Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts Highland Citadel 5738/50G-043
Movement
Self-winding
Size
34.5 × 39.5 mm

Overview

The Golden Ellipse as a canvas

The Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts Highland Citadel, reference 5738/50G-043, a Golden Ellipse in white gold with a dial in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel and miniature painting showing Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe, on a grained leaf-green calfskin strap. Self-winding calibre 240, hours and minutes only; 34.5 × 39.5 mm, 6.58 mm high.

The dial of 5738/50G-043 shows Kilchurn Castle, the ruined fifteenth-century fortress on the banks of Loch Awe in Argyll, in mist. Its silhouette is outlined in about 23 cm of gold wire (~0.16 g) and filled from a palette of transparent, opalescent and opaque enamels in 28 colours, chosen for the greens of the leaves and the moss; miniature painting on enamel in 4 colours finishes the foliage and the lakeside light. Each dial took 8 to 10 firings at 830°C. Patek Philippe presents it as a limited edition of fifteen watches, in white gold on a grained leaf-green calfskin strap.

The reference 5738/50 is the Golden Ellipse of Patek Philippe's Rare Handcrafts collection: the elliptical case whose proportions the brand traces to the ancient golden section, here 34.5 × 39.5 mm and 6.58 mm high, with a solid case back. The dial carries only hours and minutes, read from cheveu-style hands stamped in the case metal.

The movement is the self-winding calibre 240, which Patek Philippe lists as ultra-thin: 27.5 mm across and 2.53 mm high, with 152 parts and 27 jewels, wound by a 22K gold minirotor set off-centre in the movement rather than a full rotor turning above it. It runs at 21,600 semi-oscillations an hour on a Gyromax® balance with a Spiromax® balance spring, has a power reserve of at least 48 hours and carries the Patek Philippe Seal. A calibre 2.53 mm high is what lets the case close at 6.58 mm over a dial built up in fired enamel or veneer. Patek Philippe describes the case as humidity- and dust-protected only, not water-resistant.

For collectors

Across the family the case and the movement do not change, so the executions are compared by the dial: Patek Philippe gives each one its own figures — the length and weight of gold wire in a cloisonné dial, the number of enamel colours, the firings and their temperature, or the count of veneer parts and wood species in a marquetry dial — and each is a limited series whose size the brand states. The solid case back is part of the design; the calibre 240 is not on view.

Key details

Case materialWhite gold
MovementCaliber 240, self-winding
CollectionRare Handcrafts

Design and engineering

  • Golden Ellipse caseAn ellipse of 34.5 × 39.5 mm, 6.58 mm high, in white gold; Patek Philippe traces its proportions to the ancient golden section. Humidity- and dust-protected only, not water-resistant.
  • Case backSolid, in the case metal; the movement is not on view.
  • DialGrand Feu cloisonné enamel of Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe: about 23 cm of gold wire (~0.16 g) outlines the silhouette, filled in 28 colours of transparent, opalescent and opaque enamel, with miniature painting on enamel in 4 colours for the foliage and the lakeside atmosphere; 8 to 10 firings at 830°C.
  • HandsCheveu-style hour and minute hands, stamped in the case metal.
  • Strap and buckleHand-stitched calfskin, grained leaf-green, on a white gold prong buckle whose shape follows the ellipse of the case.

Calibre 240

  • Self-winding, 22K gold off-centre minirotor
  • Hours and minutes; listed by Patek Philippe as ultra-thin
  • 27.5 mm across, 2.53 mm high; 152 parts, 27 jewels
  • 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour (3 Hz), Gyromax® balance, Spiromax® balance spring
  • Power reserve min. 48 hours
  • Patek Philippe Seal

The reference

Technical specifications

Rare Handcrafts Highland Citadel
Reference5738/50G-043
CollectionRare Handcrafts
CalibreCaliber 240
MovementSelf-winding
FunctionsUltra-thin
Case dimensions34.5 × 39.5 mm
Case thickness6.58 mm
Case materialWhite gold
Water resistanceNot water-resistant
StrapCalfskin, hand-stitched, grained leaf-green
ClaspWhite gold prong buckle
Jewels27
Power reservemin. 48 hours
Frequency21,600 semi-oscillations/hour (3 Hz)
PieceHighland Citadel

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Rare Handcrafts Highland Citadel · Ref. 5738/50G-043

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