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    Patek Philippe Grand Complications lug width

    Watch line75 references

    Lug widths across the line

    Patek Philippe Grand Complications references use 19 mm or 20 mm or 21 mm depending on the reference and case size, so check yours in the list below. The most common is 21 mm (29 of 66 references with a known width).

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    75 Patek Philippe Grand Complications references

    FAQ

    What lug width does the Patek Philippe Grand Complications use?

    Patek Philippe Grand Complications references use 19 mm or 20 mm or 21 mm depending on the reference and case size, so check yours in the list below. The most common is 21 mm (29 of 66 references with a known width).

    Do all Patek Philippe Grand Complications references take the same strap?

    No. 7 different lug widths appear across the line, often by case size or generation. Check the reference engraved on the case back or between the lugs.

    Is there one strap size for Patek Philippe Grand Complications?

    No. The family spans many case sizes: in the perpetual calendar chronograph lineage alone, cases grew from 35mm on the 1518 to about 37mm on the 2499, 36.4mm on the 3970, 40mm on the 5970 and 41mm on the 5270. Check the lug width of your exact reference.

    What strap does the Ref. 5270 come on?

    At launch it came on a matt black, hand-stitched square-scale alligator strap with an 18K white gold folding clasp.

    Is a 5270 strap interchangeable with a 5970 strap?

    Not automatically: the 5270 case is one mm wider than the 5970 it replaced, so confirm the lug width of each before swapping.

    The story of the Patek Philippe Grand Complications

    In 1941 Patek Philippe put a full perpetual calendar and a chronograph into one wristwatch for the first time. Seventy-five years later a steel example of that reference sold for CHF 11,002,000, and in 2019 a steel Grandmaster Chime reached CHF 31 million.

    281Ref. 1518 watches made between 1941 and 1954
    1,728parts in Calibre 89, with 33 complications
    CHF 31 millionpaid for the steel Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 in 2019
    35mm to 41mmgrowth of the perpetual calendar chronograph case from Ref. 1518 to Ref. 5270

    Chapters

    1. 2016 to 2019
      Auction records fall

      A steel Ref. 1518 from 1943 sold at Phillips Geneva in November 2016 for CHF 11,002,000, a record for any wristwatch at the time. Three years later a unique steel Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 sold for CHF 31 million at Christie's for Only Watch.

    2. 2011 to 2014
      In-house calibres and the Grandmaster Chime

      The 41mm Ref. 5270 of 2011 brought the first entirely in-house perpetual calendar chronograph movement, the CH 29-535 PS Q. For the 175th anniversary, Patek made the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175 with 20 complications in only seven examples.

    3. 1989 to 2000
      Calibre 89 and Star Caliber

      For its 150th anniversary in 1989 Patek built Calibre 89, with 33 complications and 1,728 parts, ending the Graves watch's reign. The Star Caliber 2000 followed with 21 complications and 1,118 parts.

    4. 1986 to 2011
      Lemania base, bigger cases

      Ref. 3970 took over in 1986 on a heavily modified Lemania 2310, adding leap year and 24-hour indications. In 2004 the 40mm Ref. 5970 replaced it with the same calibre and a tachymeter scale.

    5. 1941 to 1985
      Perpetual chronographs reach the wrist

      Ref. 1518 arrived in 1941 as the first wristwatch with a full perpetual calendar and chronograph; 281 were made until 1954. Its successor, Ref. 2499, ran from the early 1950s to 1985 with 349 pieces built.

    6. 1923 to 1933
      Split seconds and Henry Graves

      Patek made its first wrist chronograph, a split-seconds model, in 1923. In 1927 Henry Graves Jr. commissioned the most complicated pocket watch in the world, and the Supercomplication delivered in 1933 carried 24 complications.

    Worn by

    Eric ClaptonMusic1987

    Owned a platinum Ref. 2499/100 made in 1987, sold at Christie's Geneva for $3.6 million, and a pink gold Ref. 5970 whose certificate bears his name; he was photographed wearing a 5970 at a Formula One race.

    Ellen DeGeneresScreen2020

    Wore a diamond-set Ref. 5271P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph when receiving the Carol Burnett Award at the 2020 Golden Globes, and a Ref. 5271 in a 2018 clip with Ryan Reynolds.

    Moments

    A 1943 steel Ref. 1518, one of four known, sold for CHF 11,002,000 (US$11,112,020), a world record for any wristwatch at auction at the time, after 13 minutes of bidding against a $3 million estimate.

    The unique steel Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 sold at Only Watch for CHF 31 million, the highest price for any watch at auction, with proceeds going to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research.

    Eric Clapton's 1987 platinum Ref. 2499/100 sold for $3.6 million, a world record for the reference.

    The Henry Graves Supercomplication pocket watch sold for $24M at Sotheby's Geneva in 2014.

    Generations and strap changes

    1. 1941
      Ref. 1518

      First wristwatch with full perpetual calendar and chronograph, on a Patek-modified Valjoux 23 with a Victorin Piguet calendar module. 281 made to 1954, mostly yellow gold, about 20% pink gold and 4 known in steel.

      35mm case.

    2. early 1950s
      Ref. 2499

      The 1518's successor kept the Valjoux-based calibre and ran until 1985, with 349 made. A sapphire crystal arrived in the late 1970s with the fourth series, 2499/100.

      Case grew to about 37mm, up from 35mm on the 1518.

    3. 2011
      Ref. 5270

      The first fully in-house perpetual calendar chronograph, on the hand-wound CH 29-535 PS Q derived from the 5170J's CH29.

      41mm, one mm wider than the 5970; launched on a hand-stitched alligator strap with an 18K white gold folding clasp.

    4. 2004
      Ref. 5970

      Same Lemania-based calibre as the 3970, with a tachymeter scale added, in white, pink and yellow gold and platinum until 2011.

      Case jumped to 40mm.

    5. 1989
      Calibre 89

      Built for the 150th anniversary with 33 complications and 1,728 parts, it took the complexity record from the 1933 Graves Supercomplication.

    6. 1986
      Ref. 3970

      Built on a heavily modified Lemania 2310 finished to Geneva Seal standards, it was the first in the lineage with leap year and 24-hour indications. Production ran to 2004 in a few thousand pieces.

      36.4mm case.

    About Patek Philippe

    Founded in 1839 in Geneva, Switzerland.

    The Patek Philippe story

    Help

    What is lug width?

    The gap between the two lugs that hold the strap, in millimetres. A new strap must match it exactly: 20 mm lugs take a 20 mm strap.

    Measure it in 30 seconds

    1. Take the strap off, or look at the back of it: many straps print their width.
    2. Measure the inside gap between the lugs with a caliper or a millimetre ruler.
    3. Round to the nearest whole millimetre. Most watches use 18, 20 or 22 mm.

    Strap, quick release or system?

    Most watches use spring bars, so any strap of the right width fits. Many smartwatches use their own band system instead, such as Apple Watch bands or Garmin QuickFit.