What is Patrizzi Dial and Tropical Dial?

Lamborghini's CEO Stephan Winklemann and His Daytona



"What is a Patrizzi dial?" According to Jake’s Rolex, Osvaldo Patrizzi began his career in Milano, Italia and went on to become the founder of the Antiquorum Auction House. Osvaldo Patrizzi is recognized as the first person to recognize watches as real objects of art, and was responsible for creating the fine watch auction marketplace.

The term "Patrizzi Dial" was originally coined because Osvaldo Patrizzi was the first person to recognize that some vintage Rolex watches had dials where certain parts of them developed a brown patina over time that gave them a beautifully aged character.

Osvaldo Patrizzi was a collector of rare Rolex models and in 2006 he put up his collection for sale which included one of these rare Daytona watches. Osvaldo Patrizzi's Daytona sold for twice as much money, and people started referring to them as Patrizzi Dial Daytona models.

So if you look closely at Lamborghini CEO, Stephan Winkelmann's Rolex Daytona, you notice it has the brown colored sub-dials, commonly referred to as a Patrizzi Dial.

Vintage Rolex watches that have discolored dials that have developed a beautiful patina are typically referred to as "Tropical" dials and if the dial is original, they typically sell for a huge premium. Here is an example of a beautiful tropical dial Rolex.

Paul Newman and the Tropical Dial Daytona. Chocolate Dial!

HK Snob

Watch Fever

Ref Jakes' Rolex 

Vintage Watch Category

A Day Date with a unique malachite dial with a double quick Day Date movement.

Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. This green-colored mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses. Individual crystals are rare but do occur as slender to acicular prisms. Pseudomorphs after more tabular or blocky azurite crystals also occur.

Photography  Courtesy of www.1stdibs.com

Vintage Watch Category

New (BNIB) or Pristine Mint | Mint | Near Mint | Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor

New or BNIB or Pristine Mint (100%)

Absolutely factory fresh, brand new in Box,  in factory box with all necessary papers from the factory Should have an authorized dealer stamp on the warranty (modern pieces), to validate that the watch is legitimate and that the factory will honor the warranty. In some cases, the NOS from AD, not yet stamped as it is fresh yet to be sold. If vintage, new old stock condition with or without boxes or papers but never used or sold to the public.

Mint

Undistinguishable from new, original in every way.  May be in factory box, with papers.  May have been in showcase or used in display, or bought new and never worn, or worn so little as to show no observable wear whatsoever.

Near mint

Completely original in every way. Faint marks or light scratches may be observed under magnification. May have been expertly restored, repaired or serviced or in rare cases restored to perfection slightly.

Excellent

Looks as  though watch was used very little if at all. If watch has been restored, all original replacement parts have been used. Faint scratches are evident but hard to detect with the eye. No dents are detectable and the bracelets have little or no wear.

Very good

The watch will show some wear, and perhaps is in need of some routine servicing, but a sound attractive presentation overall. No evidence of abuse. May have new hands and new crystal, but original case and movement. Dial may have been restored or need refinishing but the overall appearance is acceptable.

Good

Nothing fundamentally wrong with the watch, though it has obviously been used. Movement may have had a part replaced, but the part was near to original. Possibly in need of a servicing and restoration or buffing of the case or bracelet, due to nicks and mars or more noticeable scratches. Runs well but may need timing adjustments or service for optimal performance.

Fair

Well used, possibly in need of a servicing and restoration.  May be running erratic.  May not have original dial or case. Even an untrained eye could tell the watch has seen better days, but overall still wearable and worthy of consideration.

Poor

Anybody's guess as to whether it can ever made to run again. Speculative piece and should be priced accordingly. Maybe 'fixer-upper' would be too generous a term.

Price of a Collectible Watches can have big difference if that is BNIB and Excellent condition,  there is a mint Rolex sold in Auction house that has been oxidized with patina on the whole Rolex over the years. No one has wiped it off that patina coating as it is a witness that the watch has never been used or furbished, if that Patina coating is removed, HKD$1m value will be reduced.

In very good condition is not for serious collector, may be just good for use. Of course we should look for Mint or brand new watch if his destiny is made as a Collection Item! But all depends on the number of the watch is available. Anything below Good condition should not be considered.

HK Snob

What does "adjusted", "unadjusted" and "regulated" mean?

An "unadjusted" movement is a movement where no attempt has been made to ensure that the daily error rate in several orientations (positions) have been minimized or optimized across the positions. An "adjusted" movement, therefore, has had some extra care in ensuring that the variance in accuracy between several orientations is minimized.
Watches are typically adjusted to 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 positions. Traditionally, they are ordered as follows:

1. Dial Up
2. Crown Down
3. Dial Down
4. Crown Left
5. Crown Up
6. Crown Right
For example, a watch adjusted to two positions include positions 1 & 2 from the above list (i.e. face up and crown down). Similarly, a watch adjusted for 4 positions has been adjusted in positions 1-4, and so on. Watches can also be adjusted for isochronism (i.e. constant time across varying states of wind) and temperature. Some manufacturers (Franck Muller, and Patek Phillipe) adjusts to 8 positions (the above six plus two half-way orientations); though this is a bit over-the-top, but that takes a lot of works to achieve that position accuracy.
All Rolex Chornometers are adjusted to Five Positions! refer to above Picture.
A "regulated" movement is a when the overall rate of the entire movement (either adjusted or not) is brought into correct absolute timing. Unlike adjustment, this is a simple tweak, which moves the daily rates of all of the positions up or down without intentionally changing the relative rates in positions.

