Patek Philippe Watch Art Milano: limited editions, Ladies First Gondolo and creations dedicated to Italy

Patek Philippe has inaugurated the WATCH ART Grand Exhibition 2026 in Milan, the seventh stage of the Manufacture's major traveling exhibitions and the largest ever organized by the Maison. Open from 2 to 18 October 2026, the exhibition occupies over 2,900 m² at the CityOval, formerly Palazzo delle Scintille, in Milan's CityLife district, and brings together more than 500 timepieces and objects distributed in fifteen thematic areas.

The exhibition reconstructs some of Patek Philippe's symbolic places in Geneva - from the historic headquarters on rue du Rhône to the Plan-les-Ouates Manufacture and the Patek Philippe Museum - and offers a path that includes the current collection, movements, supercomplications, watches with chimes, historical archives, High Craftsmanship and live demonstrations. Seven limited editions reserved for the Italian market, a new women's collection presented as a world premiere and a series of creations dedicated to Italy also arrive for Milan.

WATCH ART in Milan follows Dubai 2012, Munich 2013, London 2015, New York 2017, Singapore 2019 and Tokyo 2023. The six previous editions have welcomed a total of almost 225,000 visitors. 

WATCH ART Milano 2026 by Patek Philippe is an exhibition built around Italy that brings together three different souls of the Manufacture in a single itinerary.

The seven limited editions represent the more technical side, with the Ref. 5978P-010 as a world debut; Gondolo Ladies First introduces a new feminine proposal based on Art Deco design and jewelry; the 25 creations of Alto Artigianato instead translate Italian landscapes, cities and crafts through traditional decorative techniques.

An exhibition of over 500 pieces
The exhibition includes 152 pieces from the current collection, 84 pieces from the Patek Philippe Museum, 12 watches in the "Historical Owners" room, 53 movements displayed in rotating display cases and another 64 in an interactive display case. In addition to these, there are seven pieces dedicated to Advanced Research, three supercomplications and 21 watches in the "Master of Sound" section.
Exhibits from the museum include Patek Philippe's first known perpetual calendar wristwatch, made in 1925, a 1948 Ref. 1415 HU World Time , and a 1918 pocket watch with Minute Repeater and 30-day power reserve that belonged to James Ward Packard. The "Historical Owners" section also displays a pendant watch presented to Queen Victoria at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London.

Ref. 5978P-010: the world debut of the instantaneous perpetual calendar
Among the most important novelties in Milan is the Ref. 5978P-010, produced in 120 units and presented as a world premiere.

The new reference combines the CH 29-535 manual chronograph movement with an instantaneous perpetual calendar for the first time, resulting in the CH 29-535 PS QI calibre. 

 

The system, based on two patents, simultaneously advances the day, date, month and leap year cycle in about 30 milliseconds, even when the remaining power reserve has dropped to ten hours. 

 

The movement comprises 500 components and offers a power reserve of 55 to 65 hours with the chronograph deactivated.

The Calatrava platinum case measures 42 mm and is identified by the diamond at 6 o'clock; the navy blue sunray dial fades to black and presents the calendar indications in Italian. The complication is part of the history of the Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph, which began in 1941 with the Ref. 1518.

Ref. 7047G-010: Minute Repeater in red
The Ref. 7047G-010 was made in just five units. 

 

The 38 mm white gold case houses the automatic caliber R 27 PS with Minute Repeater and 22-carat gold mini-rotor. 

 

The red lacquered dial features a "carbon" pattern in the center made directly into the lacquer, combined with a polished red alligator strap. 

 

The approach introduces a decidedly more contemporary register in one of the historical complications of the Manufacture.

Ref. 7007G-010: the Calatrava in white
The Ref. 7007G-010, limited to 200 pieces, completes the chromatic triptych inspired by the Italian flag. 

 

The 38 mm white gold case houses the automatic caliber 26-330 S C, with central seconds and date at 3 o'clock. 

 

The white lacquered dial retains the carbon pattern, with anthracite elements and a white alligator strap.

Ref. 7147G-010: the perpetual calendar in green
With the Ref. 7147G-010, produced in 100 pieces, Patek Philippe declines the perpetual calendar in a green configuration dedicated to the Italian market. 

 

The 38 mm white gold case houses the ultra-thin 3.88 mm thick automatic caliber 240 Q, with a day, date, month, leap year cycle, 24-hour display and moon phase. 

