silinvar, whose intrinsic elasticity remains remarkably consistent across a much wider temperature range than traditional alloys. Equally ingenious was the patented "Patek Philippe terminal curve": a thicker section towards the outer end of the hairspring that compensates for the imbalance created as the spring expands and contracts around its centre of gravity.
Fast forward twenty years, and Spiromax has arguably become the most important innovation to emerge from the Advanced Research programme, finding its way into the vast majority of modern Patek Philippe movements. It all began with this watch: the 5350R. The blueprint came from its cousin, the ref. 5146, introduced a year or two earlier. It features a 39 mm 18K rose gold case measuring just 11 mm thick. Inside beats the automatic calibre 324 S IRM QA LU, beautifully displayed through the sapphire caseback. A magnified section of the crystal allows the owner to admire the Spiromax hairspring in operation. The silver-grey dial is finished with applied gold hour markers, distinctive Explorer-style 3, 6, and 9 numerals, subdials displaying the day, month, and moon phase, and a date aperture at 6 o’clock.
Technicalities aside, the 5350R is simply beautiful on the wrist. The watch comes complete with its original Patek Philippe box (rather than the later Advanced Research presentation box), accessories, and original guarantee papers. With sports models continuing to dominate the conversation around Patek Philippe, watches like this are simply too good to be overlooked.