Patek Philippe

Sleep with Rolex & Patek Philippe at Florence's Luxe L'O - Hotel L'Orologio

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Timepieces / Watches, Men's Style, Architecture & Design

Under the patronage of new Italian luxury hotel group Whythebest, one of Florence's hippest and best-hidden boutique hotels is getting set to welcome the fashion crowd to the city this summer during the Pitti Uomo men's shows.

L'O - Hotel L'Orologio is unique in being inspired by the prestigious world of international high-end watchmaking as well as by owner Sandro Fratini's personal collection of over 2,000 vintage timepieces. If you appreciate haute horlogerie – and what man of style doesn't? – it's hard to imagine wanting to stay anywhere else.

Tags: Florence, Italy, luxury hotels, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Whythebest Hotels

Continue reading “Sleep with Rolex & Patek Philippe at Florence's Luxe L'O - Hotel L'Orologio”

Patek Philippe Triple Complication Ref. 5208 Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Patek Philippe's most ambitious new item for 2011 is clearly the Reference 5208 Grand Complication watch. Building on a few platforms, they include a highly desirable trio of complication groups together in the Ref. 5208 making it a very choice piece this year. In platinum, the case is a generous 44mm wide - it is possible that gold versions will come in the years to come.

The dial design feels very contemporary by Patek Philippe standards. While sophisticated, in true Patek Philippe fashion they are able to include a wealth of information on the face without the dial looking cluttered or intimidating. The most cleverly integrated feature is the perpetual calendar which uses a link of window on the top of the dial to indicate the day, date, and month. Small windows in the chronograph subdials indicate the leap year as well as a day/night indicator. A moon phase indicator is built into the subsidiary seconds dial. An important element of the calendar system is that all the indicators instantly jump when they change as opposed to change slowly.

Gallery: Patek Philippe Grand Complication Ref. 5208 Watch

Tags: 2011, 5208, patek philippe, platinum, review, triple complication, watch, watches

Continue reading “Patek Philippe Triple Complication Ref. 5208 Watch”

$2.7 Million Patek Philippe Watch Stars in Christie's Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

An extremely important white gold Patek Philippe single-button chronograph from 1928, undoubtedly the only one of its kind, is expected to fetch up to $2.7 million at Christie's Important Watches sale in Geneva on May 16.

Created in 1928 on the eve of the stock market crash, the unique and complicated 1928 chronograph was a bespoke commission from one of Patek Philippe's most important patrons, though his exact identity is unknown.

The cushion-shaped wristwatch, with vertically positioned registers and Breguet numerals, is the only known example extant of a single-button chronograph by Patek Philippe made in white gold.

As such, it's perfectly possible that it could end up selling for more than $2.7 million, especially with the buoyant market for such horological masterpieces at the moment.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: auctions, bespoke, Christies, chronograph, Geneva, gold, most expensive watches, Patek Philippe, watches, white gold

Christie's Sells Record-Breaking $91 Million Worth of Watches in 2010

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

With its final auction of the fall season on December 14 in New York, including the stunning collection of rare Rolexes we wrote about the other day, 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 in Dubai, 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.

Tags: auctions, Christies, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, New York, Patek Philippe, Rolex, watches, world record

Rare Rolexes & More in Christie's Watches Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

A custom-engraved Patek Philippe pocket watch from the collection of American business titan Henry Graves Jr. and a stellar collection of modern dress and sport watches from the collection of award-winning actor Anthony LaPaglia are among top lots to on offer at Christie's December 14 sale of Important Watches in New York. Price-wise the big draw is a Patek Philippe Reference 2499 in 18k gold, a perpetual calendar chronograph with moon phases, manufactured in 1982, est. $250,000–$350,000, while Graves' Patek is estimated at $40,000–$60,000. LaPaglia is an astute collector whose well-chosen pieces will lead the sale's afternoon session, with estimates ranging from $2,000 up to $70,000.

A stand-out among the vintage watches in his collection is the Rolex Reference 3646 made circa 1943 for Officine Panerai, an extremely rare example of the large, stainless steel diver's wristwatches produced for Italian navy officers during the 1940's, est. $70,000–$90,000; and the Rolex Reference 6541 from circa 1958, one of the rarest Milgauss models Rolex ever produced, est. $60,000–$80,000. Identified by its seconds hand in the form of a lightning bolt, this anti-magnetic model was originally designed for use in areas of high electro-magnetic fields, such as laboratories and power stations. And our favorite is the Rolex Reference 6239, known as the "Paul Newman" Cosmograph Daytona, (above) manufactured circa 1967 in stainless steel, est. $40,000–$60,000.

