One for the ‘when you are old and rich’ list.
A classic, sensible and old-school 37mm in size from 18kt yellow gold, the 5940 has a sapphire crystal, a solid and a sapphire back and water resistance to 30 meters.
Powering the watch is the in-house automatic Patek caliber 240Q. This is ultra-thin, with a power reserve of 48 hours.
Functions are hours, minutes, perpetual calendar (day, date, month, leap year) moon-phase and 24 hour indication.
Smooth ….
[Press Release] Patek Philippe’s new Ref. 5235 Annual Calendar Regulator embodies a number of novel facets never before featured in the manufacture’s collection. It is the first Patek Philippe wristwatch with a regulator dial, characterized by a sweep minute hand, a subsidiary hour dial at 12 o’clock and a seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
The heart of the watch is the new caliber 31-260 REG QA, the first ultra-thin self-winding Patek Philippe movement with a mini-rotor that displays the subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock.
It is also the very first totally new basic movement designed to accommodate Silinvar® components: The escape wheel and the lever of the Pulsomax® escapement as well as the Spiromax® balance spring are made of the innovative silicon-based material.
The new wristwatch is endowed with an Annual Calendar that displays the month, day, and date in apertures and ranks among Patek Philippe’s most popular complications.
The Patek Philippe Ref. 5235 Annual Calendar Regulator clearly affirms the manufacture’s philosophy according to which the paramount purpose of a watch is to keep the time as accurately and reliably as possible.
The ‘Only Watch‘ auction wouldn’t be complete without a piece from one of the true masters of the high-end ..
[Press Release] A unique Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Minute Repeater model, Ref. 3939, will be auctioned on September 22nd, 2011 at 4 p.m. in Monaco to fund medical research for the Duchenne Muscular Distrophy.
To support Only Watch 2011 Patek Philippe created for the first time a Stainless Steel Minute Repeater timepiece with a black enamel dial based on the emblematic Ref. 3939 model. The Only Watch 2011 special stainless steel model Ref. 3939 is and will remain the one and unique piece ever produced by Patek Philippe Geneva.
Patek Philippe hopes that the pure sound of the minute repeater chiming mechanism of this unique timepiece will support the message of hope for the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research.
Mechanical manually wound movement, caliber RTO27PS a minute repeater with tourbillon escapement, chime with two gongs activated by a slide piece in the case and with seconds subdial. It has 28 jewels and a power reserve of 48 hours.
Applied Breguet-style numerals, interchangeable full back and sapphire crystal case back. The case is humidity and dust protected only (not water resistant). It is done in stainless steel and measures 33.3mm.
Time to start saving those pennies …
[Press Release] NEW YORK – A very rare and superlative Franck Muller Prototype Gold Minute Repeating Wristwatch, with Perpetual Calendar and Moon Phases, circa 1986, is expected to bring more than $100,000 when it crosses the auction block as part of Heritage Auctions’ New York Signature® Timepieces Auction, Tuesday May 3, at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, 2 East 79th Street (at 5th Ave).
“This important timepiece is accompanied by a letter, hand written and signed by Franck Muller, which states that he personally made the watch in 1986 for the Vicenza Jewellery and Watch Fair,” said Jim Wolf, Director of Timepieces at Heritage. “This rare watch is considered to be the cornerstone of Franck Muller’s complicated models.”
The letter from Muller indicates that this prototype is based on a LeCoultre ebauche made for Tiffany. It is comparable to high grade minute repeating movements by Patek Philippe and was finished by Franck Muller with the addition of a perpetual calendar mechanism.
The presence of an historically important Patek Philippe Minute Repeating Split Seconds Chronograph with Register (estimate: $25,000+), originally presented by the citizens of San Francisco, CA to Surgeon General Rupert Blue, circa 1908, presents an especially intriguing and interesting wrinkle to the auction.
The dust cover of this timepiece is engraved “To Rupert Blue P.A. Surgeon, U.S.P.H. and M.H.S. from the citizens of San Francisco. In grateful recognition of services rendered the city while in command of the Sanitation Campaign of 1908.”
“Blue served with the Marine Hospital Service Regular Corps, which later became the Public Health Service,” said Wolf. “He received honors for his work to eradicate the bubonic plague in San Francisco in 1905 and in the eradication of yellow fever in New Orleans in 1907. He served as Surgeon General under Presidents Taft and Wilson from 1912 to 1920 and also served as President of the American Medical Association from 1916 to 1917. Under Blue’s leadership, researchers effectively used the new science of bacteriology to combat diseases linked to poverty in both rural and urban areas.”
Patek Philippe is further represented in the auction by two more superb timepieces: a very fine Patek Philippe Ref. 3970E Perpetual Calendar With Chronograph, Moon Phase, Leap Year & 24 Hour Indication, circa 2004 (estimated at $80,000+) and a fine Patek Philippe Gold Minute Repeater Split Second Chronograph With Register, circa 1908 (estimated at $25,000+).
