patek philippe

$1 Million Patek Philippe in Geneva Auction

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

Auction revenues in general may be in decline but the price of rare classic Patek Philippe watches seems to be holding steady. At Christie's Important Watches sale in Geneva on May 11 an exceptionally fine and rare 18K rose gold perpetual calendar chronograph Patek Philippe wristwatch with moon phases and baton numerals from 1960 is expected to fetch a record price, with a pre-sale estimate of $880,000 - $1.3 million. The watch, which has never before been offered at auction, is one of only seven examples of the highly-coveted second series reference 2499 in rose gold known to have appeared in public to date.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Christies, Geneva, gold, Patek Philippe, PatekPhilippe

Patek Philippe Ref. 5101R 10-Day Tourbillon Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Most of the time when a watchmaker creates a timepiece with a tourbillon complication in the movement, the tourbillon is literally the centerpiece of the dial, with everything swimming around it. Why? Because the major allure of the expensive complications is watching them operate. The concept behind the tourbillon (or spinning balance wheel) is that it helps improve the rate of watches - but for the most part it really doesn't. Thus, for a consumer to go to the expensive of buying a tourbillon movement based watch means that he or she is going to want to visually see their investment all the time.

Patek Philippe is going just the opposite of this with the new Ref. 5101R 10-Day Tourbillon movement. Really "stealth wealth" here, the amazing manually wound caliber 28-20/222 mechanical tourbillon based movement has a power reserve of 10 full days, with a corresponding indicator on the front of the watch. However, the viewable tourbillon on the face of the watch is totally absent! Instead, you'll have to flip the watch over to the transparent sapphire crystal caseback to check out your investment operating. This is the first watch for Patek Philippe with 10-days of power (in two barrels) and a tourbillon movement. All you get on the dial of the watch in reference to this is a simple reminder in the subsidiary seconds dial that a "Tourbillon" is laying right beneath it.

The 51.7mm x 29.6mm rectangular case is made of 18k rose gold, with corresponding hands and Arabic hour markers (Breguet style) on the face. Attached to the art deco inspired case are brown crocodile straps. A lovely looking Patek Philippe watch with its true value hiding under the hood. Well over $100k.

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

Tags: 5101, 5101r, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, timepiece, tourbillon, watch

2009 Patek Philippe Lady Nautilus Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

I hope that the new women's version of the Patek Philippe Nautilus watch is a sign of future updates for the men's version. No I don't mean the diamonds, but rather the bolder looking face. A few years ago the Rolex Submariner got the "Maxidial" treatment that increased the size of the hands and hour indicators making it easier to read and more pronounced. It looks like Patek Philippe might be taking this same direction with the Nautilus watches (if this Ladies Nautilus is any evidence).

For Baselworld this year the new female Nautilus helped solidify this watch as a true classic that always looks fresh. The 18k rose or white gold case has been enlarged to 32mm wide and is available with or without the the 46 diamond studded bezel. Inside is a quartz Calibre E 23 S C movement that makes more sense than an automatic movement for most women. The hands and hour indicators are also in gold with applied lume for easy night viewing. The watch has always been a sporty timepiece, but retains a signature Patek Philippe elegance that cannot be shaken. This new reference 7010, 7011 Patek Philippe Ladies Nautilus watch should be available by Fall 2009.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 7010, 7011, baselworld 2009, Baselworld2009, lady, nautilus, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, timepiece, watch

Patek Philippe Calatrava Officier Ref. 5153 Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

While there is a lot of appeal in this watch, is it OK that I am simply not taken with the design? For me, it looks too much like those sunray wall clocks from the 1950s and 1960s. This is of course just my personal opinion in regard to this Patek Philippe Calatrava Officier (Officer's) ref. 5153 watch that was just unveiled at Baselworld. The watch itself is meant to look retro ("traditional"), so the look is done on purpose and will inevitably appeal to at least some fans of the watch brand that 'can do no wrong.'

The 38mm case is in 18k yellow gold with a hinged caseback (in salute to pocket watches). Open the back and you get a view through the sapphire crystal into the Patek Philippe in-house Caliber 324SC automatic movement. The added date function does help modernize the look of the watch a bit, but just not enough for me. From a mechanical and refinement standpoint, this ref. 5153 has everything in the right place, but the design is just to antiquated to evoke that lusty feeling of desire that you should have when looking at a Patek Philippe timepiece. Price will likely be $30,000 - $50,000 when it is commercially available soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Patek Philippe Officier watch

Tags: 5153, basel, calatrava, officier, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, timepiece, watch

Ltd. Ed. Patek Philippe for Tiffany Anniversary Watch

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches

Next month marks the first anniversary of the Patek Philippe Salon at Tiffany's famed NYC flagship, and to celebrate the two storied brands are producing a new limited edition diamond and gold ladies' wristwatch. Only 100 of the $21,800 timepieces are being made, half with a white lacquered dial with black external minute railroad, and half with a black lacquered dial with white external minute railroad (right).

