Let’s cut to the chase: Patek Philippe’s Grandmaster Chime is one of the most ridiculous watches in existence. It comes with two reversible dials and is tricked out with almost every complication in existence. A version of the Grandmaster Chime, known as the 6300, set the record for most-expensive ever moved at auction when it sold for $31 million in 2019. When Jay-Z wore a version of it out in 2019, heads exploded in the watch world. A world record at auction and a Jay-Z cosign? The 6300 has everything it needs to submit its credentials for world’s coolest watch. But that apparently wasn’t enough for Patek, who have just announced two new versions of the 6300.  The new 6300s will only enhance its reputation as the holiest of grails. Patek took a different approach with each. The first is the subtler of the two: both dials are a rich cocoa brown, but the case features both white and rose gold, a first for this particular watch. It’s hard to make a watch that combines two types of gold look understated, but that’s what this model does.

The other 6300, which features multiple emerald-set tracks around the bezel, is anything but understated. The numbers here are jaw-dropping: 118 baguette-cut emeralds and 291 baguette-cut diamonds. There are 28.41 total carats on this watch. This is the type of treasure they base an entire Oceans movie on.  The headliner might be these very high-end Grandmaster Chimes, but the rest of the Patek collection is notable, too, for being so sporty. Last year, Patek seemed to pointedly remove itself from the sport watch conversation, saying RIP to the beloved 5711 Nautilus and skipping new models from that line and the Aquanaut, Patek’s other sport collection. Patek is making another 180 this year, expanding the Aquanaut line, the even more casual and athletic little brother to the Nautilus, with three new grown-up additions. The first is simple, with a brown-dial version and a chronograph. Things escalate quickly from there. Patek used rose-gold for all three of the new Aquanauts, which goes particularly well with the navy-dial model bolstered with an annual calendar and moonphase. The last of the trio is – why the hell not? – set with 48 diamonds on the bezel.  Our favourite of the new Pateks, though, are the three colourful Calatravas. Patek debuted this reference in 2020 to celebrate the opening of a new manufacturer and is now expanding the range with more casual watches. I always appreciate when the always-elegant Patek gets a little loose – it’s like seeing James Bond change out of his tux and into his Barbour jacket. Each new Calatrava comes with a different accent colour: red, sky blue, and yellow. The red and yellow, in particular, have a delightful racing bite to them.

With this collection, Patek was apparently hellbent on proving it can do sport watches as well as anyone. It quickly pivots from the world of racing to pilot watches. The reference 5924 takes Patek’s Pilot-style watch, with those chunky can’t-miss numerals, and adds a chronograph for the first time. The watch comes in standard navy but I really love the khaki-green model. And if you’re more comfortable in the plane’s cabin than the cockpit, Patek also has a new GMT. The brand’s spin on the travel-time complication features the 24-hour markers set straight onto the dial.  Patek Philippe’s full-throated re-commitment to sports permeates the entire collection. This year, even the fancy watches are imbued with a certain je ne sais sport. Patek’s two collections are divided into two categories, one of which is home to only the ritziest of pieces and described as the “Rare Handcraft” selection. Here is a version of the Calatrava with a miniature painting done entirely by hand. This rare, painstakingly done art features a red racecar inspired by the 1948 Nations Grand Prix.

To start, the new Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300GR-001 is a mixed-metal version of the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, launched in 2014 as a limited edition before joining the current collection in 2016.

The Grandmaster Chime is Patek’s most complicated timepiece with 20 complications including five chiming modes, an alarm that strikes a pre-selected time, and a date repeater that strikes the date on demand.

The Ref. 6300GR-001 is rendered in white and rose gold. It has two brown opaline dials and a hand-guillochéd “Clou de Paris,” or hobnob pattern, on the side showing the time of day. The rich chestnut brown alligator strap is closed with a white and rose gold mixed metal buckle.