Just launched earlier this year, the Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Ref. 6159G-001 is the latest in a long line of perpetual calendars with retrograde date, dating to 1993 in the modern day and even further with vintage perfect replica watches. Though essentially identical in terms of function and display, the ref. 6159G is the most modern take on the concept to date, while being entirely improved in terms of the movement and case.
The key elements that distinguish the 1:1 fake Patek Philippe ref. 6159G watches are the dial and case: the translucent sapphire dial is tinted in grey and black, while the case sports a bezel and case back finished with clous de Paris guilloche. It’s an unusual combination, but appealing overall, although some elements, like the generous dose of lume, feel out of place.
Initial thoughts
Patek Philippe’s catalogue is still mostly classically oriented, with wholesale copy watches UK like the Calatrava ref. 6196P capturing the traditional Patek Philippe style. But the brand has been moving towards a more modern aesthetic. Not all the attempts in the direction have been successful, but the ref. 6159G fortunately manages to do it well.
Being modern in flavour also sets the ref. 6159G apart from its predecessors like the ref. 5159. While earlier generations of the retrograde perpetual calendar were fairly evolutionary in style, the Patek Philippe ref. 6159G replica watches for sale is visually unique.
Fundamentally, the ref. 6159G is not exceptionally novel – but it looks good. The hobnail bezel and sapphire dial is a surprising combination; the former is old school while the latter is clearly 21st century. Somehow they go well together.
The tinted sapphire dial is novel for Swiss made copy Patek Philippe watches, but not the wider industry. Such dials are fairly common, employed by A. Lange & Söhne since 2010 with its first Lumen model, and more recently Hermes.
But best replica Patek Philippe watches only launched its first tinted sapphire dial in 2023 with the ref. 5316/50P-001, a grand complication with minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and tourbillon – and million-dollar price tag. The ref. 6159G, on the other hand, has essentially the same look for a tenth the price – though it’s hard to argue that this is a value proposition.
I appreciate Patek Philippe’s efforts to refresh its style, but not everything fits perfectly into place. The hands and markers are arguably a bit too large and modern – they look more at home on sports super clone watches paypal – and the fabric strap doesn’t quite fit either (but the new double-fold clasp is a big step forward).
In terms of mechanics, the base movement and perpetual calendar module are both impressively thin in the typical Patek Philippe style, while also containing various innovations like LIGA wheels with integrated sprung teeth. At 11.45 mm high, the case isn’t ultra thin by any measure, but the Swiss movements replica watches feels thin and elegant, which speaks to the effective of Patek Philippe’s house style.
But the innovation in the movement is largely incremental, since both the base calibre and calendar mechanism are descended from the original of 1993. Given the retail price of the China duplicate Patek Philippe ref. 6159G watches – which is almost US$125,000 – an all-new approach to the movement is justified, especially since the competition like Audemars Piguet and Lange have advanced in terms of calendar mechanisms.
Retrograde perpetual
The retrograde perpetual calendar has a long history at Patek Philippe, starting all the way back in 1937 with a unique ref. 96 that sold at Antiquorum in 2002 for over CHF1.4 million and is now in the Patek Philippe Museum. It took until 1993 for the complication to enter regular production, but the retrograde perpetual calendar has been a fixture in the Patek Philippe catalogue since then.
The modern-day retrograde perpetual calendars adopted the style established by the ref. 96 of 1937, with the day and month in windows and the retrograde date on a fan-shaped scale across the dial. All high quality fake watches since the 1993 original have retained the same layout thanks to a movement that has evolved over the years but remained the same at its core.
Prior versions of the retrograde perpetual calendar felt evolutionary in terms of style. In contrast, the ref. 6159G looks and feels extremely different from its predecessors, even though it is largely identical at its core.
Interestingly, the AAA+ cloning Patek Philippe ref. 6159G watches returns to the ref. 96 case, albeit on a much larger scale than the 1937 original. It’s 39.5 mm in diameter and 11.45 mm, but camouflaged slightly by the hobnail bezel, but the ref. 96 outline is still recognisable. In fact, the case is identical in many ways to that of the Calatrava ref. 6119.