The Art Deco-esque "Gondolo" design was inspired by Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. watches from the 1930s and features a curved, tonneau-shaped case in 18 karat white gold accented with 164 round brilliant-cut diamonds, a lacquer dial with classic guilloche pattern, Arabic numerals and a black, hand-stitched alligator strap.

The timepiece is double-signed Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. and will be sold exclusively through Tiffany's Patek Philippe Salon in NYC. The Salon showcases current collections as well as timepieces on loan from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva that "embody the tradition and innovation for which Patek Philippe is renowned."

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Art Deco, ArtDeco, New York, NewYork, Patek Philippe, PatekPhilippe, Tiffany, Tiffany Co., TiffanyCo., Tiffanys

$1.3 Million Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002P Watch Up For Auction

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

The watch community gets really excited when Antiquorum has one of their highly publicized watch auctions. To garner a lot of attention they find a combination of 'celebrity' and rare watches. In addition to the exciting watches such as Gandhi's Zenith pocket watch, there are ultra rare 'investment grade' watches such as this Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon. Why investment grade? Because it retailed for a few hundred thousand dollars just a few years ago in 2005, and was recently sold in a Hong Kong auction for $1.7 million. Talk about appreciation!

This Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002P is special for a number of reasons. Other than being exceedingly rare, it is the most complex wrist watch ever made by Patek Phillipe. Look in the image gallery and you will notice that it actually has two faces. The front side is opaline white with small embossed Calatrava crosses and gold hour indicators. Complications there include a perpetual calendar, retrograde date, equation of time, time with hours and minutes, and the moon phase. Turn the watch around for a remarkable celestial view. There you have the sidereal time, a skychart showing the placement of the stars, phase and orbit of the moon, as well as a 24 hour hand.

I have to say that I prefer the celestial side of the face, but no one is really going to be wearing this watch are they? Antiquorum projects a sale price of 1-1.3 million dollars at the March 4 - 5, 2009 auction. Their estimates are typically shy, and I've seen prices go higher than estimates. We will wait and see.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002P Watch

Tags: antiquorum, auction, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, sky moon, SkyMoon, timepiece, tourbillon, watch

Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 40th Anniversary Watch Set

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

40 years ago Patek Philippe released the first Ellipse watches to an appreciative audience who enjoyed the simple, yet slightly avant garde minimalist looks of the Ellipse watch line. Since then, the Ellipse watches have held a position of idle distinction in the Patek Philippe watch family. It is easy to not be impressed by their looks at first, but the easy to read design of the watch grows on you quickly. For their 40th anniversary, Patek Philippe has released a his and hers box set of two Ellipse watches complete with accessories. Finally, the cuff link shaped watch now comes with actual cuff links.

The larger version is 39mm x 34mm in size, while the smaller version is 35mm x 31mm in size. Both watches have highly polished platinum cases with 18k white gold hands and hour markers, and blue gold dials. The best part is that the watches are very thin (5.6mm high), but still contain automatic Patek Philippe built caliber 240 movements (2.5mm in height for the movement itself). The beautiful watch box includes settings for the two watches as well as cuff links for him, and a necklace for her. If I know anything about Patek Philippe, I imagine that the cost for each set will be between $50,000 and $100,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse anniversary watches

Tags: golden ellipse anniversay, GoldenEllipseAnniversay, Patek Philippe, PatekPhilippe, timepiece, watch

Rare Patek Philippes & Rolexes in Geneva Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

In Geneva on Monday, Christie's is staging a stunning sale of Important Watches. Top of the timepiece heap is a fine, large and rare stainless steel chronograph by Patek Philippe made in 1941, one of Patek's rarest chronograph models, which could fetch up to $1 million. There are several extremely precious Patek Philippes in the sale, including an 18K gold dual crown world time wristwatch made for Tiffany & Co. in 1963, est. $500,000 - $760,000; and a large and rare 18K pink gold chronograph with a pink dial from 1941, est. $425,000 - $850,000.

