Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

New York, Dec 07, 2005

LOT 43

"Platinum Retrograde Calendar" Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève, No. 1957213, Ref. 5050. Made circa 2000. Very fine, astronomic, center-seconds, self-winding, platinum gentleman's wristwatch, with perpetual calendar, retrograde date display, leap year, phases of the moon and Patek Philippe platinum buckle. Accompanied by an Extract from the Archives.

USD 60,000 - 80,000

EUR 50,000 - 65,000

Sold: USD 115,000

C. Three-body, solid, polished, concave bezel, concave lugs, screwed-down transparent case back. D. Matte silver with applied white gold bâton markers, apertures for the days of the week, the months, the moon phases, and the leap year, retrograde date scale. White gold "feuille" hands. M. Cal. 315/136, rhodium-plated, stamped with the Seal of Geneva Quality Mark, "fausses-côtes"decoration, 31 jewels, lever escapement, Giromax balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions, shock absorber, self-compensating free-sprung flat balance-spring. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 36 mm. Thickness 10 mm


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3-7

Good

Oxidized
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

Ref. 5050 Production of ref. 5050 started in 1993 with the yellow gold version only. In 1995 PATEK PHILIPPE offered the full range for sale: yellow gold, white gold, pink gold, and platinum. Only one dial color, opaline gray, was available for the four different metals, but it was possible to choose between indexes or Roman numerals. This was the first Patek Philippe perpetual calendar wristwatch to feature a ?retrograde date?. In 1993/1995 when the reference was first shown, this complication went largely unnoticed. It was only when the watch was discontinued in 2001/2002 that it became a sought-after complication, by then widely used by other brands. This type of perpetual with retrograde date was subsequently used on the well-known minute repeater, ref. 5016. With the day and month visible in a small window, as well as the leap year indication, it was the successor to Ref. 3450, and like 3450, was produced in very small quantities.