In all the Baselworld hoopla over Patek Philippe’s new weekly calendar, and colorful new references in the sporty Nautilus and Aquanaut collections, it may have been easy to overlook another significant 2019 release for the Swiss maison: Ref. 5172G, a new white-gold chronograph with blue dial and strap that replaces ? and is, in fact, a slightly updated version of ? the now discontinued Ref. 5170.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5172G Chronograph, photographed at Baselworld 2019, front (above) and back (below)

The updated elements of the Ref. 5712 include the new, fully polished finish on the white gold case, which measures 41 mm in diameter and 11.45 mm thick, a tad larger than its predecessor; the rounded, guilloché-endowed chronograph pushers; the newly designed three-tiered lugs; and, on the dial, new applied Arabic numerals and baton-style hands with pointed tips. Both hands and numerals are made of white gold like the case, and all now feature luminous coating. Over the dial is a curved, vintage-inspired box-type sapphire crystal. The crystal is box-shaped and the pushers now sport a guilloché pattern.
The varnished, midnight blue dial is bordered on its edge by a white, transfer-printed, minutes counter and a tachymeter scale, and uses a sandblasted central chronograph hand to tally up 30 elapsed minutes on the subdial at 3 o’clock, while the running seconds tick away on the other subdial at 9 o’clock. Both subdials are outlined by a white railway-track scal...