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Lot Essay
One of Patek Philippe’s great achievements of the last decade, the minimalist appearance of the reference 5539G belies its complexity and sophistication. With minute repeater and tourbillon, this reference is truly a landmark of horological high complication that succeeds equally in being a watch of supreme elegance and proportion. Sold with full set of accessories, this wonderfully preserved example is one of the stars of the Champion Collection. The black dial in combination with the white gold case is certainly one of the most attractive pairings to be seen on this rare model. The present minute repeating tourbillon is offered in superb condition. According to our research, it is only the fifth example of this reference to appear at auction to date.
Reference 5539G
One of the most discreet yet exceptionally complicated modern Patek Philippe watches, reference 5539G was in production between 2013 and 2019 and made only in white gold. Four different dials were available. The present watch, reference 5539G-001 with Officier-style case and black enamel dial with white gold Breguet numerals was made between 2013 and 2016. It is the epitome of chic elegance, harking back to some of the company’s most rarefied wristwatches of the mid-20th century. The movement number emblazoned on the subsidiary seconds dial in the manner of an observatory trial watch confirms that the watch has been tested for accuracy and indicates to the observer that the movement inside is a very special indeed. Showcasing two of the brand's most renowned complications, reference 5539 houses a tourbillon and minute repeater and is the successor of the famed reference 5339. Reference 5539G-001 with the black enamel dial was joined by a blue enamel dial version in 2016.
The Minute Repeater
On demand, the minute repeater strikes the hours, the quarter hours and then the minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour. The first hammer strikes the hours on the low-pitched gong with one strike for each hour. Subsequently, each quarter hour is sounded as an alternating double strike by two hammers on both the high- and low-pitched gongs. Finally, the second hammer strikes the high-pitched gong to count the number of minutes that have passed since the last quarter hour. At 12.59, for instance, the melody consists of 12 low sounds, 3 double high/low sounds, and 14 high sounds – totalling the maximum of 32 strikes. Masterpieces of precision mechanical engineering, minute repeaters are one of the most challenging mechanisms to build into a wristwatch. When the slide on the side of the case is activated, the time is struck audibly by small steel hammers on differently tuned gongs – these steel coils curve around the inside circumference of the case. Constructed with tiny intricately shaped racks and snails, cams and wheels, the mechanism of a minute repeater watch is one of the most ingenious and intricate of complications.
In the inimitable Patek Philippe way, the tone of all the company’s minute repeaters are personally tested and approved by Mr. Thierry Stern himself before they are allowed to be released for sale.
The Tourbillon
In the course of the 18th century, watchmakers discovered that the rate deviations of their movements were, in the final analysis, caused by the tiny hairsprings which together with the balance constitute the oscillator of every timepiece. Since its centre of gravity does not coincide with the geometric centre of the spring, its regular beating is negatively affected by the earth’s pull in any orientation except horizontal. The tourbillon corrects this systematic “positional” error. This is done by integrating the balance and the escapement in a hinged cage that rotates about its axis once a minute. On this orbit, the slightly eccentric centre of gravity of the hairspring revolves around the centre of the cage every 60-seconds, so the positional error is automatically offset by progression, regardless of the orientation of the spring.
Patek Philippe watches never exhibit the tourbillon carriage through a dial aperture, fearing the lubrication oils will degrade with exposure to light. To the casual observer the only distinction is the word Tourbillon on the dial, suggesting the presence of one of the most complex mechanisms in the world of horology.
Reference 5539G
One of the most discreet yet exceptionally complicated modern Patek Philippe watches, reference 5539G was in production between 2013 and 2019 and made only in white gold. Four different dials were available. The present watch, reference 5539G-001 with Officier-style case and black enamel dial with white gold Breguet numerals was made between 2013 and 2016. It is the epitome of chic elegance, harking back to some of the company’s most rarefied wristwatches of the mid-20th century. The movement number emblazoned on the subsidiary seconds dial in the manner of an observatory trial watch confirms that the watch has been tested for accuracy and indicates to the observer that the movement inside is a very special indeed. Showcasing two of the brand's most renowned complications, reference 5539 houses a tourbillon and minute repeater and is the successor of the famed reference 5339. Reference 5539G-001 with the black enamel dial was joined by a blue enamel dial version in 2016.
The Minute Repeater
On demand, the minute repeater strikes the hours, the quarter hours and then the minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour. The first hammer strikes the hours on the low-pitched gong with one strike for each hour. Subsequently, each quarter hour is sounded as an alternating double strike by two hammers on both the high- and low-pitched gongs. Finally, the second hammer strikes the high-pitched gong to count the number of minutes that have passed since the last quarter hour. At 12.59, for instance, the melody consists of 12 low sounds, 3 double high/low sounds, and 14 high sounds – totalling the maximum of 32 strikes. Masterpieces of precision mechanical engineering, minute repeaters are one of the most challenging mechanisms to build into a wristwatch. When the slide on the side of the case is activated, the time is struck audibly by small steel hammers on differently tuned gongs – these steel coils curve around the inside circumference of the case. Constructed with tiny intricately shaped racks and snails, cams and wheels, the mechanism of a minute repeater watch is one of the most ingenious and intricate of complications.
In the inimitable Patek Philippe way, the tone of all the company’s minute repeaters are personally tested and approved by Mr. Thierry Stern himself before they are allowed to be released for sale.
The Tourbillon
In the course of the 18th century, watchmakers discovered that the rate deviations of their movements were, in the final analysis, caused by the tiny hairsprings which together with the balance constitute the oscillator of every timepiece. Since its centre of gravity does not coincide with the geometric centre of the spring, its regular beating is negatively affected by the earth’s pull in any orientation except horizontal. The tourbillon corrects this systematic “positional” error. This is done by integrating the balance and the escapement in a hinged cage that rotates about its axis once a minute. On this orbit, the slightly eccentric centre of gravity of the hairspring revolves around the centre of the cage every 60-seconds, so the positional error is automatically offset by progression, regardless of the orientation of the spring.
Patek Philippe watches never exhibit the tourbillon carriage through a dial aperture, fearing the lubrication oils will degrade with exposure to light. To the casual observer the only distinction is the word Tourbillon on the dial, suggesting the presence of one of the most complex mechanisms in the world of horology.