_DC_ 218 Posted January 27, 2016 I've only spent a few hours with this watch but that will have to do as it's shortly going to be heading off to KeNnY for some mods. So what is my first impression?! Well, the first thing that struck me was the proportions. At 41mm I expected it to look and feel big, like the Datograph, especially since it's also 15mm thick, but it actually looks and wears like a 40mm watch. It's tall, no question about that, but you'd expect a split second chrono to be tall so that's fine, the main thing is even on my diminutive wrists it doesn't hang off the sides like the Dato. It's amazing the difference that 1mm and a bit of case contouring actually makes!! The next thing I noticed was the finishing. The mirror polishing is some of the best I've seen and there's a really nice contrast on the case sides which have the brushed mid section, it helps to break up that thickness, a lot of which is worn in the swooping concave bezel (there's also a flat crystal to avoid adding further thickness). So it has a high quality look and feel, which you want from a complicated Patek rep. Also, I am in love with the Breguet numerals, they are just gorgeous and reek of Patek!!! For now it's going back into its packaging ready to head to Matej's workbench, and when it returns home it will find a gloss black Camille Fournet strap waiting for it! For clarification, the chrono is fully functional (though not the split seconds obviously) and the two chrono seconds hands are permanently set 14 seconds apart (which KeNny is going to rectify by lining them up at 12). When you reset the chrono one of the hands points to 12 and the other to 14 seconds past (very annoying)! A few quick pics... Thoughts?! DC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robin195959 2 Posted January 27, 2016 Looks the business DC. Enjoy it when KeNnY is done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmshen 0 Posted January 27, 2016 Looks wonderful. As always, thanks for your write-ups. So, when the chrono goes the two center second hands run in unison at 14 seconds apart? Like a pair of scissor blades rotating? That would be annoying. Getting them re-handed is a smart idea. Anything else special KeNny's going to do? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_DC_ 218 Posted January 27, 2016 Looks wonderful. As always, thanks for your write-ups. So, when the chrono goes the two center second hands run in unison at 14 seconds apart? Like a pair of scissor blades rotating? That would be annoying. Getting them re-handed is a smart idea. Anything else special KeNny's going to do? He's going to paint the chrono hands white like the gen too, that's all this needs though, the rest is all good!! DC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nunu78 1,741 Posted January 27, 2016 Congrats, it's a lovely piece and i know for sure that will be the keeper once it got the Kenny's touch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_DC_ 218 Posted January 27, 2016 Few more pics... and just to show the height and wonderfully finished casework... DC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmshen 0 Posted January 28, 2016 That's not a pusher on the crown is it? It's just a nubbin or nubbin-sake? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dendo 93 Posted January 28, 2016 That's not a pusher on the crown is it? It's just a nubbin or nubbin-sake? Looks decorative - but possibly part of the split second mechanism on the gen - _DC_ over to you mate??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phantomtech 4 Posted January 28, 2016 Looks awesome! Can't wait to see it after the modded white hands... Just curious, how will the hands work after the reset? Wouldn't resetting both hands to zero just eliminate any possibility of showing off that this watch has a split chrono and now it is basically just a fat normal chrono? I know I am probably alone in this but that crystal would've been off to ProfSteve to add his AR straight from the post office. I cannot stand a black dial with a rep crystal... But I guess Patek gen crystals have zero AR so..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plankton 1 Posted January 28, 2016 Nice DC, great choice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakethemouse 0 Posted January 28, 2016 Congrats DC. Can't wait to see it after it receives some kennys magic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adamowski 0 Posted January 28, 2016 Very nice!! Enjoy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
damocles123 0 Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) marvellous watch DC, congrats! Curious about how the split sec hands gona work too after lining them up at 12. Also, can we see a picture of the caseback? Edited January 28, 2016 by damocles123 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_DC_ 218 Posted January 28, 2016 As you all rightly point out, once the hands are aligned at 12 it will work like a normal chrono, but in reality that is all the movement is capable of so having the hands split is pointless, and at least it then partly functions like the gen. I can tell you that the gen never has both hands going round simultaneously 14 seconds apart :P it just looks ridiculous!! It will then look more like the gen when reset to zero... DC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Godfathar 1 Posted January 28, 2016 believe me, that little tiny mod of chrono hand to white, will transform the look of the watch completely.. from experience. it is not as bad as I thought with the thickness. it actually wears well on your wrist. now the wait.. this will kill you slowly.. the wait for the strap plus the wait for KeNny.. but it's all worth it, it's the game after all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeNnY 29 Posted January 28, 2016 Oh yeah, lets do this :kenny: looking forward for this one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kwt 11 Posted January 28, 2016 It looks good mate but you own a lot of Pateks and I think I prefer some of the other ones you have!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Genesis 0 Posted January 28, 2016 It looks amazing DC! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chase0224 0 Posted April 1, 2016 Hey DC im pretty sure the gen does not have a white second hand, you might be thinking of the 5170 which does have the white second hand. Also how does the dial look in person, looks very matte and grainy in the pictures, would you say it has that same effect in person? Looks like two silver second hands to me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_DC_ 218 Posted April 2, 2016 Depends on the lighting in the photograph, look at these... It would appear to be a dull matt white, but does differ from image to image (as do many of Pateks chrono hands)! Either way, it doesn't matter since it was impossible to get the bezel off to access the dial, and it can't be accessed from the caseback, so we couldn't mod the hands anyway! DC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chase0224 0 Posted April 2, 2016 Ahh that's too bad, but I think painting them a bright white would be further from the gen than the current hands anyways. How would you say the rep dial is in person, does it have a matte grainy look to it or is it more glossy? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phantomtech 4 Posted April 3, 2016 Wow so all this waiting was for nothing? By the way, I agree with @chase0224, I have seen plenty images and I think painting the hands white will not be accurate at all, I would have left it to begin with. Same goes for painting the hands on the 5980. I don't get it. On most photos the hands look almost chrome-like.... But what do I know... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_DC_ 218 Posted April 3, 2016 The chrono hands on pretty much all Patek chronos are finished in a matte off white or similar colour, or black for a lot of the white dial ones, the new rose gold 5170 for example it's a creamy light orange colour. This is to differentiate between the hands that tell the time and the hands that show the chrono running seconds and minutes (notice above the chrono minute hand is also in the same colour finish) but also so that it is always visible, as polished finishes become almost invisible when not turned to the light which isn't very useful for a chrono. I wasn't going to get it painted bright white, as I explained I was going for a matte off-white colour! But yes, all this waiting for nothing, but it's not Matej's fault, stupid rep factories didn't put the bezel on properly lining up the grooves to make space for a case opening knife, so couldn't be opened! DC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azmah0 0 Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) On 28/01/2016 at 11:46, Godfathar said: believe me, that little tiny mod of chrono hand to white, will transform the look of the watch completely.. from experience. it is not as bad as I thought with the thickness. it actually wears well on your wrist. now the wait.. this will kill you slowly.. the wait for the strap plus the wait for KeNny.. but it's all worth it, it's the game after all On 02/04/2016 at 11:26, _DC_ said: Depends on the lighting in the photograph, look at these... It would appear to be a dull matt white, but does differ from image to image (as do many of Pateks chrono hands)! Either way, it doesn't matter since it was impossible to get the bezel off to access the dial, and it can't be accessed from the caseback, so we couldn't mod the hands anyway! DC DC Edited October 20, 2018 by azmah0 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
