For Patek Philippe fans it’s all about the numbers, not names, and Ref. 5170 has a lot to live up to, says James Gurney.
Patek Philippe watches come by numbers, save for the likes of the Star Calibre. The cognoscenti don’t bother with names – even Patek is less than clear about quite which watch is a Calatrava and which isn’t. It’s the four-digit reference, quite often spoken as “ref”, that really matters, though there seems to be only a hazy logic that determines how the numbers are allocated. But don’t let the preference for prosaic reference numbers delude you as to the passion these watches inspire in their owners.
One digit separates the 5170 from its predecessor the 5070, but the difference in both price and substance reveals much about what watch collectors value. Both are simple chronographs of the sort that have a special place in the Patek canon. The 5170, introduced in 2010, features a new chronograph movement that was five years in development and is Patek’s last word in horological sophistication. Patented features extend even to the shape of the gear teeth; with its 65-hour power reserve and flawless finishing, the 5170 was one of the first models to bear the Patek Philippe Seal, the company’s in-house kitemark.
At 39mm in diameter the 5170 is more in keeping with Patek’s style, the brand having largely ignored the trend for ever wider watches, while the design is also closer to the standard Calatrava look in the details of dial furniture and even the case shape. With a more advanced movement and more pure Patek look, you would think that collectors might be keen to trade up.
But judging by the prices 5070s command in the pre-owned market (Watchfinder has a rose gold example for £48,500, while the new price for a 5170 is £56,000), collectors don’t see it that simply. Some prefer the 5070 for standing slightly outside the normal range – with its 42mm case, this is the Patek with attitude. Some argue that its purity of design is simply not bettered by the new boy on the block, the chrono counters being in line with the centre point being a much-cited detail. But for most, I suspect the real reason is that the 5070 scores so highly because of three things: a mythical movement in the Lemania based 27-70; the fact that it was Patek’s first simple chronograph in 40 years when it was launched in 1998; and its design harked back to a vanishingly rare 1950s pilot’s chrono (the Ref. 2512). No doubt 5170 owners will feel equally loyal in years to come.
telegraph.co.uk
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