Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Patek Philippe · Complications
Patek Philippe Complications 38 mm Salmon 18k
Reference 60252OR.45
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Patek Philippe
- Collection
- Complications
- Model
- Patek Philippe Complications 38 mm Salmon 18k
- Reference number
- 60252OR.45
- Year / era
- 1974 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 38F — In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1974 – 1980
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Patek Philippe Complications 38 mm Salmon 18k sits within Patek Philippe's Complications line, introduced in 1974. It carries the house codes established since 1839 — 18k white gold case, salmon dial and in-house automatic micro-rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Patek Philippe
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1839
- Founder
- Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Nautilus, Aquanaut, Calatrava, Complications, Grand Complications, Golden Ellipse, Gondolo, Twenty~4, Cubitus
- Signature technologies
- Composite and ceramic case materials · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Notable watches
- Patek Philippe Nautilus 38 mm Slate Quartz (1999) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 41 mm Blue Carbon (1995) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 38 mm Slate Sapphire (1964) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 36 mm Meteorite Grade (1986)
Brand history
Patek Philippe has spent more than 187 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Nautilus, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe established Patek Philippe in 1839, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Patek Philippe calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1839
Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe founds Patek Philippe in Switzerland.
1879
Patek Philippe earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Patek Philippe to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Patek Philippe enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Patek Philippe continues to produce Nautilus, Aquanaut, Calatrava and other icons in limited numbers.
More Complications
Patek Philippe Complications 37 mm Silvered Stainless
Ref. 83822ST.33
Patek Philippe Complications 40 mm Slate Ceramic
Ref. 60531OR.63
Patek Philippe Complications 42 mm Slate Quartz
Ref. 66458OR.28
Patek Philippe Complications 44 mm Salmon 18k
Ref. 42935OR.88
Patek Philippe Complications 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
Ref. 52722OR.25