Took macro shots of my brand new 5164a. Very disappointed

[yellowfinger]

Inspired by the other thread on the quality of 5167a. I decided to give macro shots a try for my 5164a. I figured more efforts will be put it to a less "entry-level" model of Aquanaut.

I took time to align all three hands so that their back and sides could be seen on one shot.

To my surprise, all three hands have issues. Hour and minute hands sides seems unpolished and "stamped". Second hands just looked like painted by a three years old. Also for lume, i have two different shades of brightness for the numbers. No. 5 1 8 2 was much brighter than the rest

Let you gents judge by the pictures.

[Murcielagoboy2]

I’m not sure what you expect.
That Patek’s entry level sports watch. I think the finish is consistent with that .

[thomaspp]

Originally Posted by Murcielagoboy2

I’m not sure what you expect.
That Patek’s entry level sports watch. I think the finish is consistent with that .

100%


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[mwireless]

Originally Posted by Murcielagoboy2

I’m not sure what you expect.
That Patek’s entry level sports watch. I think the finish is consistent with that .

This is disappointing to all Patek owners regardless of which level. I own several high end nautilus and complications from Patek and to see anything like this is unacceptable for any of their watches. Period.

[IBDOC]

This is the level of finish for all of Patek’s watches that don’t come out of the high complications or rare handcrafts departments. If you want beautiful macro go Lange. Or Grand Seiko.

[yellowfinger]

Originally Posted by IBDOC

This is the level of finish for all of Patek’s watches that don’t come out of the high complications or rare handcrafts departments. If you want beautiful macro go Lange. Or Grand Seiko.

So I should expect Grand Seiko a watch which is 83% cheaper to have better finishing?

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[IBDOC]

Originally Posted by yellowfinger

So I should expect Grand Seiko a watch which is 83% cheaper to have better finishing?

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To avoid disappointment; yes.

[yoniman]

Originally Posted by IBDOC

To avoid disappointment; yes.

By all accounts, YES it is generally true.

[V25V]

This thread is why nobody should ever take a high magnification loupe to any watch.

[Murcielagoboy2]

Originally Posted by yellowfinger

So I should expect Grand Seiko a watch which is 83% cheaper to have better finishing?

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With PP stamped on the dial you’re not, at this basic level of Patek, paying for finishing.
I bet the Grand Seiko probably has more than 83% absolute deprecation than your Patek too.

Not intending to inflame the OP, but I sincerely believe you’re expecting too much. This isn’t a 5370.
And other posters are quite right, Lange do it better at this level.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by Murcielagoboy2

With PP stamped on the dial you’re not, at this basic level of Patek, paying for finishing.
I bet the Grand Seiko probably has more than 83% absolute deprecation than your Patek too.

Not intending to inflame the OP, but I sincerely believe you’re expecting too much. This isn’t a 5370.
And other posters are quite right, Lange do it better at this level.

I would sincerely expect a Patek finish on a Patek watch.

That looks like a knock off.

The finish on the hands is unbelievably bad.

[AG23]

Originally Posted by Murcielagoboy2

With PP stamped on the dial you’re not, at this basic level of Patek, paying for finishing.
I bet the Grand Seiko probably has more than 83% absolute deprecation than your Patek too.

Not intending to inflame the OP, but I sincerely believe you’re expecting too much. This isn’t a 5370.
And other posters are quite right, Lange do it better at this level.

I can’t afford this forum, but lurk with an appreciation for PP aesthetics and I am amazed by your comments regarding not paying for finishing. I absolutely respect your opinion as someone with a lot more brand knowledge and accept it as true, but it does put me off the low end watches that I may have been able to aspire to.

As a company, do they really think they don’t need to have as decent a finish as GS as they’ve built a reputation and hold value? I don’t think you were inflaming the OP at all, and I am always learning on this forum, so absolutely appreciate the input and I suppose I now mentally downgrade PP to a watch I can’t afford but wouldn’t buy!

[ragsk]

Originally Posted by Murcielagoboy2

With PP stamped on the dial you’re not, at this basic level of Patek, paying for finishing.
I bet the Grand Seiko probably has more than 83% absolute deprecation than your Patek too.

Not intending to inflame the OP, but I sincerely believe you’re expecting too much. This isn’t a 5370.
And other posters are quite right, Lange do it better at this level.

Could not disagree more with this post. PP need to do better than this.

[IBDOC]

Originally Posted by yellowfinger

So I should expect Grand Seiko a watch which is 83% cheaper to have better finishing?

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Yes. But if you can’t stand it in all its disappointing crappiness I graciously offer to dispose of it for you, free of charge

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by yellowfinger

So I should expect Grand Seiko a watch which is 83% cheaper to have better finishing?

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In this case, yes

I wonder what your AD would say if you showed them the pictures? Just a thought.

[IBDOC]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I wonder what your AD would say if you showed them the pictures? Just a thought.

Gut feeling says they’ll smile, be apologetic, appease him with some PP-branded trinket and then put his name on the Troublemaker list.

[Kigan]

Originally Posted by yellowfinger

So I should expect Grand Seiko a watch which is 83% cheaper to have better finishing?