Also included are several superlative Rolexes, including a very fine and rare stainless steel automatic triple calendar wristwatch with moon phases from 1953, est. $127,000 - $212,000; a stainless steel chronograph with pulsometre scale and a black dial from 1941 (above), est. $127,000 - $212,000; and an atimagnetic stainless steel triple calendar chronograph from 1960, est. $100,000 - $150,000. See the gallery for pix.

Gallery: Christie's Watches Nov.

Tags: Christies, Geneva, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, Rolex

$1.2 Million Patek Philippe Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

At Antiquorum's Important Collectors' Wristwatches, Pocket Watches & Clocks auction in Manhattan today, a rare and important 1956 Patek Philippe chronometer (right) is expected to fetch up to $1.2 million.

The 18K yellow gold watch has a square button chronograph, 30-minute register, perpetual calendar, moon phases, and special tachometer dial, and comes accompanied by an additional Patek Philippe 18K yellow gold link bracelet, fitted box and the extract from the watchmaker's archives.

This is the priciest Patek we've seen since the Sotheby's auction we told you about in May that featured an oversized chronograph formerly owned by dashing Italian racecar driver Count Felice Trossi.

The Antiqorum sale also features an astronomic, water-resistant, platinum and diamond Patek chronograph with registers, perpetual calendar and moon phases, estimated at $280,000 - $340,000.

[via Affluent Page]

Tags: Antiquorum, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, Watch

Patek & More at Sotheby's Important Watch Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

On July 16, Sotheby's in London is staging a stunning sale of Important Watches. The top lots are all of course Patek Philippes, but there are some prime timepieces from the likes of Rolex, Panerai and Cartier as well. Leading things off pricewise is an exceptional platinum minute repeating perpetual calendar tourbillon Patek with retrograde date, phases of the moon and a black dial, est. $700,000 - $900,000.

From there prices drop dramatically and there are some deals to be found. We're particularly fond of this 1945 steel Patek chronograph with register and tachometer, est. only $50,000 - $80,000. On the Rolex front there's a rare 1972 stainless steel Submariner made for the British Royal Navy, est. $50,000 - $70,000, and a stainless 1983 Daytona cosmograph, est. $28,000 - $36,000. Also worth noting: an oversized Panerai limited edition white gold dual time zone Radiomir, est. $11,000 - $17,000. See the gallery for pix.

Gallery: Sotheby's Summer Watch Sale

Platinum minute repeating perpetual calendar tourbillon Patek

Platinum automatic minute repeating perpetual calendar Patek

Limited edition white gold dual time zone Panerai Radiomir

Tags: Panerai, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, Rolex, Sothebys

Patek, Rolex, Cartier & Panerai at Bonhams Watch Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

On June 19 in New York, Bonhams will auction off a selection of Fine Watches including this beautiful platinum Cartier pocket watch, estimated at $7,000 - $9,000. While overall the timepieces featured are of less importance than in some of the mega-auctions we told you about recently, there are still plenty of valuable and beautiful pieces to be had here. Also on the pocket watch front, there's a rare 18k gold open face minute repeating perpetual calendar version with phases of the moon by Patek Philippe, est. $80,000 - $120,000.

Also included in the sale: A Patek 18k gold self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch with moon phases and leap year indicator, est. $25,000 - $35,000; several examples of the coveted "Straight Hand Steve McQueen" Rolex Explorer and a rare 1960 stainless steel anti-magentic Oyster chronograph, est. $40,000 - $60,000; and a limited edition titanium Panerai Luminor, est. $10,000 - $15,000.

Gallery: Bonhams Watch Sale

Limited edition titanium Panerai Luminor.

Patek 18k gold open face minute repeating perpetual calendar pocket watch.

Patek Philippe 18k gold self-winding perpetual calendar.

Tags: Bonhams, Cartier, Panerai, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, Rolex, Watches

Pre-Owned Luxury Purveyor's McQueen Rolex & More

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

A million-dollar Patek Philippe may be out of your price range, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on acquiring a classic and highly collectible timepiece at auction. A less expensive alternative to the marquee sales at Sotheby's and Christie's comes in the form of Portero.com's eBay-style luxury watch auction, ending Wednesday. Portero, which means "gatekeeper" in Spanish, has established itself as the most reliable online pre-owned luxury purveyor by absolutely guaranteeing that everything they sell is 100% authentic - an important safeguard when shopping for secondhand big-ticket items online.

