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Lot Essay
This truly magnificent Grand Complication reference 5216 in platinum is one of the brightest stars of Patek Philippe’s contemporary collection. The black dial in combination with the platinum case is one of the most aesthetically attractive pairings in haute horology, the 5216 succeeds equally in being a watch of supreme elegance, high complication and perfect proportion.
Launched in 2011 in pink gold and in platinum in 2013, the reference 5216 is so ultra-exclusive and highly treasured by its fortunate owners that since its launch only one example in pink gold and one other example in platinum have ever returned to the market.
Grand Complication reference 5216 is the successor to the legendary reference 5016 that was launched in 1993 and has remained highly sought-after ever since. The 5216 differs from its predecessor with a perceptibly larger case now in the Calatrava style that exhibits superb acoustics for the minute repeater. Until the introduction of the Sky Moon Tourbillon in 2001, the 5016 was Patek Philippe's most complicated wristwatch. That crown has now passed to reference 5216 which is the fourth most complicated wristwatch in current production following the reference 6002 Sky Moon Tourbillon, the Triple Complication reference 5208, and the reference 5207. Together with references 5016, 5050, 5059 (and later 5159), it is also the manufacturer's only wristwatch with this particular dial layout, featuring a retrograde date with triple calendar windows and moon phases combined with the subsidiary seconds.
Reference 5216 Reference 5216 is one of the most intricate creations ever made by Patek Philippe. It incorporates all the complications sought after by discerning watch aficionados: a minute repeater with sublime resonance, a retrograde perpetual calendar with moon phases, and a tourbillon. Patek Philippe's technical refinement is legendary and the present watch exemplifies their commitment to engineering detail. 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, indicating the presence of one of the most complex mechanisms in the world of horology.
The Minute Repeater
One of Patek Philippe’s specialities since the very beginning, immediately after the foundation of the company in 1839, the first quarter repeating pocket watches were produced, followed shortly after by the earliest minute repeater in 1845.
First invented by the German maker Benedict Fürstenfelder in the first years of the 18th century, improved and developed by Thomas Mudge in London c.1750 and then by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris, the minute repeating function which strikes the hours, quarters and minutes on demand was always regarded as an exceptional feat of watchmaking. Requiring perfectly tuned coiled steel gongs, this fascinating mechanism is one of the most difficult complications to execute and among the greatest of horological challenges, especially when miniaturized to fit within the confines of a wristwatch. In the 1920s, with the advent of wristwatches, most prominent clients of Patek Philippe asked for extraordinary watches such as repeaters, calendars or chronographs. Among all those, the repeating complication was regarded as the ultimate and of course the most expensive. Indeed, only around a dozen minute repeating wristwatches in total were manufactured by Patek Philippe from the mid-1920s to the end of the 1930s. The great collector Henry Graves Jr., famed for his pursuit of uncompromising watchmaking excellence, commissioned and owned three minute repeating wristwatches by Patek Philippe which illustrates clearly their status as an ultimate expression of watchmaking skill.
By the 1960s, the minute repeater wristwatch had fallen into obscurity. However, in 1989, Philippe Stern decided to reintroduce minute repeaters into production as part of the company’s 150th anniversary celebrations. This decision proved to be a masterstroke and since that time Patek Philippe has always included minute repeaters in their regular production, leading the way in their continued development. Around 200 to 300 hours of work is necessary to assemble a minute repeater movement and only the most experienced master watchmakers are permitted to undertake this task. Over the years, Patek Philippe has gone to enormous lengths to achieve perfection in the sound of its minute repeaters. To this end, the company has worked in collaboration with the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL) and the Geneva School of Engineering where experimentation with alloys took place in order to find an ideal formula for a metal that creates superb sound qualities for Patek Philippe repeating gongs.
Just like the finest musical instruments, all minute repeating watches have a unique melodic sound and individual character. Indeed, it is a fascinating fact that no two Patek Philippe minute repeating watches sound exactly alike, even watches of the same reference, cased in exactly the same way show small differences in tone and sound transmission. It is well-known and much appreciated by clients that every single Patek Philippe minute repeater is personally checked by the President himself before it is allowed to be released from the manufacture.
The Perpetual Calendar
One of the most useful watchmaking inventions of all time, it is credited to the Englishman Thomas Mudge who made a perpetual calendar watch in 1762, the mechanism not only self-adjusts for the number of days in the month but also calculates the correct adjustment for the leap-years. Patek Philippe was unsurprisingly very early in using the perpetual calendar in wristwatches with the references 1518 and 1526 being the first serially produced perpetual calendar wristwatches by any manufacturer.
The Tourbillon
Invented and patented by the genius watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801, is one of the most enduring technical improvements to timekeeping precision and has been continually improved to extreme degrees. In a tourbillon, the entire escapement revolves so that any adverse effects on timekeeping caused by the watch’s position – up, down, sideways etc, is equalized. The tourbillon is also a very visually appealing complication and it has become an important feature of many of the great modern complicated wristwatches.