A very rare and popular Rolex Ref. 1655 Double Red Sea-Dweller Submariner, circa 1977 (estimate: $20,000+), will thrill collectors of Rolex’s “Mark IV” series. The dial of the “Mark VI” series, including the one on this rare timepiece, is distinguished by the printing on the dial. When examined closely the printing appears to be made up of a series of small dots, rather than direct brush stroke type application. The present watch also has the transitional series case back which is distinguished by the lettering “Rolex Patent Oyster Gas Escape Valve” engraved around the back as opposed to the engraving being straight across the back as found on earlier versions. The transitional series is believed to have been produced between 1977 and 1978, with serial numbers in the 5.1 to 5.2 million range.
Further highlights include, but are not limited to:
Illinois Exceedingly Rare 23 Jewel 163 Type II Sixty Hour Bunn Special, # 5448264, circa 1931: Estimate: $20,000 – $25,000.
Rolex Very Fine & Rare Ref. 6234 “Pre-Daytona” Antimagnetic Oyster Chronograph, circa 1950s: Estimate: $15,000+.
Breitling Very Fine 18k Gold 125th Anniversary Limited Edition Chronograph, The Last Example Produced No. 125/125: Estimate: $15,000 – $18,000.
Waltham Rare 18k Gold Premier Maximus G.T.P. Railway Presentation Watch With Original Box, circa 1910: Estimate: $12,000 – $15,000.
Patek Philippe & Cie. Exceptional 18k Gold Split Seconds Chronograph With Instantaneous 30-Minute Register, circa 1907: Estimate: $12,000 – $15,000.
Love this.
A very ‘subtly-smart’ piece from Patek Philippe - the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time (Ref. 5164A).
Adding to the existing Aquanaut collection, this Travel Time model has two hour hands for two time zones – local time and home time.
Inside the 40.8mm steel case is a new self-winding movement, the Patek Caliber 324 S C FUS.
The dial sports two day/night indicators (again for local and home) and an analog date indicator.
The Patek 5164A price is $32,300 (hey, you didn’t think this would be cheap, did you?!).
[Press Release] Patek Philippe has achieved a world first by offering its sophisticated grand complication CHR 27-525 PS calibre, the world’s thinnest split-seconds column-wheel chronograph, in an elegant new pink gold model for women, the Ladies First Split Seconds Chronograph.
On the front, the bezel is set with 153 diamonds and frames a very elegant grained opaline dial, while another 76 diamonds decorate the sapphire caseback which reveals the movement.
With elegance, refinement and sophistication, three values dear to the brand, Patek Philippe meets the growing interest among women for timepieces with complications. An exceptional model for an exceptional woman.
Ladies First Split Seconds Chronograph, Ref. 7059
Movement: Hand-wound, CHR 27-525 PS calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph and split-seconds
Case: 18K pink gold, 33.2 mm Bezel set with 153 diamonds (0.72 ct), back set with 76 diamonds (0.40 ct) Sapphire crystal, front and back Water-resistant to 30 m / 3 ATM
Dial: Matt grained opaline Applied 18K pink gold hourmarkers and Arabic numerals 60-minute and small seconds counters at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively
Strap: Hand-stitched, matt pearly beige alligator leather, buckle set with 26 diamonds (0.18 ct)
[Press Release] Patek Philippe is expanding its classic chronograph collection with the introduction of its very latest perpetual calendar model, a complication that has always occupied a place of honour in the brand’s collections.
This new flagship of haute horlogerie, the Réf. 5270, is fitted with a unique column wheel chronograph movement.
The day and month appear in a double window at 12 o’clock, with a hand indicating the date around the moon phase.
The leap year is displayed in a small round window at 4:30 opposite a matching window for the day/night display at 7:30. Like all the brand’s grand complications, it has two interchangeable backs: one in sapphire crystal that reveals the complexity of the movement and the elegance of its finishing, the other, a white gold solid back that can be personalized with a dedication or an engraving.
The case measures 41mm and is water resistant to 30 meters.
Movement is the Swiss hand-wind Patek caliber in-house CH29-535PSQ
With its final auction of the fall season on December 14 in New York, Christie’s International wrapped up a record-breaking year for fine and rare watches that realized an astonishing $91.2 million in total sales – the highest annual total ever achieved for watches at the global auction house.
During what has emerged as a remarkable year for investment in fine timepieces, every watch sale hosted at Christie’s salerooms inDubai, Hong Kong, Geneva, and New York achieved sell-through rates above 90% by value.
The top watch of the year was a unique Patek Philippe gold chronograph Reference 1527 (above) manufactured in 1943 that sold for a record-breaking $5.7 million at Christie’s Geneva in May.
The top 8 prices of the year were all attributable to Pateks, and no other auction house in the world achieved as many record prices for important timepieces during 2010.
[update: you can see Christie's Top 10 chart below. Click through for a larger image]