Gallery: Christie's Important Watches 12/14/10

Tags: Anthony LaPaglia, auction, christies+watches, christieswatches, chronograph, Henry Graves Jr., Panerai, Patek Philippe, rare+rolexes, rarerolexes, Rolex, Rolex Daytona, rolex+milgauss, rolexmilgauss, watches

$2.5 Million Patek Philippe Stars in Christie's Megabucks Watches Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

An exceptionally rare and highly important rose gold Patek Philippe timepiece made in 1953 (above) is expected to fetch up to $2.5 million at Christie's Important Watches sale in Geneva on November 15. The two crown world time wristwatch with 24 hour indication and blue enamel dial, Ref. 2523 is one of three pink gold Pateks in the sale, all of which are expected to top out at over $1 million, an extremely rare occurrence in a single sale. The other two are a perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phases, Ref. 2499, manufactured in 1957, estimated at up to $1.25 million; and a perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with phases of the moon, Ref. 1518, manufactured in 1948, estimated at up to $1.03 million. 388 lots in total will be offered in two sessions during the historic sale and are expected to realize a combined total estimated in excess of $13 million.

Gallery: Christie's Important Watches 11/10

Chopard?s L.U.C Louis-Ulysse - The Tribute

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: auction, Christies, chronograph, Geneva, gold, horology, Patek Philippe, pink gold, timepieces, watches, wristwatch

Recent Crazy Night For Charlie Sheen Leads To Lost Patek Philippe Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Celebrity Shopping

Charlie Sheen discovered his Patek Philippe watch was missing and tore apart his hotel room at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. A known watch collector with millions of dollars worth of watches, Charlie Sheen was lividly trying to locate his hard-to-get Patek Philippe Ref. 5970 watch. Collectors love the classic high-end Patek with a chronograph, perpetual calendar, and moon phase indicator. It is worth well over $100,000.

The media calls it a "Sheen Meltdown," but he was really just looking for his timepiece that went missing on October 28th. The story goes deeper, though. Sheen blamed his "date" that night Capri Anderson for taking the watch. The two apparently met earlier in the night and ended up back at Sheen's hotel room where things got a bit out of control. Drugs and alcohol are obviously implicated - and Capri is said to have quickly become afraid of the 45 year old actor before locking herself into a bathroom. Forget the girl, at this point Charlie couldn't find the watch. Later taken to a hospital, Sheen's Patek was still on the loose. Does the porn star have it? The bell hop? Someone else? Sources are unclear about the events that led Anderson to Sheen's hotel room, and there have been suggestions that he was back to his old ways of paying for sex. Let's just hope that Sheen didn't inadvertently hock the watch at a pawn shop to pay for Capri's "fee."

Despite the media fiasco, I just feel bad for Charlie. When you are a watch lover, and have a timepiece that rare, you'd scour the earth to get it back if lost.

Via TMZ and others.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: capri anderson, charlie sheen, lost, missing, patek philippe, stolen, watch, wears

'Watches: The Ultimate Guide', New Edition

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Books

French horology specialist Fabienne Reybaud's brilliant book Watches: The Ultimate Guide quickly sold out when first published by Assouline in 2006. Now the luxury publisher has brought out a new, updated edition covering developments in the watchmaking world and market in the intervening years. Ranging from pocket watches to limited edition Patek Philippe timepieces that routinely fetch millions at auction, Reybaud shares her knowledge of the watch industry from the history of production through different means of mechanization, collecting, and selling in a lavishly-illustrated volume. In addition to chapters on every major watchmaker, an horological glossary and a price guide, there's an indispensable index of retailers, auction houses, repair shops and specialists.

Tags: Assouline, books, coffee table books, France, horology, Patek Philippe, pocket watch, timepieces, watches, watchmaker

Brad Pitt Enjoys Wearing His Patek Philippe Nautilus Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Celebrity Shopping

Brad Pitt, known watch lover, has a seriously intense watch collection. From the timepiece I've heard he buys (and at the frequency he does so), he must have a very large collection. Enough so that each of his kids are likely going to get a sizable timepiece inheritance someday.

Here is Brad wearing his Patek Philippe Nautilus timepiece while doing work with the Make It Right project in New Orleans . This watch debuted in the late 1970s, and came about when luxury steel sport watches really became en vogue. Today's Nautilus watches comes in a few varieties, but Brad likes his in the classic style with a steel case and bracelet, with a blue face, and a three-hand Patek Philippe made automatic movement. Like all Patek Philippe movements, it is beautifully made and decorated - and visible here through a sapphire exhibition caseback window. I like how Brad matched the blue dial with his shirt. The watch is 43mm wide and in all steel except for the while gold hands and hour markers - which are applied.

The Nautilus is an interesting piece - and took a little while for me to appreciate. What really sold the watch for me a few years back was seeing it on the wrist. As you can see, it has a very masculine, flattering look on the wrist. The specific reference number for this piece is 5711/1A, and retails for about $23,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Thanks to Gabriella K. and JustJared.com.

