It has been a long time since Patek Philippe gave us a skeletonized watch, and the Ref. 5180/1 showcased at this year's Baselworld is definitely well worth the wait. Featuring an ultra-thin self-winding caliber 240 movement with a 22K gold mini-rotor integrated into the plate, this watch is simply a joy to behold.

To fully appreciate a skeletonized watch, try imagining the number of days, hours, and minutes it takes to painstakingly chip away the dial, plates, bridges, and cocks to their bare minimun, and still achieve a fully functional timepiece.

On top of that, examine the detailed engraving on these same components, and the differnt types of finishing - all of them done by hand - and you begin to apprehend its worth.

For hour markers, the Ref. 5180/1 has 12 spokes - 'remnants' of the 39 mm white gold casing ring. The spokes are visible from the back, where this part of the sapphire-crystal case has been given a blue tint. Though Patek Philippe has not intended the Ref. 5180/1 to be a special, limited edition, only very few of them would be produced each year.

www.patek.com 

via Watch Tribune