Is this for real? 4.5 years for one watch?

Patek Philippe Grand Complication

What, you think we could do this story and not include a Swiss timepiece? In the world of ridiculously elaborate watches, "Grand Complication" refers to more than the mechanical tracking of moon phases and leap years. It also describes the process of building something with construction that requires some 12,000 different operations. At Patek Philippe, the oldest family-owned watchmaker in Geneva—and one of few that still makes its own movements—each 5004J takes four-and-a-half years to produce, partially because it's so, well, complicated, and partially because only Patek's top-tier watchmakers are allowed to work on a Grand Complication. Once each watch is complete, it's then subjected to 50 days of observation and testing—the self-winding mechanism alone comprises 407 pieces, so there's certainly plenty to check.
Time to make: 4.5 years
Price: $166,600 (that's right, $166,600, not $166,000)
Web site: patek.com

 

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