The first watch we are previewing for the September 2013 Only Watch event is this Patek Philippe Ref 5004T.  The Patek Philippe Ref 5004 is a split-seconds chronograph + perpetual calendar; it was produced for about six years, until being replaced by the Patek Ref 5204 in 2011.  The piece you see here is the first and likely only time that the Patek Ref 5004 will be created in a titanium case.  More broadly, however, is that this is the fourth Patek Philippe EVER to be cased in titanium, according to my research.   I revealed two of them here on Perpetuelle a couple years ago — the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref5180T and the Calatrava Ref 6000T (see Two Titanium Patek Philippe’s You Didn’t Know Existed); and my knowledgeable friends at Monochrome also pointed out that the Patek Nautilus, Ref 5712T, was also cased in titanium — made for Only Watch 2007, fittingly.

Patek trivia aside, let’s take a closer look at this 5004T. 
Click through for more looks and discussion

Baselworld 2013…

Patek Philippe has also unveiled this year a new version of their iconic Calatrava Ref. 5227, but from the photo above you surely wouldn’t know it!  So what’s all the excitement about one of Patek’s most iconic models?  The new Calatrava Ref. 5227 now features a display back protected with a separate dust cover.   The special twist: The entire hinge is hidden on the inside of the cover.  Connoisseurs now have a discreet manner with which to admire the automatic mechanical Patek Caliber 324 S C.  AND, the new Calatrava case has another exclusive feature, which I’ll also show you below.
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Baselworld 2013…

 Patek Philippe’s 5170J (yellow gold) was introduced in 2010.  With an in-house caliber (replacing the Ref 5070′s Lemania caliber), it was a worthy addition to the list of manually wound, two-register chronographs from Patek.  This year, Patek has rolled out the 5170 in white gold.  It is essentially the same as the 5170J, same movement and 39mm case size, though there has been a subtle dial revision.

Like the 5170J, the 5170 in white gold is powered by the hand-wound Caliber CH 29-535 PS, a double register column-wheel chronograph with 65 hours power reserve and bearing the PP seal of excellence.  The big change here is the dial.  It has a silvery-white dial with a full set of Breguet numerals (save for the where the chrono registers sit).  This is significant because the prior model had two roman numerals XII and VI and stick baton hour markers. See here:

I really like the revision, being a fan of Breguet style numerals.   What say you?

Pricing on the Patek Philippe 5170G will be $87,100.  Full specs at Patek.com>>>

Baselworld 2013…

Overall this year Patek does not have many “new new” models, instead it seems they have focused on offering existing models in new case metals, and some other smaller details, such as minor case changes and also dials.  Though some of these will be meaningful changes for Patek collectors — for example the Ref 5170 two-register chronograph is now offered in white gold with silvery-white dial and a full Breguet numeral layout.  This is significant because the prior model had two roman numerals XII and VI and stick baton hour markers.  Being a fan of Breguet numerals, I really like the new style of the 5170 — but I digress — more on this later.

Patek Philippe’s new Ref. 5200 Gondolo 8 Days, Day & Date is offered in sunburst blue and silvery white versions.  It is set in a contoured, rectangular Art Deco case with two tiered sides, and a newly developed, manually wound form movement with silicon components. Case dimensions are 37.4mm × 46.9mm x 10.4mm thick.
Click through for full det’s on the new Gondolo 8 Days

Offered by an American collector, the highly anticipated Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph (lot 99) stirred exceptional excitement in the auction room, on the phones, as well as on the internet as it went up for sale yesterday.   After several minutes of intense bidding, the outstanding timepiece sold for an impressive $794,500, almost twice its low estimate.   This particular watch last appeared at at auction over 15 years ago on October 18th, 1997 at Antiquorum Geneva.   It was manufactured in 1951 and sold on November 3rd, 1953 with the rose gold bracelet — confirmed on the Extract from the Patek Archives.
Click through for hi-res looks at this superb Patek

This is a brief update on my December 7th, 2012 preview of the Patek Philippe Platinum Ref 5016 with Red + Black Dial:  the rare Patek Philippe watch, with tourbillon, minute repeater, and retrograde perpetual calendar fetched $722,750.  This beat the pre-auction estimate of $500,000 – $700,000.  For more details on this superb watch, please see my original, in-depth review HERE.

Patek Philippe Platinum Ref 5016 Red + Black Dial

Auctioned by Antiquorum

Tourbillon, minute repeater, retrograde perpetual calendar…est. $500k-$700k…

Antiquorum’s “Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces” sale in New York is one week away (Thurs, Dec. 13), and I’d like to highlight the star of the sale:  a platinum Patek Philippe perpetual calendar + minute repeater + tourbillon (Ref. 5016) with a unique black and red dial.  By any account it is a stunning timepiece.  The bold and striking dial is one to its own — in other words, a commissioned piece from a very important Patek Philippe client.  Furthermore, the watch is rated to be in “exceptional” condition, essentially a “like new” timepiece.  Accordingly, the pre-sale estimate is $500,000 – $700,000.  Here’s the rundown on this watch.
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The Patek Philippe Boutique located in the Tiffany & Co. flagship New York store is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2013 with the introduction of a Patek 5936G Annual Calendar created especially for the boutique’s anniversary.  The wristwatch was jointly developed by Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co.   This special 5936G is limited to just 100 pieces; it is double-signed Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. and will be sold in a limited edition exclusively through Tiffany’s Patek Philippe Boutique and other authorized Tiffany & Co. locations nationwide.
More details and a closer look, on the jump.

Thanks to court documents filed with the New York Department of State, the previously unknown owner of the most expensive watch ever sold at auction has been revealed.  The $11 million Patek Philippe supercomplication pocket watch made for renowned collector Henry Graves is now known to be owned by Qatari Royal Family member Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Thani.  The Patek Graves Supercomplication was sold by Sotheby’s in 1999 for a world-record $11,002,500.  The high bidder at the time?  Anonymous.

In a bizarre and unfortunate turn of events for the Sheikh, the Qatari Royal was forced to pledge the Graves Supercomplication (and almost 240 other items valued at almost $83 million) to Sotheby’s to cover debts owed to the auction house.  Read the full story as reported last Friday by Bloomberg.

The 18-karat gold pocket watch made by Patek Philippe for banker Henry Graves Jr. in 1933.

It sold for $11 million in 1999 at Sotheby’s, a record price for any timepiece at auction.

Please visit Perpetuelle’s original story of September 26, 2012 for more extensive detail.  The Clapton Patek came in just above the mid-point estimate, which is probably a slight disappointment to some but expected by others.  The platinum J.B. Champion Patek — which carried the same pre-auction estimate as the Clapton 2499 — fetched just over $4 million ($4.012 million).  Though the J.B. Champion Patek lacks the rock musician cachet of Clapton’s 2499/100, it does have one distinguishing element that very understandably justifies its higher value (among other reasons) — it is a one-of-a-kind piece (vs. two platinum Patek 2499/100 which exist).  I will also be writing later this week about the J.B. Champion Patek.