Why The Coolest New Watches Look Like Vintage Grails
GQ India|May 2022
Brands like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and Cartier are dusting off decades-old designs and reimagining them for the modern connoisseur, says GQ watch columnist Nick Foulkes.
Nick Foulkes
Why The Coolest New Watches Look Like Vintage Grails

ONE OF THE most beautiful new watches to emerge this spring doesn't actually look very new at all. It's the Patek Philippe reference 5172G-010, a white-gold, hand-wound chronograph with a gorgeous salmon dial. It's a fresh model that borrows some of Patek's most venerated design moves. In fact, when I first saw the watch, I thought I knew it already. The new 5172G almost teases the wearer with a sense of déjà vu: The protruding box crystal, syringe hands, and stepped bezel and lugs look ripped from the pages of vintage Patek catalogues. As Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern explains, “It looks like it is from the past, but it is made for the present, underscoring the push at the company to update its iconic design history for a new customer. At Patek, this sort of watchmaking is known as a vintage-contemporary.

This story is from the May 2022 edition of GQ India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 2022 edition of GQ India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM GQ INDIAView All
In Haider We Hope
GQ India

In Haider We Hope

The role of a fashion designer is one usually forged in chaos and fired down by “creative differences”. But on the eve of a new Tom Ford directorship, Haider Ackermann has never felt more free.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
VIVA VARUN
GQ India

VIVA VARUN

Varun Dhawan on balancing fatherhood and film shoots, and the pressure of making the right choices.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
PRATIK GANDHI'S QUIET EUPHORIA
GQ India

PRATIK GANDHI'S QUIET EUPHORIA

The actor―who delivered a knockout performance in Madgaon Expresson the high of a hit and the pressure of sustaining success.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
THE COMEBACK KID
GQ India

THE COMEBACK KID

Buoyed by his performance in Singham Returns, Arjun Kapoor doubles down on creativity.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
SCRIPTING STARDOM
GQ India

SCRIPTING STARDOM

Vicky Kaushal on the thrill and terror of stepping onto a Sanjay Leela Bhansali set, charting an unconventional career, and making sense of the money game.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
A TRYST WITH STARDOM
GQ India

A TRYST WITH STARDOM

Triptii Dimri segued from her left-field roots straight to the animal park. The gamble has paid off.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
WALKING A TIGHTROPE
GQ India

WALKING A TIGHTROPE

Following the monster success of Stree 2, Rajkummar Rao opens up about navigating artistic fulfilment and box-office glory.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
THE MAHARAJA OF MEHRAULI
GQ India

THE MAHARAJA OF MEHRAULI

It's been an action-packed year for Tarun Tahiliani, the emperor of Indian couture.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
LONE WARRIOR
GQ India

LONE WARRIOR

Kartik Aaryan on why, in an industry that only watches out for its own, he has to blow his own trumpet.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
HITS AND HEARTBREAKS
GQ India

HITS AND HEARTBREAKS

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali talks about redeeming himself with the extraordinary Chamkila, dealing with star-studded setbacks, and why we've forgotten to make love stories.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025