Tags: brad pitt, Make It right, Nautilus, NOLA, Patek Philippe, watch, watchspotting, wears

Howard Hughes' Patek Philippe Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

A 1949 Patek Philippe chronograph that belonged to Howard Hughes, the dashing movie mogul portrayed by Leo DiCaprio in The Aviator, is being offered in Christie's' Important Watches Featuring the Leo Collection sale in New York on June 16.

The gold wristwatch, Ref. 1463, with breguet numerals is estimated at $150,000 – $200,000. In the 1960s the increasingly-paranoid Hughes gifted the watch to a private detective who carried out a number of surveillance assignments for him, and it comes accompanied by a note from Hughes to that effect.

Also featured in the sale is Roy Rogers' Rolex, a stainless steel triple calendar chronograph Ref. 6036, manufactured circa 1952 and estimated at $40,000-$60,000, consigned from the estate of the so-called "King of Cowboys"; and a rare and extremely important platinum Patek Philippe Ref. 5016, estimated at $350,000 – $500,000.

Tags: Christies, chronograph, gold, Howard Hughes, Leo DiCaprio, New York, Patek Philippe, Rolex, roy rogers, timepiece, watch, wristwatch

Patek Philippe 5104 Watch - Not Ready For The Auction House?

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

Very soon Antiquorum will hold another one of its well-publicized watch and clock auctions in New York City. A few times a year, the group works to wow watch lovers with its rare and interesting timepieces that often go for "record breaking" prices. Unsurprisingly, these auctions are usually headlined by a rare Patek Philippe watch - the existence of which is so common given that at least a few are are showcased each auction, I wonder how rare, a rate Patek Philippe watch actually is. This upcoming auction, the featured piece is a high-end Patek Philippe Ref. 5104 watch. A complex, skeletonized timepiece made about two years ago. It has Patek's interesting Caliber R 27 PS QR automatic movement with a host of complications including a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and micro rotor for the automatic winding. The platinum case is 43mm wide and has 18k red gold on its sides in a decorative style similar to that on the famous Sky Moon Tourbillon. The real thing people notice about the watch is the skeletonization - which is rather intense. The watch is still pretty easy to read actually. The sapphire crystal disc dials on the face have a small blue hands behind them that highlight the correct information. Of interest as well is the retrograde periphery style date indicator. Released so recently, there are still a few Ref. 5104 watches on the market new, so is an auction right now wise?

With an estimated auction price of $500,000 - $700,000, the watch has a ceiling price of $700,000 because you can probably still get a new one at that price. Antiquorum loves to boast about how their Patek Philippe watches often get prices above estimate - but that won't likely happen here for this newer Patek Philippe watch. Not that the price is cheap (by any means), but Antiquorum might be doing itself harm by highlighting a piece that won't reach extraordinary prices. The ceiling price is what ever the lowest price one of these watches costs new. It makes much more sense for the auction house to showcase unavailable, or otherwise very hard to get watches. I did a simple Google search and found at least two of these watches are available online. A lukewarm yield for the 5104 watch could slightly harm the sharp momentum that rare Patek Philippe watches are gaining on the collector's and auction market. Just my two cents.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 5104, antiquorum, auction, patek philippe

The Classicist: Rash of New World Records Says "The Rich Are Back"

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Art, The Classicist, Wealth

Following an incredible number of record-breaking sales of some of the world's most expensive items, from cars to art to watches, diamonds and estates, that have taken place just in the past two weeks, we are hereby making an official declaration: The Rich Are Back. While the economic recovery has been slow to materialize in some quarters, those with the money to make multimillion-dollar purchases are suddenly not shy about dropping the coin. The megabucks deals mean an optimistic outlook has finally taken a firm hold, and the wealthy no longer feel the need to pinch their pennies in the fear that more hard times could be lurking right around the corner. We say it's about time too.

In one hectic twelve-day period, from May 3 to May 14, we saw the record-breaking sales of a $106 million Picasso painting; a $50 million mansion in Bel-Air; a $46 million ranch in Colorado; a $40 million Bugatti; a $32 million Warhol self-portrait; a $26 million Jasper Johns painting; an $18 million Ferrari; an $8 million blue diamond; and a $5 million Patek Philippe chronograph – about $330 million worth of the world's most expensive possessions. The astonishing sales have given an immediate boost to the art, classic cars, real estate and collector's timepieces markets, many of which faltered in the wake of the economic downturn, losing billions of dollars in value. Here's a rundown of the nine history-making deals as they unfolded over the twelve-day whirlwind of wealth disbursement; see the gallery for images:

