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Lot Essay
Patek Philippe’s special London Exhibition timepieces are some of the rarest of all the company’s modern production. Christie’s is therefore thrilled to present this exceedingly rare ‘Saatchi Edition’ yellow gold reference 5970J-014. Accompanied by the Certificate of Origin confirming the brown dial, it is believed to be one of only 5 pieces produced and, to the best of our knowledge, the first example of the reference ever to be offered at auction.
The watches released for Patek Philippe’s Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition held at the Saatchi gallery in London in 2015 were a quite spectacular array of completely new versions of discontinued models. Collectors were immediately attracted by their stunning looks and new dial colours not available in the original versions but also by the use of new-old-stock movements and unused cases from series production. Combining stunning looks with extreme rarity, these ultra-limited London edition 5970s instantly became stratospherically desirable. Naturally, the fortunate individuals who were hand-selected to receive an example were some of Patek Philippe’s most loyal and exalted clients who were personally known to Mr. Stern. Indeed, so treasured are these timepieces that almost all examples have remained with their original owners.
This now legendary version of the reference 5970 perpetual calendar chronograph with ravishingly attractive brown dial has been described as the most beautiful of all modern Patek Philippe wristwatches. Combining stunning looks with extreme rarity, this ultra-limited ‘Saatchi’ London edition 5970 instantly became stratospherically desirable. Naturally, the fortunate individuals who were hand-selected to receive an example were some of Patek Philippe’s most loyal and exalted clients who were personally known to Mr. Stern. Indeed, so treasured are these timepieces that almost all examples have remained with their original owners.
An interesting aspect of the specification of the present model is that the 40mm yellow gold case, considered one of the best-designed cases in Patek Philippe’s history and originally made for only one year in 2008-2009, houses the last non-manufacture perpetual calendar movement, caliber CH 27-70 Q based on a Lemania ébauche that was significantly modified and finished by Patek Philippe. Such ‘out of series’ late production watches are fascinating to collectors and are among the rarest pieces of any reference. The standard production 5970 was introduced in 2005 and discontinued around 2010.
The Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition London 2015 was a resounding success. Open to the public from May 27 until June 7, 2015 at the Saatchi Gallery, the event attracted more than 42,500 visitors over the course of 12 days. It was a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the history of watchmaking and the world of Patek Philippe. Watch enthusiasts were able to deepen their knowledge of fine horology and the general public had the opportunity to ignite their passion for watchmaking and artisanship by completely immersing themselves in the world of the last independent Geneva watch manufacturer. "This is the biggest exhibition we ever held, and we knew from the beginning we wanted to host it in London", Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe said. "We had 21 rooms dedicated to watchmaking with its many skills, showing watchmakers at work and revealing what is inside the movement. This is clearly the benchmark for the global watch industry".
Reference 5970
A successor of the celebrated reference 3970, reference 5970 was introduced to the market at Basel World in April 2005 and remained in production until about 2010. The model immediately enjoyed enormous popularity amongst collectors and was available in white gold or pink gold only until 2007 when the production of these two versions ceased. Reference 5970 in yellow gold was in production only in 2008 and 2009. From 2009 until the end of production, the model was available exclusively in platinum.
Reference 5970 is the last perpetual calendar chronograph of the company featuring the Geneva seal on the movement as Patek Philippe began stamping their movements with the Patek Philippe Seal from mid-2009 as a new quality benchmark for its mechanical timepieces.
The watches released for Patek Philippe’s Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition held at the Saatchi gallery in London in 2015 were a quite spectacular array of completely new versions of discontinued models. Collectors were immediately attracted by their stunning looks and new dial colours not available in the original versions but also by the use of new-old-stock movements and unused cases from series production. Combining stunning looks with extreme rarity, these ultra-limited London edition 5970s instantly became stratospherically desirable. Naturally, the fortunate individuals who were hand-selected to receive an example were some of Patek Philippe’s most loyal and exalted clients who were personally known to Mr. Stern. Indeed, so treasured are these timepieces that almost all examples have remained with their original owners.
This now legendary version of the reference 5970 perpetual calendar chronograph with ravishingly attractive brown dial has been described as the most beautiful of all modern Patek Philippe wristwatches. Combining stunning looks with extreme rarity, this ultra-limited ‘Saatchi’ London edition 5970 instantly became stratospherically desirable. Naturally, the fortunate individuals who were hand-selected to receive an example were some of Patek Philippe’s most loyal and exalted clients who were personally known to Mr. Stern. Indeed, so treasured are these timepieces that almost all examples have remained with their original owners.
An interesting aspect of the specification of the present model is that the 40mm yellow gold case, considered one of the best-designed cases in Patek Philippe’s history and originally made for only one year in 2008-2009, houses the last non-manufacture perpetual calendar movement, caliber CH 27-70 Q based on a Lemania ébauche that was significantly modified and finished by Patek Philippe. Such ‘out of series’ late production watches are fascinating to collectors and are among the rarest pieces of any reference. The standard production 5970 was introduced in 2005 and discontinued around 2010.
The Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition London 2015 was a resounding success. Open to the public from May 27 until June 7, 2015 at the Saatchi Gallery, the event attracted more than 42,500 visitors over the course of 12 days. It was a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the history of watchmaking and the world of Patek Philippe. Watch enthusiasts were able to deepen their knowledge of fine horology and the general public had the opportunity to ignite their passion for watchmaking and artisanship by completely immersing themselves in the world of the last independent Geneva watch manufacturer. "This is the biggest exhibition we ever held, and we knew from the beginning we wanted to host it in London", Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe said. "We had 21 rooms dedicated to watchmaking with its many skills, showing watchmakers at work and revealing what is inside the movement. This is clearly the benchmark for the global watch industry".
Reference 5970
A successor of the celebrated reference 3970, reference 5970 was introduced to the market at Basel World in April 2005 and remained in production until about 2010. The model immediately enjoyed enormous popularity amongst collectors and was available in white gold or pink gold only until 2007 when the production of these two versions ceased. Reference 5970 in yellow gold was in production only in 2008 and 2009. From 2009 until the end of production, the model was available exclusively in platinum.
Reference 5970 is the last perpetual calendar chronograph of the company featuring the Geneva seal on the movement as Patek Philippe began stamping their movements with the Patek Philippe Seal from mid-2009 as a new quality benchmark for its mechanical timepieces.