 

The green lacquered dial still has the central carbon motif, while the calendar indications are in Italian.

Aquanaut Ref. 5167A-014: midnight blue with red details

The Aquanaut Ref. 5167A-014 is offered in 250 units. 

The 40.8 mm steel case is accompanied by a black gradient sunburst blue dial with an embossed Aquanaut pattern. 

The minute track and second hand are red, while the integrated composite strap echoes the midnight blue dial. 

The movement is the automatic caliber 26-330 S C.

Milan by day and by night in the Ref. 5531G
The two versions of the Ref. 5531G bring the host city directly onto the dial. The Ref. 5531G-012, in five pieces, depicts the historic center of Milan by day through Grand Feu cloisonné enamel. The dial requires about 45 cm of gold thread and a palette of 16 colors; Milan is highlighted in red on the city disc. The Ref. 5531G-013, also limited to five pieces, interprets the same map in a night version using 12 enamel colors and a dark blue strap. Both house the automatic caliber R 27 HU, which combines World Time and Minute Repeater and strikes the local time of the selected time zone.

Gondolo Ladies First: six new women's watches
WATCH ART Milano 2026 also marks the debut of the new Ladies First Gondola, a women's collection consisting of six references and presented as a world premiere. The project takes up the layout of the 2009 Ref. 7071 Ladies First Chronograph and reinterprets it through an Art Deco-inspired cushion case. That reference had a particular significance in Patek Philippe's recent history because the Maison's first hand-wound manufacture chronograph movement was initially intended for a women's model. All the new Ladies First Gondolo measures 31 × 34.8 mm, have a thickness of 8.03 mm, a solid bottom, water resistance to 30 meters and articulated lugs. The movement chosen is the E15 quartz caliber, composed of 57 elements and with a battery life of about three years.

Three gondolas with diamonds on the flange
The first three versions use a flange set with 108 diamonds for 0.41 carats and opaline dials with a concentric wave pattern. The Ref. 7043G-001 combines a white gold case, a blue-gray dial and a calfskin strap in the same shade with a denim pattern. The Ref. 7043R-001 switches to rose gold with an opaline brown dial and a brown strap with a denim pattern and cream-colored stitching. The Ref. 7043GR-001 combines white gold and rose gold, an opaline silver dial and a hammered beige calfskin strap.

The three Gondolo Ladies First Joaillerie
The Joaillerie versions have the setting on the case, lugs and dial. Each uses a total of 687 brilliant-cut diamonds for 3.11 carats. Of these, 303 form the circular pavé of the dial, 108 embellish the flange, 253 cover the case and lugs and 23 are applied on the buckle. The Ref. 7043/250G-001 combines white gold, trapezoid-cut blue topaz and peacock blue strap. 

The Ref. 7043/250R-001 uses rose gold, twelve green tsavorites and a polished green strap. The Ref. 7043/250GR-001 combines white and pink gold with twelve amethysts, purple hands and a purple alligator strap. The six new references join two existing Gondolo Haute Joaillerie , presented in 2016 and characterized by the combined use of diamonds and Akoya pearls. Gondolo Ladies First also inaugurates the new women's campaign "I AM. I WEAR.", accompanied by a short film directed by Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet.
 

25 creations of High Craftsmanship dedicated to Italy
The Alto Artigianato room brings together 25 creations dedicated to Italy, to which are added the two Ref. 5531G with the map of Milan, bringing the number of Alto Artigianato pieces on display in this section to 27. The 25 creations specifically developed in the Alto Artigianato Milano 2026 collection include six Dôme clocks, a table clock, four pocket watches and 14 wristwatches. The techniques employed range from Grand Feu cloisonné enamel, grisaille, paillonné and flinqué to miniature painting, engraving, guillochage, setting and wood inlay.

Italy seen from the street
Four Calatravas tell as many Italian itineraries through a Cinquecento. The Ref. 5177G-053 "Escapade on the Amalfi Coast", in six examples, depicts a small turquoise car on a road overlooking the sea. The Ref. 5177G-054 "Journey to Puglia" instead brings a red car between the trulli: about 47 cm of gold thread and 28 enamel colors define the scene. With the Ref. 5177R-010 "Chianti", in rose gold, the car crosses the rows of vines at sunset. The Ref. 5177R-011 "Arrivo a Como", also in rose gold and limited to six pieces, uses about 60 cm of gold thread and 40 colors of enamel to reconstruct the landscape of Lake Como.

