They say you should never meet your heroes.
A name that hovered almost like a legend among collectors now becomes a reality. The Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000, created to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium, will be featured at the first Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week organized by Sotheby’s on December 5. For the first time ever, a complete set of four pieces will be presented, each made in a different precious metal (yellow gold, rose gold, white gold and platinum).
A tradition of supercomplication
With 21 complications and more than 1,100 components, the Star Caliber 2000 is considered the third most complicated Patek Philippe ever, behind only the Caliber 89 (33 complications, created in 1989) and the famous Henry Graves Supercomplication of 1933. The latter also holds the record as the watch with the highest estimate ever at auction: Sotheby’s sold it in 2014 for $24 million, a record still unbeaten.
Despite its technical and historical relevance, the Star Caliber 2000 remained almost invisible for years: its only public appearance was in 2012, when a yellow gold example fetched $3.3 million. Hence the uniqueness of the December sale: a complete set, which remained hidden for more than two decades, estimated at more than $10 million.
Six patents that changed the rules
The appeal of the Star Caliber 2000 lies not only in the quantity of complications, but in the quality of the technical solutions introduced. Patek Philippe registered six patents specifically for this project:
- Selective opening lids: an innovative system that allows the two faces of the pocket watch to be opened with a simple rotation of the bow, without levers or knives.
- Westminster Carillon: the first movement to correctly reproduce the melodies of Big Ben, with two identical notes played in rapid succession.
- Synchronized equation of time: the indication of the difference between true solar time and mean time, controlled directly by the perpetual calendar to ensure accuracy.
- Sunrise and sunset display: also governed by the perpetual calendar, with a full rotation every 72 hours showing the variation of days throughout the year.
- Quick calendar corrector: a single command to advance all indications (including sunrise/sunset time and equation of time) up to one month.
- Sky and moon indication: a celestial display showing a detailed star map, with the moon’s position and orbit, far beyond the traditional moon phase displays.
Two dials, two universes
The “technical” side of the Star Caliber 2000 includes hours, minutes, seconds, full perpetual calendar, sunrise and sunset, equation of time, seasons, power reserve and chimes function.
On the opposite side, however, poetry dominates: a moving sky studded with stars, with fine astronomical indications such as the passage of Sirius, moon phase, and meridian angle.
To complete the masterpiece, the speakers are signed by master Jean-Pierre Hagmann, decorated with Renaissance engravings that are not only aesthetic, but also promote sound diffusion.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
According to Sam Hines, Global Chairman of Sotheby’s Watches, “Offering a complete set, never before seen and in pristine condition, is the kind of opportunity that happens once in a generation, if not never.”
Image Credits: Hodinkee
On December 5, therefore, the international watchmaking community will witness a historic moment: the revelation of a masterpiece long kept hidden. And perhaps, as happened with the Graves in 2014, the Abu Dhabi auction will mark a new landmark for haute horology collecting.
What do you think such a masterpiece is worth?
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