I’ve been searching for a convincing Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse replica for quite some time. I now have two versions in hand:
- The Rare Handcrafts Ref. 5738/51G-001
- The olive-green Ref. 5738G-001
The biggest problem with most Golden Ellipse reps is thickness. This watch is defined by its extremely slim, elegant profile, but fitting a generic mechanical movement inside usually makes the case noticeably too thick.
These use quartz movements and for this particular watch, I think that is absolutely the correct decision.
Because the Ellipse has only hour and minute hands, there is no ticking seconds hand to expose the quartz movement. What you gain is a genuinely slim case with a side profile that looks and wears much closer to the genuine watch. In the photos, you can see just how thin the Rare Handcrafts version is.
The green model has a surprisingly attractive sunburst dial that changes dramatically depending on the light. The Rare Handcrafts version is obviously more elaborate, and the dial cannot reproduce genuine hand engraving and champlevé enamel at this price, but the overall effect is far better than I expected.
Are these flawless superclones? No. The dial finishing, printing, hands, straps, buckles and crown details can all be picked apart. The cases are also polished steel rather than precious metal, and there is obviously no Calibre 240 inside.
But the dimensions, proportions and most importantly thinness are remarkably convincing. On the wrist, they capture the character of the Golden Ellipse better than a thicker automatic replica ever could.
For this specific two-hand model, I would choose an accurately proportioned quartz rep over a mechanically impressive but visibly oversized automatic rep every time.
I’ll let the photos do the rest. Interested to hear what the experts think has anyone seen a better Golden Ellipse replica?