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Lot Essay
The present reference 5059P-018, distinguished by its deep blue dial and raised gold Roman numerals, is one of the greatest and most attractive Patek Philippe’s modern rarities.
Within this already rare reference, the present timepiece stands out as an intriguing anomaly, even possibly unique, because of its 'out of series' caliber 315 S QR movement. Prior to the model's discontinuation in 2006, this caliber was part of the third and last batch of movement made specifically for the reference 5059.
To the best of our knowledge, all other publicly known examples of reference 5059P-018 are fitted with the caliber 324 S QR movement bearing Patek Philippe’s own ‘PP Seal of Excellence'. This caliber later became standard in the reference 5159, which replaced the 5059. The current watch, on the other hand, features a caliber 315 SQR that was manufactured around 2005 and, as a result, bears the earlier 'Geneva Seal' or 'Poinçon de Genève'.
A Study of the Present Watch
The standard production reference 5059, an automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch with retrograde date and sweep centre seconds, was introduced in 1998 and discontinued in 2006. However, the current watch is a remarkable exception. Its movement, caliber 315 S QR, is part of the third series with serial numbers starting 3'410'xxx that started in 2004, even though its case is from circa 2021. To put it another way, the case was made new in 2021, yet the movement was produced over 17 years earlier, before the reference was discontinued. Such an 'out of series' watch was created combining a new old stock movement with a later case. Despite having different production dates, the end product is a perfectly valid Patek Philippe wristwatch that deviates from regular series production. This exceptional situation results in an intriguing and possibly unique detail: the movement has the coveted 'Geneva Seal', or 'Poinçon de Genève', which has been recognized for many decades as the ultimate standard in watchmaking.
However, the Geneva Seal has traditionally only been used for the movement's finishing and decoration. Testing for accuracy was optional. Thus, the 'PP Seal', a certification standard created by Patek Philippe in 2009, covers not only movement performance and finishing but also elements of the ownership experience. In response, performance standards were added to the 'Geneva Seal' criteria in 2012.
Within this already rare reference, the present timepiece stands out as an intriguing anomaly, even possibly unique, because of its 'out of series' caliber 315 S QR movement. Prior to the model's discontinuation in 2006, this caliber was part of the third and last batch of movement made specifically for the reference 5059.
To the best of our knowledge, all other publicly known examples of reference 5059P-018 are fitted with the caliber 324 S QR movement bearing Patek Philippe’s own ‘PP Seal of Excellence'. This caliber later became standard in the reference 5159, which replaced the 5059. The current watch, on the other hand, features a caliber 315 SQR that was manufactured around 2005 and, as a result, bears the earlier 'Geneva Seal' or 'Poinçon de Genève'.
A Study of the Present Watch
The standard production reference 5059, an automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch with retrograde date and sweep centre seconds, was introduced in 1998 and discontinued in 2006. However, the current watch is a remarkable exception. Its movement, caliber 315 S QR, is part of the third series with serial numbers starting 3'410'xxx that started in 2004, even though its case is from circa 2021. To put it another way, the case was made new in 2021, yet the movement was produced over 17 years earlier, before the reference was discontinued. Such an 'out of series' watch was created combining a new old stock movement with a later case. Despite having different production dates, the end product is a perfectly valid Patek Philippe wristwatch that deviates from regular series production. This exceptional situation results in an intriguing and possibly unique detail: the movement has the coveted 'Geneva Seal', or 'Poinçon de Genève', which has been recognized for many decades as the ultimate standard in watchmaking.
However, the Geneva Seal has traditionally only been used for the movement's finishing and decoration. Testing for accuracy was optional. Thus, the 'PP Seal', a certification standard created by Patek Philippe in 2009, covers not only movement performance and finishing but also elements of the ownership experience. In response, performance standards were added to the 'Geneva Seal' criteria in 2012.