Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Replica: The 6300 and Its Two Dials

Grand Complication Guide • 7 Sections

The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, reference 6300G in white gold, is the most complicated wristwatch Patek Philippe has built, with twenty complications. The first Grandmaster Chime, the 5175, was made in 2014 for the brand’s 175th anniversary, and a unique steel 6300A was later made for the Only Watch charity sale.

The 6300 sits in a reversible case: the watch body turns in its frame, so you can wear either dial on top. One dial is given mainly to the time and the striking functions, the other to the calendar. Patek patented the turning mechanism.

For another minute repeater grand complication, see our 5208R review: it combines the repeater with a chronograph and a perpetual calendar.

Five striking functions set the Grandmaster Chime apart. The grande sonnerie strikes the hours and quarters automatically as they pass. The petite sonnerie strikes the hours on the hour and only the quarters at each quarter. The minute repeater strikes the time on demand, the date repeater strikes the date, and the alarm strikes the time when it goes off.

In November 2019 a unique stainless steel Grandmaster Chime, reference 6300A-010, was sold for charity through Only Watch and set a record for a wristwatch.

What made the 6300A special: it was the only Grandmaster Chime ever produced in stainless steel. Standard production 6300G models use white gold. The steel version was made exclusively for Only Watch, a charity sale held every two years where watch brands donate unique pieces for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It was one piece, in one material, offered once, and that uniqueness drove the bidding far beyond the usual level.

The standard 6300G in white gold is hardly more accessible: Patek decides who may buy one, and the wait is measured in years. For most people it exists in photographs and museum displays. A Grandmaster Chime replica offers what Patek cannot: immediate access to the design on your wrist.

A Grandmaster Chime replica is a visual replica. It can reproduce the case shape, the layout of both dials, the pusher positions and the proportions of the 6300. It does not reproduce the twenty complications.

Striking is the identity of the Grandmaster Chime, and the name says so. A replica can show the pushers and the mode selector, but the five striking modes belong to Patek’s own movement, built and tuned in Geneva.

If a replica’s case is meant to turn like Patek’s, its video should show it before you accept the watch. Our movement guide explains which movements replicas use.

Few people can buy the original, and money alone does not secure one, because Patek chooses who gets an allocation. Replica buyers tend to fall into three groups:

Insight: the movement of Patek’s Grandmaster Chime has 1,366 components. A replica keeps the outside appearance and uses a much simpler movement.

We do not list the Grandmaster Chime in our shop. If you want a Patek grand complication on your wrist, look at the ones we carry: the Celestial 6102P-001 with its star-chart dial, the 5320G-001 perpetual calendar with a salmon dial, the Skeleton Tourbillon 5104P-001 in white-tone, the Perpetual Calendar 5160/500G-001 with a cream dial and the rest of our Grand Complications collection.

The horological student: someone who wants to understand the layout of Patek’s most complicated watch. Holding it, turning it over and feeling its weight teaches things photographs cannot.

The statement wearer: someone who wants the most striking watch in the room and wears it knowing it is a replica, for the design and the conversations it starts.

The collection centrepiece: for a collector who already has a Nautilus, an Aquanaut or a Calatrava, and perhaps a Sky Moon Tourbillon replica, the Grandmaster Chime is the piece visitors notice first.

When reviewing QC photos of a Grandmaster Chime replica, focus on these points:

• Reversible case: ask for a video that shows the watch from both sides.
• Dial printing: both dials carry very fine text. Check that it is legible, the sub-dials are aligned and the numerals are crisp.
• Case engraving: Patek engraves the 6300G case by hand. On a replica, look for even depth and clean edges in the photos.
• Pushers and correctors: they should sit flush, centred and evenly spaced.
• Strap: it should sit against the case with no gaps at the lugs.

The Grandmaster Chime is a large watch. It needs a large wrist to look proportionate, and on a smaller wrist it dominates. It is also thick, so no shirt cuff will cover it. This is a statement piece, worn deliberately, not hidden.

The weight is substantial too: a large, thick case is heavier than most watches, and you feel it after a full day. For some people that heft is part of the appeal.

It suits a tailored suit or an evening event far better than the gym or the beach.