Among the famous brands of Swiss watches Patek Philippe is a special brand. At that time, as the other brands in an effort to win more fans to develop a revolutionary model and implement new marketing moves, the firm Patek Philippe looks at the whole fuss as if from outside, from the height of its pedestal. And it is reasonable, because it is - the brand for the elite.
Anyone who thinks that the world exists in a clockwise inaccessible dizzying heights, where all long ago determined established traditions and immutable order, it is worth to get acquainted with one of the giants of haute orlogerie - famous Patek Philippe. This Geneva watch house became a symbol of Haute Horlogerie, which reached all kinds of awards and honors, and, most importantly, this recognition in professional circles, perhaps better than anyone else aware of the need for constant movement and the search for a new - improved technologies, new materials, fruitful ideas.
7th of November 2015 was a lucky day for Patek Philippe - at a charity auction Only Watch the company sold for a record sum of 7.3 million francs, and, two participants were trading less than 10 minutes, making bets over the phone. And the whole auction raised a little more than 11 million. You probably wondering for what exactly a person had given so much money?
Watch with reference 5016 made the brand from 1993 to 2011, and they appear among the most difficult of Patek Philippe works. Its mechanism accommodates three most valuable complication: the tourbillon, minute repeater and perpetual calendar. The last is interesting because it shows the date by a retrograde direction, jumping on the first day at the end of each month.
There were created up to three hundred of these models. Getting on the auctions, they went under the hammer instantaneously, and, on average, for an amount ranging from 400 to 600 thousand Swiss francs. As an example, take a watch with a black dial or red, released in 1999 and put up for auction Antiquorum in 2012 - trading ended at a rate of 722 500 dollars. Obviously, the model created for Only Watch 2015 nominated estimate of 700 000 - 900 000 francs, starting from the auction statistics figures of previous years.
Watch received a special decoration: a blue enamel dial. It is also interesting that the Patek Philippe ref. 5016A-010 - the first model of the family, released in steel. Prior to this, only use platinum and gold. It should be noted that the steel does not detract from the dignity of watch, on the contrary, it makes them more desirable for people chasing rarities. However, the willingness to pay for such a thing 7.3 million Swiss francs can be attributed not only a collector's passion, but also the intention of the buyer to give money for good causes.
Every year Patek Philippe produces about 30 000 timepieces of mechanisms which once again underlines the exclusivity of the brand and the uniqueness of each owner of these watches. Patek Philippe timepieces dictate fashion and do not blow up stereotypes, but only modestly express their host: he has achieved in this life for all.
The fundamental values of Patek Philippe - the manufacturer's most expensive watches production - are independence, tradition, innovation, quality and craftsmanship, rarity, aesthetic, labor history. Patek Philippe has always been focused on perfection, creating timepieces of unsurpassed quality and reliability, uniqueness and exclusivity that makes them rare and valuable works of art, heritage, transmitted from generation to generation.