Ever since I got my Dubey & Schaldenbrand split seconds and my pre Daytona chronograph, I definitely acquired a taste for vintage chronos. Then I got the Patek 5370 Grand Complications Split Seconds rep. That really got me into the older Patek chronos. I'm not  a fan of  Patek's current iteration of the chronograph ref 5170 It's elegant, no doubt about that, but like their Calatrava, Perpetual Calendar collections, I feel Patek have gone too far with the simplistic, streamlined curves aesthetic. I prefer their older, busier versions. The opinions of the connoisseur who cannot afford a Patek. This little pictorial will prove my point; I prefer the 2010 or 2013 release. Anyway, I digress, these are the modern versions. Let's look at the vintage one.   The Watch Initially, Patek had the ref 130 chronograph. But at 33mm diameter, there was demand for a larger chronograph, and so the 36mm-36.5m ref 530 was produced. I did not realise the gen is this rare. The 530 was produced from 1937 until 1962, but relatively few were made. They came in mostly yellow gold, rose gold and stainless steel versions. The stainless steel versions were made during the Second World War. These stainless steel ones are sold for crazy prices. A 1942 steel version was auctioned for 680,000 Swiss Francs. While rose gold versions have been sold for USD 250,000 The 530 is astonishingly rare. The figures differ from site to site and dependent on when the article was published but less than 20 of the rose gold versions have been auctioned,  and less than 10 stainless steel versions have appeared in auctions. It's apparently such a legendary piece, that when Patek released the 5170 in 2010, you can tell where they got the inspiration from. Gen Price: Fuck knows, depends on how you auction/sell it. At least USD 250,000 probably.   The Rep I asked around the TDs and only the 5130 from 2010 and 2015 were available. @Alan32Then I stumbled across this on M2M. Snapped it up for a great bargain  Yllekp had it on a rose gold mesh but he included the original rep straps as well. Interestingly, I came across this rep on the gate, the listing claimed ST19 movement and the watch in the photos were exactly like mine. Not gonna risk $300 on da gate! Here you can see I was trembling as I photographed this magnificent gilded beast.    Dimensions The gen case diameter is between 36mm to 36.5mm. Mine measured out to be: Case Diameter: 39.2mm Case Height: 12.2mm Lug Width: 19.5mm Lug-to-Lug: 48.1mm Not very gen like diameter. But I suppose for the modern wearer, the 39mm diameter is a better fit. It's so rare that no one will know if it is off.    Dial Feast on that beautiful white dial! As the production spanned decades, the brand display also reflected the rebranding that Patek was going through.  The older ones would have a comma after "PATEK". In "GENEVE", they retianed the accent on the second "E". The comma and the accent disappear as time goes by. Eventually, even the "& Co" was omitted. On the rep, they might have run out of ink. Because it's a period instead of a comma. Were the repmakers trying to insinuate some sort of boardroom chicanery?    Nah, ink shortage more likely. The GENEVE is also missing an accent. So it is period incongruent. But because of how rare the gen is, and how diverse the dials could be, few would notice. Moved the chrono second for your viewing pleasure. Such a magnanimous chap, me. The 3 o'clock subdial is a 30-minute counter. The subdial is sunken, plain texture just like the gen. The rep also follows the gen in which this subdial hand is blued to match the centre chrono second hand. Small detail, but makes a big difference for the general aesthetic. "SWISS" The repmakers have replicated the iconic arabic numerals for 6 and 12 with tiny hour indices for the remainder. Again, in the gen, there are all sorts of variations across the decades. Some have more arabic numerals, some have dot hour indices. The 9 o'clock subdial is the actual running seconds. It's done cleanly and simply. I'm a huge fan of the tachymetre track. They have placed the tachymetre and minute track so close to each other, making it look super-busy. Love it!   It just keeps going...... Close up of the printing.  The "BASE 1000" can be found either at 11 o'clock or 1 0'clock on the gens. The gen variations muddy the waters once again! The hands are the correct leaf hands. But lengthwise it is off. The hour hand should be just reaching the hour indices, whereas the minute hands should just touch the inner ring of the minute track. The rep hour hand is a tad short while the minute hand is a tad long. You can see how the crystal shape "deforms" the tip of the second hand. Brilliant! Low angle shot.   Movement The watch is powered by a ST19 movement. Reliable, hand wind, fitting for this watch. The down side of this rep is that it's just a flat display crystal. Very rudimentary caseback. It has some perfunctory engravings. Ref 130J is very very off. EDIT: To be fair, since this rep diameter is off anyway, it could be an inaccurate 530 rep or a wildly inaccurate 130 rep. Imagination is your friend.   Case The case is a highly reflective rose gold plated steel case. I would prefer a stainless steel case or even a more traditional yellow gold plating, but when a 530 comes up for a bargain, I couldn't sya no... Curvy lugs   Tab chrono pushers and logo on the crown. Even though it is 12mm in height, it wears quite slim on the wrist. I believe the lugs to help in reducing it's height profile.   Strap, Bracelet, Buckle, Clasp and all the Good Things in Life Decisions.....decisions..... @Glaude When I first got it, I was determined to put the watch back on it's original strap and use the mesh for a different watch. Perhaps a watch with rose gold case and black dial, something with a simple dial. That would look pretty cool. But I figured I should give the mesh a chance and by god it was glorious. On the mesh it stays. Here's how it looks like on the strap. The standard, typical, classy Patek watch. Extreme dressy. I like that it says the right words on the back...hand stitched and everything The buckle detail is actually quite nice. Fine engraving on a small buckle. Look at how the mesh bends and drapes on the surface.... Endless...endless golden mesh.... oh Never heard of the brand. This mesh is also the most comfortable strap I have in my collection.  I quite like the over-the-top, ostentatious bling. that the mesh bracelet brings. I'm sure this would perplex @RussP and his classy gold collection.   Function Of course, with the ST19, you have a reliable chronograph movement. The pushers have a sturdy feel, and the chronograph works like a charm. 30 minute counter works too! @McGilli No lume needed for this watch.  The decadent, opulent shine of the gold will show you the way.   Accuracy If you want to play with a handwind chronograph, make sure you give a few extra winds for good measure. Because if the centre chrono second hand stops halfway, the panic ensues and accuracy of the watch would be the least of your concerns   Overall I'm very glad I got the watch  A fine addition to my slowly growing "vintage" chronos. I'll need to get another gen vintage chrono at some point. The variations in the gen gives this watch quite a bit of leeway in terms of detail accuracy. But that is a moot point because the gen is so rare. In fact, the biggest tell would be me wearing this on my grocery trip to Tesco or Lidl . So few people would even know the details of the gen ref 530. And they probably won't be rubbing shoulders with the likes of me. Fine by me   Side by side with actual vintage 1960s. Wrist shot