The case is 18k white gold and entirely polished (and maybe rhodium plated), as is the norm for top quality fake Patek Philippe complicated watches. It’s a delicate finish that shows off even the most minor of scratches and scuffs, but the case looks appealingly shiny when new.
Actually largish compared to the average Patek Philippe perpetual calendar, the case sits flat on the wrist and appears slimmer than it actually is, thanks in part to the bezel.
Hobnail bezels have been a recurring theme in the Patek Philippe catalogue since the ref. 3919 of 1985. The pattern has also migrated onto the case band where it is more complicate to apply but more subtle in effect.
This type of bezel is not often found on complicated replica watches paypal, but here the clous de Paris finish works well. In fact, the bezel fits the design better than on the ref. 6119, perhaps because of the more complex dial.
According to Patek Philippe, the hobnail bezel is done the old fashioned way, on a guilloche engine, much like how a dial would be decorated. This is a nice touch and underlines the strength of the brand’s in-house case making operation.
The sapphire dial on the ref. 6159G is almost identical to that on its more expensive cousin, the Patek Philippe Grand Complication ref. ref. 5316/50P knock off watches for men.
Translucent or transparent dials work best when the under-dial works are interesting, which is usually the case for a perpetual calendar. Because the dial is tinted, the calendar mechanism is not entirely revealed, but enough can be seen that the dial boasts lots of detail.
The monochromatic appearance of the tinted sapphire results in an X-ray-like effect that is helped by the black-grey moon phase disc, though the brass wheel for the month is congruent.
The dial itself is a disc of clear sapphire that is sprayed with black lacquer around its edge, resulting in the smoked finish that darkens towards the bezel. The frames for the calendar, on the other hand, are metallised, which means metal vapour deposition forms the frames. As a result, the frames are flatter and finer than if they were traditional appliqués as they are on the ref. 5316/50P.
The cal. 26-330 S QR inside the ref. 6159G is made up of the base calibre, the cal. 26-300, and the retrograde perpetual calendar module on top. Both are descended from earlier generations of the same.
The base movement has its roots in the cal. 315 and then cal. 324, Patek Philippe copies cheap UK watches‘ family of workhorse central-rotor automatic movements. Even though the movement is a workhorse, the cal. 26-330 is still slim and refined industrial haute horlogerie in the usual Patek Philippe style.
The movement is tidily finished, and noticeably more decorative and less industrial than its predecessors from 15 or 20 years ago. Movement finishing aside, the hobnail guilloche is not the usual decoration encountered on the back but it is beautiful and adds to the appeal.
Launched in 2019, the cal. 26-330 is recognisable as having been derived from the earlier cal. 324, but it has been upgraded substantially. Most notably, it gained a hacking seconds as well as anti-backlash wheels for the indirect centre seconds. While those are amongst the more obvious improvements, the cal. 26-330 was thoroughly revised and upgraded over its predecessor.
That said, the cal. 26-330 is still an incremental improvement of a movement construction that is several decades old, unlike say the cal. 30-255 that is a new construction. Because of that, it has limitations, including a 45-hour power reserve that is short by modern standards. Granted, that is not crucial for an automatic movement per se, but it is still something to consider.
Similarly, the calendar mechanism is an evolution of the original, upgraded and refined in many ways, but still the same module at heart. It is an old-school “grand lever” type calendar mechanism, which relies on multiple recessed pushers for setting as well as a no-adjustment period around midnight. In other words, it is quite inconvenient to set.
Swiss replica watches of this price should contain a more advanced movement, which I am sure Patek Philippe has in the pipeline and will probably in introduced in the coming years.
Concluding thoughts
The ref. 6159G is atypical for Patek Philippe with its fresher, modern style, but unexpectedly appealing. It still looks and wears like a Patek Philippe.
But like most best-selling imitation Patek Philippe watches, the ref. 6159G is priced steeply, which should entail a more sophisticated movement.