You can go to Grand Seiko, but you will lose at the finish level of the mechanism. The finish of the Patek Philippe movement is simply space, unlike the typical finish of the details of the GS movement. Sometimes terrible.

The arrows in the Patek Philippe Aquanaut are truly stamped. From a gold plate, unlike brass (or nickel) in GS. If you want something better, then choose a watch from Gronefeld, Akrivia, Roger Smith ...

[tom2517]

Originally Posted by Kigan

You can go to Grand Seiko, but you will lose at the finish level of the mechanism. The finish of the Patek Philippe movement is simply space, unlike the typical finish of the details of the GS movement. Sometimes terrible.

The arrows in the Patek Philippe Aquanaut are truly stamped. From a gold plate, unlike brass (or nickel) in GS. If you want something better, then choose a watch from Gronefeld, Akrivia, Roger Smith ...

Reminds of this post:

https://www.watchprosite.com/patek-p...0336.10258681/

The infamous “chattering mark” on the anglage. There are actually more than one post about this.

Anyways, it’s not something you can see with naked eye, even with a 6X loupe it is hard to spot, but it is there, I see it on my 240 as well. SJX said it is less obvious on the new Patek 6007A, perhaps the new factory has newer and better equipment.

[3HandsNoDate]

Originally Posted by Kigan

You can go to Grand Seiko, but you will lose at the finish level of the mechanism. The finish of the Patek Philippe movement is simply space, unlike the typical finish of the details of the GS movement. Sometimes terrible.

The new Grand Seiko movements have solved this, btw.

[nikloer]

Originally Posted by yellowfinger

So I should expect Grand Seiko a watch which is 83% cheaper to have better finishing?

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Well, yes.

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by IBDOC

This is the level of finish for all of Patek’s watches that don’t come out of the high complications or rare handcrafts departments. If you want beautiful macro go Lange. Or Grand Seiko.

What a load of horse manure ....excusing this just because it is an ‘entry level PP’ . Grand Seiko anyone

For a LOT less


Picture borrowed

[IBDOC]

Originally Posted by BNABOD

What a load of horse manure ....excusing this just because it is an ‘entry level PP’ . Grand Seiko anyone

I’m not excusing anything, I’m just stating facts. Has PP ever been best at finishing? No. Was PP better at finishing in the ”good old days”? No. Is it a jerk move to charge $$$$ for this level of finishing? Probably. Are people who pay 2-3x msrp for this stuff dumb? I’ll leave that one to each to decide.

[BNABOD]

Originally Posted by IBDOC

I’m not excusing anything, I’m just stating facts. Has PP ever been best at finishing? No. Was PP better at finishing in the ”good old days”? No. Is it a jerk move to charge $$$$ for this level of finishing? Probably. Are people who pay 2-3x msrp for this stuff dumb? I’ll leave that one to each to decide.

Makes more sense now ....I am no PP expert but all I ever hear about PP is the level of finishing the beautiful this and that ...then macro shots comes and whoa crap shoot . Ultimately yes vote w your wallet , personally I don’t like the watch that was pictured and no one walks around w a loupe but it would bug me to see the price vs finish ...

[Russell996]

Just to state the obvious, the OP's photos are up to 20x size and even Lange will struggle at this enlargement to look perfect - indeed there is a thread on another forum pointing out the poor finish of the back of a Lange hand being reflected in the polished moonphase display.

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by BNABOD

What a load of horse manure ....excusing this just because it is an ‘entry level PP’ . Grand Seiko anyone

For a LOT less


Picture borrowed

Incredible shot. Thanks for posting it.

[Gulfstream]

Wow

That is stunning. Beautiful level of detail.

Originally Posted by BNABOD

What a load of horse manure ....excusing this just because it is an ‘entry level PP’ . Grand Seiko anyone

For a LOT less


Picture borrowed

[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by Gulfstream

Wow

That is stunning. Beautiful level of detail.

Yes, but things look a bit different movement side, still not bad, but not up to snuff with the grand Swiss or ALS

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by Nav01L

Yes, but things look a bit different movement side, still not bad, but not up to snuff with the grand Swiss or ALS

To be fair, though, it was never meant to be...

[rumnyc]

Originally Posted by IBDOC

This is the level of finish for all of Patek’s watches that don’t come out of the high complications or rare handcrafts departments. If you want beautiful macro go Lange. Or Grand Seiko.

This is the most ridiculous comment i have ever read to justify poor quality. Patek entry level watches are 30k presumably because of the quality and not just name.

Sounds like patek is milking the fans for its name if above is actually true.


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[IBDOC]

Originally Posted by rumnyc

This is the most ridiculous comment i have ever read to justify poor quality. Patek entry level watches are 30k presumably because of the quality and not just name.

Sounds like patek is milking the fans for its name if above is actually true.


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No and Yes. Nothing ridiculous with pointing out what is patently true. Don’t like the cost/quality ratio? Don’t buy Patek. I’m sure they’re devastated. And once more for those unable to read properly: I have justified nothing. I’m just pointing out facts. You’re free to presume whatever you want, though.

The guy in the other thread with the smudged hands and microscratches on a supposedly new 5170 got a full refund. Anyone in their right minds think that the TS here would get a refund for having visibly unfinished hands under 20x magnification? Or that said oversight is actually unintended? Not a chance, imo.