The company, which just announced the strongest first quarter results in its history, features several important timepieces in its most impressive watch offering to date. Take for instance this beautiful 1974 Stainless Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer II, known as the "Straight Hand Steve McQueen" after the super-cool actor who popularized it - one of our favorite vintage Rolexes of all time. At Antiquorum's record-breaking $8.5 million Rolex auction last month one just like it went for $40,000, but with less than three days left (as of time of writing) the current bid on this one is only $19,000, so there's a chance to score a really good deal. See the gallery for more lots including watches by Patek Philippe, Ulysse Nardin and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Gallery: Portero.com Watch Auction

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Geographic Automatique

Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Platinum

Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 18k White Gold

Ulysse Nardin Sonata Cathedral Dual Time

Source

Tags: Antiquorum, Internet auctions, InternetAuctions, Patek Philippe, PatekPhilippe, Portero, Portero.com, Rolex, Steve McQueen, SteveMcqueen, Watch auctions, WatchAuctions

Museum-Quality Pateks Worth Millions Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions, Men's Style

A one-of-a-kind, oversized 1930s Patek Philippe chronograph that belonged to dashing Italian racecar driver Count Felice Trossi is expected to fetch close to $2 million at Sotheby's in Geneva today. Famed Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli probably copied Trossi's habit of wearing his Patek over his shirt cuff, the better to keep time while winning the Italian Grand Prix, which Trossi did in 1947. These day's Trossi's name lives on mainly for automotive enthusiasts; his legendary one-off 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK, now known as the "Count Trossi", is the star of Ralph Lauren's incredible car collection.

The sale also features several other Pateks including some extremely rare chronographs. Meanwhile, Christie's will stage it's own Important Watch auction in Geneva tomorrow, featuring two of the most important antique one-off Pateks ever to go ion the block: a stainless steel perpetual calendar with phases of the moon, and a platinum perpetual calendar with sweep centre seconds and phases of the moon. Both are estimated at an astounding $1.4 million - $2.4 million.

[via Men.Style]

Gallery: Patek Philippe Auctions

18K gold perpetual calendar chronograph.

18K gold openface keyless lever tourbillon pocket watch.

Tags: Christies, Count Trossi, CountTrossi, Geneva, Gianni Agnelli, GianniAgnelli, Mercedes-Benz, Patek Philippe, PatekPhilippe, Ralph Lauren, RalphLauren, Sothebys, Watch auction, WatchAuction

Eric Clapton's Rolex Sells for Record-Shattering $505,000

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

The other day we reported on the world records set at Antiqorum's recent $8.5 million Rolex auction, where the top-priced timepiece fetched $248,000. At Sotheby's Important Watches auction on April 23, however, that record was shattered by the sale of an ultra-rare 1971 "Albino" Rolex Daytona that formerly belonged to rock & roll icon Eric Clapton. Eclipsing its pre-sale estimate of $100,000 - $150,000, the Daytona went for a whopping $505,000 including buyer's premium.

Though the total proceeds from the Sotheby's sale, $6,588,451, were far less than Antiquorum's, the Clapton sale set a record for the Daytona and was the second-highest price ever achieved at auction for a Rolex watch. This model is known as the "Albino" because both the background and subsidiary dials are in a monochrome silver color, as opposed to the usual contrasting variations found on more common examples.

The second through fifth highest prices paid at the Sotheby's auction were all for Patek Philippes, ranging from $445,000 - $217,000. The sixth highest was also a Rolex, a so-called "James Bond" 1959 Submariner, which brought in $211,000.

Gallery: Sotheby's Important Watches

Patek Philippe. A Large Gold Automatic Perpetual Calendar, $301,000.

A. Lange & Söhne Ltd. Edition Gold Tourbillon with Power Reserve, $145,000.

Tags: Antiquorum, Eric Clapton, EricClapton, Patek Philippe, PatekPhilippe, Rolex, Rolex Daytona, Rolex Submariner, RolexDaytona, RolexSubmariner, Sothebys

Most Valuable Patek Philippes on Exhibit

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Events

Patek Philippe, maker of the most coveted watches in the world, is staging an unprecedented exhibit of the most valuable timepieces from its collection here in the U.S. The exhibit, featuring hundreds of items including priceless pieces from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, is on display at Tiffany & Co.'s Fifth Avenue flagship through Saturday evening; next month it travels to the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons in Los Angeles, running from May 16 - 18.

With Patek Philippes fetching record prices at auction, this is a rare opportunity to view timepieces that the likes of Christie's would kill to get their hands on. The exhibits culled from the company's 169-year history include rare pocket watches and the first Swiss wristwatch ever made.

[via Men's Vogue]

Gallery: Timeless Patek Philippe