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Lot Essay
With Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin dated 18 January 2006 in burgundy leather folder containing instructions, information and image of reference 5079, solid case back no. 4'188'319, original fitted wooden presentation box containing a Patek Philippe wooden and metal magnifying glass, outer packaging, second box with electrical winding facility and outer packing.Furthermore delivered with Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch with enamel white dial and Roman indexes in 2002 and its subsequent sale on 31 October 2002.
Fresh to the market, the present watch was purchased by the actual owner at Gübelin in Berne in 2006. It is preserved in excellent, overall condition and believed to be one of only eleven examples of a reference 5079 to appear in public to date.
An example of reference 5079 is on permanent exhibition at the renowned Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.
Introduced into the market in 2001, reference 5079 remained in production until 2005 and was made in an exceedingly small series only. An epitome of elegant simplicity, the celebrated model subtly hides its secret: only the inconspicuous slide in the left band, used to activate the strike train, reveals the highly complex minute repeating mechanism to the connoisseur.
The enamel dial, made by using traditional enamelling techniques, underlines the firms' commitment to prevent respected watchmaking skills from disappearing. Its unassuming aspect further exemplifies the sophisticated understatement of this exceptional timepiece.
Reference 5079 features the ingenious calibre R 27 PS that impresses not only by its remarkable number of 342 parts but also by Patek Philippe's masterly performance of combining a micro-rotor and minute repeating mechanism in a proportionally small 12 1/2''' movement.
It is furthermore incorporating a "Cathedral" repeating mechanism, consisting of a high-tone and a low-tone gong. When the repeating is activated, first the number of hours is stroke by means of one of the two hammers on the low-tone gong, followed by the quarter hours with double strikes on both the low-tone and the high-tone gong, and finally the number of minutes which have elapsed since the last quarter-hour with one hammer on the high-tone gong.
The length of the gong in a standard repeating mechanism corresponds to almost precisely one turn in the movement whereas those of the "Cathedral" mechanism exceed the case circumference by at least one and a half, even two turns. Consequently, a much richer and fuller timbre is achieved, resembling the chime of the bells of a cathedral.
And last but not least as any of its minute repeating peers, the present watch had to pass a final test before being handed over to its future owner. Since Patek Philippe launched the production of these cherished timepieces in 1989, not a single one left the workshop before Philippe Stern, the company's president until 2009, now honorable president, deemed its chiming of the hour worthy of the firm's high standards. In the tranquillity of his office, he listened to the sounds of each watch to assure the inimitable richness of timbre that, as the Calatrava cross, is one of the trademarks of Patek Philippe's minute repeating wristwatches.
Fresh to the market, the present watch was purchased by the actual owner at Gübelin in Berne in 2006. It is preserved in excellent, overall condition and believed to be one of only eleven examples of a reference 5079 to appear in public to date.
An example of reference 5079 is on permanent exhibition at the renowned Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.
Introduced into the market in 2001, reference 5079 remained in production until 2005 and was made in an exceedingly small series only. An epitome of elegant simplicity, the celebrated model subtly hides its secret: only the inconspicuous slide in the left band, used to activate the strike train, reveals the highly complex minute repeating mechanism to the connoisseur.
The enamel dial, made by using traditional enamelling techniques, underlines the firms' commitment to prevent respected watchmaking skills from disappearing. Its unassuming aspect further exemplifies the sophisticated understatement of this exceptional timepiece.
Reference 5079 features the ingenious calibre R 27 PS that impresses not only by its remarkable number of 342 parts but also by Patek Philippe's masterly performance of combining a micro-rotor and minute repeating mechanism in a proportionally small 12 1/2''' movement.
It is furthermore incorporating a "Cathedral" repeating mechanism, consisting of a high-tone and a low-tone gong. When the repeating is activated, first the number of hours is stroke by means of one of the two hammers on the low-tone gong, followed by the quarter hours with double strikes on both the low-tone and the high-tone gong, and finally the number of minutes which have elapsed since the last quarter-hour with one hammer on the high-tone gong.
The length of the gong in a standard repeating mechanism corresponds to almost precisely one turn in the movement whereas those of the "Cathedral" mechanism exceed the case circumference by at least one and a half, even two turns. Consequently, a much richer and fuller timbre is achieved, resembling the chime of the bells of a cathedral.
And last but not least as any of its minute repeating peers, the present watch had to pass a final test before being handed over to its future owner. Since Patek Philippe launched the production of these cherished timepieces in 1989, not a single one left the workshop before Philippe Stern, the company's president until 2009, now honorable president, deemed its chiming of the hour worthy of the firm's high standards. In the tranquillity of his office, he listened to the sounds of each watch to assure the inimitable richness of timbre that, as the Calatrava cross, is one of the trademarks of Patek Philippe's minute repeating wristwatches.