Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: 2012 Reference No: 5004A-001 Movement No: 3’275’468 Case No: 4’530’365 Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. CHR 27-70 Q, 28 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Patek Philippe deployant clasp Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement, and clasp signed. Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin dated March 19th 2012, oversized leather folio, glossy image, solid caseback, setting pin, hang tag, folio, and wooden presentation box.
Catalogue Essay
Produced in limited examples between 1994 and 2012, the reference 5004 – a perpetual calendar with split-seconds chronograph – remains one of the most technically advanced and scarce wristwatches of the Lemania-era. Accordingly, approximately 12 examples were made per year due to the difficulty in creating and assembling the movement to Patek Philippe’s standards.
To commemorate the reference’s retirement in 2012, Patek Philippe made the unexpected choice of casing very few examples in stainless steel: a choice not without precedent but of rare occurrence. Patek Philippe rarely ever makes complicated stainless steel watches, and throughout its history, these have become the most sought-after examples of Patek’s horological oeuvre. Furthermore, the 5004A was only offered to the brand’s very best clients, all sold through the Geneva Salon, and the sapphire caseback and solid caseback were all engraved with the name of the original owner.
Though a rumored 50 pieces were created, only 9 examples have surfaced at auction thus far. The present example, with its original accessories and matching casebacks, is fresh to the auction market and preserved in impeccable overall condition.
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.
