Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

New York, Dec 05, 2007

LOT 380

Yellow Gold Ref. 5050 Patek Philippe, Genève, No. 1957333, case No. 2961820, Ref. 5050. Made in the late 1990s, sold on June 7, 2000. Very fine and rare, astronomic, center seconds, self-winding, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with perpetual calendar, retrograde date, leap year indication, moon phases and an 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp. Accompanied by the original box, Certificate of Origin and an additional 18K yellow gold solid case back.

USD 50,000 - 70,000

EUR 35,000 - 50,000

Sold: USD 64,900

C. Three-body, solid, polished, concave bezel and lugs, screwed-down transparent case back, sapphire crystals. D. Matte silver with applied yellow gold baton indexes, apertures for the days of the week, the months, the moon phases and leap year, retrograde sector for the date. Yellow gold feuille hands. M. Cal. 315/136, stamped with the Seal of Geneva quality mark, rhodium-plated, fausses côtes decoration, 31 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, Gyromax 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 12 mm. Property of Various Owners


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image

Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good

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