Patek Philippe Introduces the Twenty-4 “Manchette”
One of the “It” watches of the 2000s was the Patek Philippe Twenty~4, which was launched in 1999 as an elegant yet everyday watch for women in steel with a bracelet and quartz movement, making it affordable and chic. Having unveiled the round Twenty-4 automatic two years now, Patek Philippe has rebooted the original Twenty-4 “Manchette”, once again in steel with new dials in blue and grey. And like the original, it has a steel bracelet, hence the nickname – manchette being French for “cuff”. Initial thoughts While the round, automatic Twenty-4 is larger and perhaps more casual, the original rectangular model is more compact, giving it a slightly more formal style – but the new dial design avoids looking old fashioned. And the rectangular Twenty-4 has been around long enough it is easily recognisable, despite the relatively simple styling, making it the signature Patek Philippe watch for ladies. The central element of the new Twenty-4 is the facelifted dial. Doing away with the diamond indices and Roman numerals of the original, the new dial is cleaner and more modern, while also having luminous hands and hour markers. The upside of a quartz watch is that it more easily accessible than a mechanical watch, in both pricing and functionality, avoiding winding and setting the time. And this particular model does not have a second hand, so its identity is hidden. Priced at about US$14,700, the Twenty-4 is very expensive for a quartz watch with a steel case. An...
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