Launched in 2011 in pink gold and in platinum in 2013, the reference 5216 is so ultra-exclusive and highly treasured by its fortunate owners that since its launch only one example in pink gold and one other example in platinum have ever returned to the market.
Grand Complication reference 5216 is the successor to the legendary reference 5016 that was launched in 1993 and has remained highly sought-after ever since. The 5216 differs from its predecessor with a perceptibly larger case now in the Calatrava style that exhibits superb acoustics for the minute repeater. Until the introduction of the Sky Moon Tourbillon in 2001, the 5016 was Patek Philippe's most complicated wristwatch. That crown has now passed to reference 5216 which is the fourth most complicated wristwatch in current production following the reference 6002 Sky Moon Tourbillon, the Triple Complication reference 5208, and the reference 5207. Together with references 5016, 5050, 5059 (and later 5159), it is also the manufacturer's only wristwatch with this particular dial layout, featuring a retrograde date with triple calendar windows and moon phases combined with the subsidiary seconds.
Reference 5216 Reference 5216 is one of the most intricate creations ever made by Patek Philippe. It incorporates all the complications sought after by discerning watch aficionados: a minute repeater with sublime resonance, a retrograde perpetual calendar with moon phases, and a tourbillon. Patek Philippe's technical refinement is legendary and the present watch exemplifies their commitment to engineering detail. 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, indicating the presence of one of the most complex mechanisms in the world of horology.
The Minute Repeater
One of Patek Philippe’s specialities since the very beginning, immediately after the foundation of the company in 1839, the first quarter repeating pocket watches were produced, followed shortly after by the earliest minute repeater in 1845.
First invented by the German maker Benedict Fürstenfelder in the first years of the 18th century, improved and developed by Thomas Mudge in London c.1750 and then by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris, the minute repeating function which strikes the hours, quarters and minutes on demand was always regarded as an exceptional feat of watchmaking. Requiring perfectly tuned coiled steel gongs, this fascinating mechanism is one of the most difficult complications to execute and among the greatest of horological challenges, especially when miniaturized to fit within the confines of a wristwatch. In the 1920s, with the advent of wristwatches, most prominent clients of Patek Philippe asked for extraordinary watches such as repeaters, calendars or chronographs. Among all those, the repeating complication was regarded as the ultimate and of course the most expensive. Indeed, only around a dozen minute repeating wristwatches in total were manufactured by Patek Philippe from the mid-1920s to the end of the 1930s. The great collector Henry Graves Jr., famed for his pursuit of uncompromising watchmaking excellence, commissioned and owned three minute repeating wristwatches by Patek Philippe which illustrates clearly their status as an ultimate expression of watchmaking skill.
By the 1960s, the minute repeater wristwatch had fallen into obscurity. However, in 1989, Philippe Stern decided to reintroduce minute repeaters into production as part of the company’s 150th anniversary celebrations. This decision proved to be a masterstroke and since that time Patek Philippe has always included minute repeaters in their regular production, leading the way in their continued development. Around 200 to 300 hours of work is necessary to assemble a minute repeater movement and only the most experienced master watchmakers are permitted to undertake this task. Over the years, Patek Philippe has gone to enormous lengths to achieve perfection in the sound of its minute repeaters. To this end, the company has worked in collaboration with the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL) and the Geneva School of Engineering where experimentation with alloys took place in order to find an ideal formula for a metal that creates superb sound qualities for Patek Philippe repeating gongs.
Just like the finest musical instruments, all minute repeating watches have a unique melodic sound and individual character. Indeed, it is a fascinating fact that no two Patek Philippe minute repeating watches sound exactly alike, even watches of the same reference, cased in exactly the same way show small differences in tone and sound transmission. It is well-known and much appreciated by clients that every single Patek Philippe minute repeater is personally checked by the President himself before it is allowed to be released from the manufacture.
The Perpetual Calendar
One of the most useful watchmaking inventions of all time, it is credited to the Englishman Thomas Mudge who made a perpetual calendar watch in 1762, the mechanism not only self-adjusts for the number of days in the month but also calculates the correct adjustment for the leap-years. Patek Philippe was unsurprisingly very early in using the perpetual calendar in wristwatches with the references 1518 and 1526 being the first serially produced perpetual calendar wristwatches by any manufacturer.
The Tourbillon
Invented and patented by the genius watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801, is one of the most enduring technical improvements to timekeeping precision and has been continually improved to extreme degrees. In a tourbillon, the entire escapement revolves so that any adverse effects on timekeeping caused by the watch’s position – up, down, sideways etc, is equalized. The tourbillon is also a very visually appealing complication and it has become an important feature of many of the great modern complicated wristwatches.