Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: 2004 Reference No: 5059P Movement No: 3'236'560 Case No: 4'259'649 Material: Platinum Calibre: Automatic, cal. 315 S QR, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Platinum Patek Philippe deployant clasp Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed Accessories: With leather wallet, presentation box with self-winding device and instructions booklet. Further accompanied by a Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin and an Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 2004 and its subsequent sale on July 13, 2004
Catalogue Essay
Reference 5059 was first introduced to the market in 1998 and was discontinued in 2006. Manufactured in all four metals, the reference 5059 is recognizable for its officer-style case with hinged case back and screwed lug pins.
The reference is a perpetual calendar, with retrograde date, day, month and moon phases. The most intriguing of these complications is the retrograde date. Usually the hands for calendar watches continue to move and naturally return to their point of origin, however the retrograde complication forces the hand to fly back to its original starting point, a very difficult construction to accomplish in watchmaking.
Patek Philippe now offers an updated version of this reference known as reference 5159, which was introduced in 2007 and is still in production today. This reference has a slightly larger case than the 5059 and an engine-turned dial. The present example is in remarkable condition, and still retains the factory service sticker on the caseback.
Since its founding in 1839, this famous Geneva-based firm has been surprising its clientele with superbly crafted timepieces fitted with watchmaking's most prestigious complications. Traditional and conservative designs are found across Patek Philippe's watches made throughout their history — the utmost in understated elegance.
Well-known for the Graves Supercomplication — a highly complicated pocket watch that was the world’s most complicated watch for 50 years — this family-owned brand has earned a reputation of excellence around the world. Patek's complicated vintage watches hold the highest number of world records for results achieved at auction compared with any other brand. For collectors, key models include the reference 1518, the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and its successor, the reference 2499. Other famous models include perpetual calendars such as the ref. 1526, ref. 3448 and 3450, chronographs such as the reference 130, 530 and 1463, as well as reference 1436 and 1563 split seconds chronographs. Patek is also well-known for their classically styled, time-only "Calatrava" dress watches, and the "Nautilus," an iconic luxury sports watch first introduced in 1976 as the reference 3700 that is still in production today.