Patek Philippe

Christie's, Hong Kong, November 2007, Lot 3035

The Basel Fair of 1998 saw audiences shocked and bewildered by Patek Philippe's latest model. The new reference was the first simple chronograph of many decades, as the brand had focused on adding complications to their chronograph wristwatches, but more strikingly came fitted in an oversized 42mm yellow gold case with black dial. It was the largest wristwatch made in series by Patek Philippe ever until that point in time, and was indeed 5mm larger than most of the catalog. These proportions may mislead one to conclude that the watch was completely forward looking, corresponding to the trend at the time of growing case sizes, but the new reference 5070 was very much planted in history. The dial layout and case design were directly influenced by the vintage Patek Philippe reference 2512, which was even larger at 45mm and was also a rattrapante, but featured a stepped bezel and narrow-set twin sub-dial design exactly as seen on the new reference, with the launch configuration of the 5070 mimicking the 2512 that currently sits in the Patek Philippe museum: yellow gold with black dial.

Not only was the reference 5070 rooted in history, it in itself very much became a significant chapter in Patek Philippe’s history. After it was discontinued a decade after launching, the brand immediately reverted to smaller, rounder cases which were deemed more approachable to the majority of collectors. The 5070 was also the last Patek Philippe chronograph to use the renowned Lemania 2310 caliber, released one year prior to the titanic A. Lange & Sohne Datograph which set a new and revolutionary precedent for in-house chronograph watchmaking.

The present watch belongs to that first series of 5070 production, which ran for four years and featured the same configuration as the museum reference 2512, representing both the beginning of the end of Lemania powered Patek Philippe chronographs and the calm before the storm that was the Datograph. The combination of striking black dial with oversized yellow gold case makes for a bold design, exactly the statement which Patek Philippe made in 1998 at Basel. Offered in very attractive condition, this lot is the chance for collectors to own the first execution of a swansong reference of an entire era of Patek Philippe.