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Lot Essay
Consigned by the original owner, the present reference 5100 has never been offered at auction before.
Of highly distinctive case form, reference 5100 takes its design from the similar, albeit smaller, reference 2554 from the 1950s, also known as the "manta ray" model. Produced in a limited edition, reference 5100 was launched in 2000 to celebrate the new millenium. The prestigious Geneva maker made a total of 3,000 pieces of reference 5100: 1,500 examples were made in yellow gold, 750 in pink gold, 450 in white gold and the rarest in platinum, such as the present watch, were produced in only 300 pieces with a flawless Top Wesselton diamond set between the lugs at 6 o'clock.
What makes this watch a modern take on its predecessor, apart from its size, is also the employment of a power reserve for the amazing duration of 10 days. Conveniently for the wearer of the watch, the mechanism will keep running up to ten days straight without requiring the daily or perhaps 36 hours winding necessary for ordinary timepieces.
Reference 5100 is Patek Philippe's first model featuring a ten-day power reserve. Made in a limited edition, this watch can never be recreated exactly as the firm destroyed the tools that were necessary for making the reference to preserve its limited-edition distinctiveness and make sure the model will never be made again.
Of highly distinctive case form, reference 5100 takes its design from the similar, albeit smaller, reference 2554 from the 1950s, also known as the "manta ray" model. Produced in a limited edition, reference 5100 was launched in 2000 to celebrate the new millenium. The prestigious Geneva maker made a total of 3,000 pieces of reference 5100: 1,500 examples were made in yellow gold, 750 in pink gold, 450 in white gold and the rarest in platinum, such as the present watch, were produced in only 300 pieces with a flawless Top Wesselton diamond set between the lugs at 6 o'clock.
What makes this watch a modern take on its predecessor, apart from its size, is also the employment of a power reserve for the amazing duration of 10 days. Conveniently for the wearer of the watch, the mechanism will keep running up to ten days straight without requiring the daily or perhaps 36 hours winding necessary for ordinary timepieces.
Reference 5100 is Patek Philippe's first model featuring a ten-day power reserve. Made in a limited edition, this watch can never be recreated exactly as the firm destroyed the tools that were necessary for making the reference to preserve its limited-edition distinctiveness and make sure the model will never be made again.