HK snob

What does "17 jewels" mean?

Higher grade watches use a jeweled movements, which means that jewels were actually been used in the movement. These jewels are functional - they are used as the bearings for the wheel trains and in high wearing parts such as the escape lever and impulse jewel.
Most manual wind watches will have a standard complement of 17 jewels.
Automatic winding movements will add about 4-8 jewels to help most efficiently transfer the relatively small rotor forces into winding the mainspring. An automatic Winding watch will normally have 25 jewels.
Special Movements with additional functions such as chronographs and calendars, can up the total number of jewels tremendously. For example, the IWC Il Destriero Scafusia (claimed to be among the most complicated wristwatches) has a total of 76 jewels to accommodate the time, perpetual calendar, rattrapante chronograph, repeater, and tourbillon functions - and this is a manual wind watch.
Why do they use synthetic ruby?
Ruby is significantly better than steel in handling the forces involved, never wear out easily and providing a super low friction surface suitable for both high-load as well as high-speed motion. With modern production methods, they are cheap USD$0.1
Ruby is technically known corundum, and is a crystallized form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3). In pure form, corundum is white in colour; trace impurities are added to change the colour - to red in the case of rubies. It should also be noted that any other colour of corundum (including clear) is known as sapphire. Ruby is used because it is an extremely hard and provides a smooth surface for the wheel pivots (and other steel components) to operate on. In a mechanical watch, there is a constant force applied to the pivot of every wheel in the wheel train, which is applied by the wound-up mainspring… Without any jewels, the steel wheel pivots would very quickly wear away the bridge and plate material until the wheels came out of alignment, and the movement would crash to a halt. In the inexpensive watch of yesteryear, the pivot holes may have been provided with hardened metal bushings.
Are more jewels better?
Not necessarily. As noted above, a typical hand-wind movement today will have only 17 jewels as a full complement. Some really high-grade or ultra-thin movements will add a few extra jewels to further protect against any wear, but even these top out at 21-23 jewels.
Only those pieces of the movement which are between the mainspring and the escape wheel are candidates for jewelling, as these are the movement parts that experience the higher forces or relatively higher speeds of the mainspring or escapement. Other components, such as the motion works (i.e. hour and minute wheels), calendar mechanisms, and winding train are not under this constant stress, and thus arguably do not need jewels.
One will occasionally encounter a quartz movement with 4-6 jewels in it.
As a historical note, there was a "jewel craze" about 50 years ago, where manufacturers, under the belief that the public thought more was always better, came up with 75 or even 100 jewel movements. They are decorative Jewels.

HK Snob

Geneve Seal, The Poincon de Geneve

There is always the term “Geneve Seal Hallmark”, and or the Poincon de geneve mentioned on some of the Highest Quality Watches from Switzerland.
The Stringency finish requirement by Poincon de Geneve quality hallmark bears witness to its determination to raise the level of quality well above average standards, and to its desire to cultivate the Swiss tradition on fine watchmaking professions in-house.
Each of the movement will be submitted to Geneva Watchmaking School for approval. This authority of Geneva, is the only one entitled to grant and apply for his hallmark; the selection criteria are listed below
There are 12 commandments for Watch making!
Fine Workmanship
1. The fine Workmanship of all the parts of the caliber, including those additional mechanism, must meet the demands of the Geneva Voluntary Watch Testing Office.
Steel parts must have polished bevels, drawn down flanks, smoothed visible parts, polished r circular-grained screw heads ( with beveled rim and slot).
Jewelling
2. All movements must be equipped on the gear-train and escapement with jewels with polished holes. N the bridge side, the jewels must half-polished with polished sinks. There are no stipulations regarding th fourth wheel jewels on the plate.
Regulator Stud
03 The balance spring must be affixed by means of an inserted cover plate with a stud featuring a round neck and head. An adjustable mobile stud-bearer is acceptable.
04 Inset of split indexes are acceptable in conjunction with a holding system, apart from ultrathin Calibres where this system is not required.
05
Regulating systems featuring a balance with a variable moment of inertia are acceptable as long as they fulfil the requirements specified under article 3, point 1.
Going Trains
06
The wheel sof the going chain must be chamfered above and below and have a polished sink. In wheels 0.15mm thick or less, a single chamber is allowed on the bridge side.
07
The pivot shanks and the faces of the pinion leaves must be polished.
Escarpment

08
The escapement wheel must ne light, not more than 0.16mm thick in large calibers and 0.13mm in calibers under 18mm, and its locking face must be polished.
09
The angle Traversed by the lever must be limited by fixed banking walls to the exclusion of pins and studs.
Shock Proofing
10 Movement fitted with shock proofing are accepted
Winding Mechanism
11
The Ratchet wheel and the crown wheel must be finished according to registered patterns.
Spring
12
Wire springs are not permitted.

......
Refer to Roger Dubuis Operation Manual
HK Snob