Patek Philippe - The Geneva Watch Auction: XIX featuring the Guido Mondani Collection Geneva Saturday, May 11, 2024 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • Manufacturer: Patek Philippe
    Year: 2016
    Reference No: 5950A-001
    Movement No: 5'251'422
    Case No: 4'567'240
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. CHR 27-525 PS, 31 jewels, stamped with the Patek Philippe Seal
    Bracelet/Strap: Patek Philippe alligator strap
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Patek Philippe pin buckle
    Dimensions: 36.5mm Width and 37mm Length
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed.
    Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin dated September 20, 2016, additional solid caseback, leather portfolio, product literature, numbered factory plastic sleeve, numbered sale tag, massive wooden presentation box and outer packaging.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Patek Philippe’s split seconds chronograph production can be split (pun intended) into two divergent camps: those with a single button operating the chronograph mechanism through the crown and those with the traditional two-button layout. The first split seconds chronograph wristwatch produced by Patek Philippe came in 1923, with a Victorin Piguet-based ebauche housed in an 18K yellow gold officer-style case. Subsequent split seconds chronographs produced in series had two buttons: the reference 1436 (about 165 total examples produced between 1938 and 1971), the reference 1563, and the unique piece reference 2512. All of these references are highly coveted by collectors to this day.



    Patek Philippe wouldn’t produce another split-seconds chronograph until 2005, with the launch of reference 5959. Ironically - and very much in Patek Philipe style - the all-new, in-house ultra-thin movement cal. CHR 27-525 PS sports a single-button architecture, harkening back to the very first split second chronographs made by the company. The caliber was an extraordinary achievement in fine watchmaking history as it was the thinnest split seconds chronograph ever created at the time, as well as being the thinnest column wheel chronograph. Its design brilliantly demonstrated the prowess and know-how of Patek Philippe in the field of complications.



    This exquisitely finished movement incorporates a number of technical features (such as optimised teeth geometry and an improved clutching/unclutching system) that enable its remarkable thinness, and at the same time increase the energy efficiency and reliability of the chronograph complication. Furthermore, this was Patek Philippe’s first fully in-house designed and manufactured chronograph movement.

    At Baselworld in 2010, Patek Philippe announced reference 5950, a cushion-style, single button split-seconds chronograph with the same in-house movement but boasting subtle Belle Epoque styling. The model is a treasure trove of surprises, the most obvious one being the fact that it is a highly complicated Patek Philippe model in steel. Complicated steel Patek somewhat betray the ethos of the company - a highly complicated evening watch shall be in precious metals, dictate the powers that be at Patek - and consequently are made in very scarce numbers both in present and past times. The result is that the category is considered “endgame” for Patek Philippe collectors. Piling on this foundation, we can find traits that seem designed to delight the connoisseur: from the applied black gold Breguet numerals to the black lacquer scroll detailing at the corners and on the buckle (and even in the corners of the additional solid caseback). The dial surface features an opaline/ivory finish obviously reminiscent of vintage watches, a feeling boosted by the railway fifth-of-a-second divisions and Arabic (in fact using a Breguet font, another subtle detail highlighting the meticulous design process behind the model) five-minutes divisions.



    The current 5950A was brand new and freshly unsealed on January 26, 2024 for the purposes of shipping the timepiece. It comes complete with all of its original accessories and even the numbered factory plastic sleeve, still retaining sealed within the numbered sale tag - two items often discarded when delivering the watch. To date, it is the 15th example that has appeared on the market.

  • Artist Biography

    Patek Philippe

    Swiss • 1839

    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.

    View More Works

Σ215

Ref. 5950A-001
A freshly unsealed and rare stainless steel single button split-seconds chronograph wristwatch with additional solid caseback, certificate of origin and presentation box

2016
36.5mm Width and 37mm Length
Case, dial, movement and clasp signed.

Estimate
CHF220,000 - 440,000 
€225,000-450,000
$241,000-481,000

Sold for CHF482,600

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Europe, and Middle East

+41 79 637 17 24
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 79 460 55 88
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XIX featuring the Guido Mondani Collection

Geneva Auction 11 - 12 May 2024