In the world of watch collecting, only a handful of names are as venerated and respected as Henry Graves. Born in 1868, the American banker, financier and patron of the horological arts, is renowned for having curated one of the, if not most, important private collections of the 20th century. Known for his keen eye and exquisite taste, Graves devoted his time and purse to pursuing the most fascinating and interesting masterpieces that challenged the technical proficiencies at the time. Notoriously competitive, he rivalled another American collector and auto manufacturer magnate, James Ward Packard, in a friendly ‘pissing contest’, which ultimately resulted in the world’s most complicated portable timepiece for 56 years running. A perpetual dream, this unique Patek Philippe Supercomplication pocket watch is equipped with 24 individual complications and took a total of eight years to build. Finally completed in 1933, the finished masterpiece without a doubt attests to the Swiss manufacturer’s mechanical prowess that remains unchallenged today. Following the firm’s famous slogan: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.", his daughter became the custodian of his historically important collection after his passing, who later bestowed it upon his grandson, Reginald H. Fullerton Jr.
Like grandfather, like grandson, Fullerton was a passionate watch enthusiast who maintained Grave’s pieces while also assembling his own impressive collection of distinguished timepieces in exceptional condition. In addition to his thorough record-keeping and personal daily maintenance, Mr Fullerton presciently insisted that cases and dials not be touched during cleaning and servicing, and that almost all of his watches retain their original accompaniments. The result is a time capsule collection, with each example seemingly untouched since its construction. The present platinum ref. 5050 became one of his many prized possessions in 2003.
The ref. 5050 is a highly collectible model, introduced at Baselworld in 1993 as Patek Philippe’s first serially produced perpetual calendar wristwatch with moon phases and retrograde date. The reference was released in yellow, pink and white gold, as well as platinum like the present timepiece. Each engraved with the case maker key number 115, all ref. 5050 cases were manufactured by Favre-Perret. According to research, only an estimated 150 examples were dressed in platinum, spread across three series throughout its nine-year production run. An evolution of the ref. 5050 can be noticed with the first series featuring thin painted roman numerals, while the second series released in 1995 is defined by the applied baton indexes with an “Automatic” designation below the moon phase. The third series, as per this platinum example, has applied Roman numerals and excludes the “Automatic” signature. So far, only 14 examples of the ref. 5050P-018 have been identified, boasting this exact dial configuration.
Combining its rarity, prominent provenance and remarkable condition, PHILLIPS is proud to offer this impressive ref. 5050 to the public for the third time. The present example first came to light in 2012 during the late Reginald H Fullerton, Jr’s auction and was later sold at PHILLIPS in 2020. Patek Philippe’s perpetual calendars are second to none, and this is an irresistible opportunity to own a piece of their historical past, paired with an important horological lineage.