Milan, Rome, Venice and Venaria
The Dôme Ref. 20183M-001 "Italian Stamps" clock is a unique piece inspired by stamps dedicated to monumental Italian fountains, with cloisonné enamel, paillonné, illuminated painting and engraving. The Ref. 20184M-001 "Rome by Night" uses the Limoges blanc grisaille technique to depict the capital under a dark sky dotted with gold.

The Ref. 25028M-001 "City of Milan", produced in three copies, reproduces the urban plan in blue, green and turquoise. About 11 meters of gold wire and 20 colors of enamel are needed, while the golden silhouette of the Duomo appears in the center.

 

The Ref. 992/193J-001 "Burano" recreates colorful canals and houses through a palette of 70 enamel colors. A unique pocket watch in yellow gold, part of the Alto Artigianato Milano 2026 collection, dedicated to the Venetian island of Burano.

With the Ref. 995/147G-001 "Cruise in Venice", Patek Philippe switched to wooden inlay: the motorboat entering the Grand Canal was made up of 334 tiles and 15 tiny encrustations obtained from 37 different essences. The Reggia di Venaria was interpreted through two Golden Ellipses: the Ref. 5738/50R-027 "The Great Gallery", in five pieces, and the Ref. 5738/50G-050 "Baroque motif", in six.

Tuscany and the Gulf of Naples
The Ref. 5738/50R-017 "Sunset in Tuscany", limited to ten pieces, uses wooden inlay to build a Tuscan landscape at sunset. Three Calatravas are dedicated to Capri and the Bay of Naples. The Ref. 5077/100J-010 "Bay of Naples" juxtaposes lemons and Faraglioni of Capri. The Ref. 5077/100R-072 "Spiaggia di Capri" depicts a seaside scene with umbrellas, bathers and the sea. The Ref. 5077/100G-082 "Pink Bay" brings the gulf at sunset to the dial, amidst bougainvillea and a small sail, through a palette of 84 enamel colors. All three versions are limited to six pieces.

Sicily, Ravenna and Murano
The Ref. 20185M-001 "Limoni di Sicilia" clocked uses Longwy glaze on porcelain to evoke citrus, Etna and the Mediterranean. The Ref. 20179M-001 "Oranges of Sicily" overlays orange trees in the foreground and Palermo in the background, with about 15 meters of gold thread and 49 colors of enamel. The Ref. 20180M-001 "Ravenna" is inspired by the mosaics of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and uses about 33.4 meters of gold wire, 20 colors of enamel and silver paillons. The mini-clocked clock Ref. 10039M-001 "Millefiori", in five copies, reinterprets the ancient Murano glass technique through Grand Feu cloisonné enamel and illuminated painting.

Florentine Mosaic and Dante
 

The Ref. 7040/250G-011 "Florentine Mosaic" is a Calatrava with Minute Repeater and dial that reproduces the effect of semi-precious stones through Grand Feu enamel and illuminated painting. 

 

The construction requires 25 firings, while the bezel is set with 168 diamonds. 

The Ref. 995/151G-001 "Dante", a unique pocket piece, is inspired by the portrait of the poet painted by Botticelli around 1495. Cloisonné enamel, illuminated painting, engraving and gold dust make up the portrait, which requires over 25 firings.

Lion reclining, lace and stucco
The Ref. 5738/50G-039 "Reclining Lion", in six copies, takes up Pasquale Ricca's sculpture of 1866 through grisaille enamel with blanc de Limoges. The Ref. 5077/100R-069 "Pink Lace" and 5077/100G-080 "Blue Lace" instead interpret the tradition of Burano through champlevé enamel, paillonné and hand-engraved sapphire crystal. The Ref. 995/148G-001 "Italian stuccoes" closes the itinerary with a unique pocket watch in white gold that translates the decorations of Italian Renaissance and Baroque palaces into flinqué enamel and engraving.

Patek Philippe's WATCH ART Milano 2026 is not just a major exhibition of watches, but an extended reading of the Patek Philippe universe, from mechanics to jewelry, from museums to artistic crafts, built around the historical relationship between the Manufacture and the Italian market.

Edited by Angela Trivigno, Avion Luxury Magazine

Text source and photos: Patek Philippe Press Office

Photo: Copyright © Patek Philippe and Avion Luxury Magazine