Gallery: The Return of the Rich

Picasso, <i>Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust</i>

Tags: Andy Warhol, art, auction, Bel-Air, Bootjack Ranch, Bugatti, Chris Evans, Christies, chronograph, classic cars, Colorado, contemporary art, diamond, estates, Ferrari, Ferrari 250 GTO, Jasper Johns, Michael Crichton, Pablo Picasso, Patek Philippe, Picasso, ranch, real estate, The Rich, world record, worlds most expensive

Continue reading “The Classicist: Rash of New World Records Says "The Rich Are Back"”

Record Breaking Price For Patek Philippe Watch At Auction

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

The guys over at Patek Philippe are likely patting each other on the back due to a recent auction result sure to be good for the brand. Not that they really did anything in a modern sense. This was due to the sale of an old watch. A unique Patek Philippe watch from 1944 came in at $5.637 million at a Christie's auction in Geneva. That's right. Over 5.6 million dollars for a simple Patek Philippe wrist watch. Aside form the fact that it is a unique watch (and a Patek Philippe) there is nothing extraordinarily interesting about it. I gander that such a high price can be explained how many (most Asian) watch lovers and investors are looking at Patek Philippe timepieces a s money making vehicle - rather than just a item of horological fascination.

The watch is referred to at the Ref. 1527 - though there is a more modern 1527, and no classic 1527 in Patek's historical records. More than likely that watch was a prototype of experiment. Perhaps a more complex model than the highly loved 1518 Perpetual Calendar Patek Philippe watch. This 1527 watch has a chronograph that the 1518 does not have, a larger size, and a more avant garde case design. . In 18k yellow gold, the watch is further unique for being relatively large for a war-era watch. Over 37mm in width - while considered medium in size at best given today's standards, this was a large watch back in the 1940s. This watch isn't new at auction either - it was last up on the bidding slab about 20 years ago.

The lot estimate for this Patek Philippe watch was no more than $2.5 million, but that price was far exceeded. I am frankly quite amazed by the fervor of Patek Philippe watch collectors (and prospectors). I feel that much of this is about riding a slow moving wave that at some point in the future will fall a bit. Many of these watches enter auction houses like they are revolving doors. Always hoping to fetch a higher and higher price a bit down the road. Such an economy cannot be maintained. Plus, there are other brands with fantastic historical watches that eventually will be noticed if a demand can be garnered. So while Patek Philippe watches will always be valuable at auction, I just can't see this extreme price hike continuing.

Via Christie's.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 1527, auction, christies, patek philippe, watch, watch auction

Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5726 Annual Calendar Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

For me this Patek Philippe Nautilus watch was the best Patek Philippe watch introduced for 2010. It wasn't totally original, nor did it have a crazy complex Patek Philippe movement - but it does have a manly appeal that I prefer. In fact, almost no other Patek Philippe watches from Baselworld even felt as though they were made for men this year. My second most favorite? The lady's Nautilus watch that was introduced last year - but I digress. For 2010 Patek Philippe placed their Caliber 324 S QA LU 24 H (Jesus, is that really the name of the movement?) automatic triple calendar movement in a Nautilus watch. The look just works. So well in fact that I think this watch will steal sales from the other Nautilus Ref. 5712 calendar watch that was introduced a while ago. This is due to the eye-pleasing symmetry of the classic triple calendar layout. The Annual calendar has the month and day of the week in little adjacent windows on discs, a date window at the bottom, and a subdial below for as moon phase indicator and a 24 hour time dial. A great layout that mixes things up a bit and doesn't detracting from reading the time. This is also apparently the first triple calendar watch from Patek Philippe in a steel case.

The style of the watch and the case is all Nautilus in a 40.5mm wide case (water resistant to 120 meters). While the case is in steel, the hour markers and hands are in white gold. The dial is beautiful and easy to read - an instant classic that immediately fits in with the rest of the Patek Philippe Nautilus collection. Now if they only made a version a bit larger at about 42-44mm wide... The only strap available is the black alligator you see here. No metal bracelet it seems the price for the Ref. 5726 watch is likely to be about $40,000 when it is available soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, 5726, calendar, Nautilus, Patek Philippe, watch

Rare $2.5 Million Patek Philippe Chronograph on Offer at Christie's

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

One of the rarest Patek Philippe models in existence, a one-of-a-kind 18K gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phases and tonneau-shaped case manufactured in 1943, is expected to fetch up to $2.5 million at Christie's Important Watches sale in Geneva next month. The historically important timepiece, ref. 1527, came to light when first offered at auction 20 years ago, and has since been known as Patek's "large size, one-off perpetual calendar chronograph" among horology connoisseurs. However, Christie's notes, the designation doesn't really do justice to the "highly important masterpiece and historically most interesting forerunner of future generations of complicated Patek Philippe wristwatches." The watch is one of 90 Pateks being offered in the spectacular sale.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Christies, chronograph, Geneva, gold, Patek Philippe, watch

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