It is finally official, Patek Philippe has just announced the models soon to be out of production.
The new year has just begun, but it seems like the news from the horology world have no intention to stop. At first it was the turn of Rolex, Tudor and Audemars Piguet, who started off the new decade with a list price increase. In Patek Philippe’s case, we got different news, but in the same fashion this is going to make someone happy and leave someone else with a bitter taste.
Infact, ADs have just recently received a communication explaining that various references of the current catalogue have been discontinued, but we have to wait until Basel 2020 to know more of the details. Even though this is, at the moment, just a disclosure since it hasn’t been made public by Patek Philippe yet, the news has already gone viral, causing great excitement between sellers and aficionados of the brand.
Let’s have a look at all the references we won’t find in the boutiques anymore.
A lot of references of the Grand Complications collection are going to be left out.
Patek Philippe ref. 5374P-001
The first model of the collection is the Perpetual Calendar with Minute Repeater (ref. 5374P-001) in platinum with real black enamel dial and applied Breguet numerals, a complicated and refined watch representing a unicum in the Patek Philippe collection. Now, the combination of the minute repeater and perpetual calendar combination will be available only paired to a chronograph, with the reference 5208.
Patek Philippe ref. 5370P-001
Another model of the collection that will be discontinued has the same configuration style: black ‘Grand Feu’ enamel dial, platinum case and one of the hardest complications to master, in this case, the split-seconds chronograph.
The ref. 5370P-001 draws inspiration from the maison’s legendary split-seconds chronographs of the 1940s reinterpreting them in a modern key and giving a prosecution to the lineage that had been left to 1971.
Patek Philippe ref. 5204/1R-001
This won’t be the only reference with an in-house split-seconds chronograph to be put out of production.
The rattrapante chronograph with perpetual calendar, white dial and leather strap (ref. 5204R-001) will follow.
But don’t worry, you can still treat yourself with the black dial and solid rose gold bracelet version (ref. 5204/1R-001).
Patek Philippe ref. 5159J
Ref. 5159 is next on the list. The perpetual calendar with retrograde date complication allowed its user to accomodate for the diverse duration of months. This was made possible by a highly sophisticated movement based on a complex system of levers and cams pivoting around their axes.
This model will be removed from the catalogue in all of his declinations, white gold, rose gold and yellow gold (ref. 5159G, 5159R and 5159J).
Patek Philippe ref. 5496P-015 & ref. 5496R-001
Caliber 324 S QR wasn’t used only ref. 5159. There was in fact a younger brother, more modern in style, that used baton indexes instead of roman numerals, and a plain dial instead of the guilloché center.
It was the ref. 5496. Why was? Because now, both the platinum cased and silvered dial version (ref. 5496P-015) and the rose gold case with opaline dial one are being left to the past, leaving the exclusive ref. 5160/500G-001 the only watch bearing this complication.
Patek Philippe ref. 5327J-001
The last reference to leave the Grand Complications is the ref.5327J-001, and that is the yellow gold version of the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar, a real cornerstone for almost all of the other complications. Its classically fashioned Calatrava case paired with applied Breguet numerals and a similar dial display to the older perpetual calendars of the maison (such as ref. 3940 and 5140) really make this model an instant classic.
The perpetual calendar will maintain a place in the catalogue with the rose gold version, ref. 5327R-001
Patek Philippe ref. 5960/01G-001
We move from Grand Complications, demonstration of the technical mastery of the Genevan maison, to complications, a collection with a rich offer of useful complications for the everyday life.
Only one reference will not be part of the collection anymore, and that is ref. 5160/01G-001, also known as the Flyback Chronograph with Annual Calendar in white gold with blue dial.
It was the first time this reference was paired with the metal, and honestly, we digged it a lot. If white gold was for you, you can still go for platinum, but you’ll have to pay a premium.
Patek Philippe ref. 6006G-001
Even though in recent times, its place has been in part taken by the Nautilus, the Calatrava is one of Patek Philippe’s style paradigms, true essence of the maison’s round wristwatch. But still, also the Calatrava collection is atremble. Ref.6006G-001, heir of the refs. 5000 and 6000, pairs the classical style of the Calatrava case to a graphic style dial, an analog date and offset subsidiary seconds, will be discontinued.
Patek Philippe ref. 5724G-001 & ref. 5724R-001
The last three watches that will no more be part of the Patek Philippe’s production line, come from the Nautilus family, interpretation of sporty elegance from more than 40 years, and nonetheless one of the hottest (if not The hottest) watch of the moment, drawing a lot of attention for that matter.
Among these, ref. 5724G-001 and 5724R-001 (in white gold and rose gold respectively) will be excluded. These references are the bling versions of the nautilus 5712, with date and moon phases, set with baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel (32 diamonds), on the case (12 diamonds) and on the clasp (6 diamonds) for a total of ~8,2 carats.
Patek Philippe ref. 5711/1A-011
To conclude, here is the watch that cultivated quite a bit of buzz, the 5711/1A-011, that is the white dial version of the iconic Patek Philippe Nautilus. This version, with the so-called ‘Piano’ dial for its resemblance to piano keys, was less coveted than its blue counterpart, but I’ve always preferred it for its understated elegance.
The grey market seems to have already received this piece of information, with prices easily flying over the formerly pricier blue dial version, and the trend doesn’t seem to be going down.
Patek Philippe at BaselWorld 2020
We are only a few months away from the 2020 Basel fair (that will be held from the 30th of April to the 5th of May), where we will discover with detail which will be the watches replacing the discontinued Pateks. Personally, I would expect that a part of the watches from the Grand Complications gone into retirement will be substituted, since a large part of their production will be put off, but I don’t think that 2020 will be the year for a new split-seconds chronograph (even though I sure wish it is!) or for a new minute repeater, since we’ve seen Patek venturing in the Skeleton Tourbillons realm.
Probably we will see some novelties in the Nautilus collection. We expect that the idea behind the 5740G will be further developed, as it was the first Nautilus with a movement belonging to the Grand Complications. After all, the Le Brassus neighbors are already playing at this apparently antithetical game with the Royal Oak. Until then, we’ll just have to wait and see!
