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Lot Essay
Christie’s Hong Kong is extremely pleased to present to collectors this almost certainly unique yellow gold reference 5004J-017 with Certificate of Origin-confirmed stunning black monogram dial, luminous indexes and luminous hands and white tachymeter scale. Thought to be a one-off configuration for a reference 5004J, it was made as a bespoke commission for the remarkable American collector Michael Steven Ovitz, whose initials ‘M.S.O’ are monogrammed on the dial at 6 o’clock. Mr. Ovitz was always conscious of keeping his watches in pristine condition, the present watch is no exception in having a perfectly preserved almost untouched case with all 4 hallmarks crisp and clearly visible on the underside of the lugs. This example of reference 5004J can undoubtedly be considered one of the most important key pieces amongst this now legendary model and will justifiably be the ultimate ownership goal of many collectors worldwide.
The gorgeous black dial, confirmed by the Certificate of Origin, is highly unusual, firstly for its colour and rarely seen luminous indexes and hands, and secondly for the inclusion of a tachymeter scale. Very few dials of reference 5004 featured a tachymeter scale and those few pieces were either special orders like the present watch or available only to Patek Philippe’s best clients.
Michael Steven Ovitz
Widely described as the most powerful man in Hollywood during the 1980s and early 1990s, he was President of Walt Disney from 1995 to 1997. An outstanding collector, Mr Ovitz was one of the few people for whom Patek Philippe created special request watches with his own initials placed on the dial. Mr. Ovitz, a collector of 35 years standing, requested several different references, each in a variety of metals, with one-of-a-kind dials. He praised Patek Philippe’s workshop saying “They were terrific and accommodated everything I wanted.”
Ref. 5004
In 1994, Patek Philippe launched an exceptional and ingenious new model that upped the stakes among complicated wristwatches, the reference 5004. This perpetual calendar chronograph is a split-seconds or ‘rattrapante’ chronograph and was the company’s first serially produced split-seconds perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch. One of the most difficult of complications to construct, Patek Philippe created a new second mechanism called an ‘octopus isolater’, an instant reset system which successfully eliminated the problem known as ‘rattrapante drag’. Discontinued in 2012, the reference 5004 demonstrated yet again Patek Philippe’s complete mastery of even the most complex horological challenges.
Already considered a modern classic, the reference 5004 embodies the essence of Patek Philippe’s design legacy of the post war decades, but also the savoir faire of their skilled watchmakers, who managed to encompass such an array of complications and include a split-second within a case of subtle proportions.
The gorgeous black dial, confirmed by the Certificate of Origin, is highly unusual, firstly for its colour and rarely seen luminous indexes and hands, and secondly for the inclusion of a tachymeter scale. Very few dials of reference 5004 featured a tachymeter scale and those few pieces were either special orders like the present watch or available only to Patek Philippe’s best clients.
Michael Steven Ovitz
Widely described as the most powerful man in Hollywood during the 1980s and early 1990s, he was President of Walt Disney from 1995 to 1997. An outstanding collector, Mr Ovitz was one of the few people for whom Patek Philippe created special request watches with his own initials placed on the dial. Mr. Ovitz, a collector of 35 years standing, requested several different references, each in a variety of metals, with one-of-a-kind dials. He praised Patek Philippe’s workshop saying “They were terrific and accommodated everything I wanted.”
Ref. 5004
In 1994, Patek Philippe launched an exceptional and ingenious new model that upped the stakes among complicated wristwatches, the reference 5004. This perpetual calendar chronograph is a split-seconds or ‘rattrapante’ chronograph and was the company’s first serially produced split-seconds perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch. One of the most difficult of complications to construct, Patek Philippe created a new second mechanism called an ‘octopus isolater’, an instant reset system which successfully eliminated the problem known as ‘rattrapante drag’. Discontinued in 2012, the reference 5004 demonstrated yet again Patek Philippe’s complete mastery of even the most complex horological challenges.
Already considered a modern classic, the reference 5004 embodies the essence of Patek Philippe’s design legacy of the post war decades, but also the savoir faire of their skilled watchmakers, who managed to encompass such an array of complications and include a split-second within a case of subtle proportions.