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Patek Philippe Gallery Patek Philippe

Wristshot gallery from the Horlogeforum Patek Philippe thread.

Exclusive · Guide
Patek Philippe Reference 5978P: The Seventh Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in 187 Years

A Milan exclusive, a platinum case, and an instantaneous perpetual calendar chronograph that marks only the seventh such reference in Patek Philippe history

Icon · Guide
Calatrava Patek Philippe

The 1932 Patek reference that set the template for every modern dress watch.

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Nautilus Patek Philippe

Gérald Genta's 1976 Patek sports watch. Sketched on a restaurant napkin at Baselworld 1974.

Hands-on - The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5396R-016, Celebrating 30 Years of an Ingenious Complication Monochrome
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5396R-016 Celebrating Jul 21, 2026

Hands-on - The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5396R-016, Celebrating 30 Years of an Ingenious Complication

Introduced in 1996 with the reference 5035, Patek Philippe’s Annual Calendar was neither a simplified perpetual calendar nor an upgraded complete calendar, but an entirely new mechanism protected by a patent; we explained the full story of its creation and evolution in this article here. By automatically distinguishing between months with 30 and 31 days, […]

Owner’s Review: the Seiko Orange Monster SRP315 Worn & Wound
Patek Philippe Ellipse as Jul 20, 2026

Owner’s Review: the Seiko Orange Monster SRP315

What is a summer watch?  It’s a question I ask myself every year around this time. It’s partly rhetorical. We all know, somehow, what a summer watch is. It conjures something in the mind’s eye of a watch enthusiast that is colorful and probably on the sporty side. It looks best when sun drenched, on the beach or a patio or a hiking trail. Or maybe even with brightly glowing dial furniture in a dark movie theater on the hottest summer afternoon, when you just need to be in an air conditioned space for a few hours.  But I also wonder, annually, if this is actually a real thing. Any watch, of course, can be worn in the summer. If it’s summer, and you’re wearing a watch, the transitive property (I think that’s the one) proves you are wearing a summer watch. It could just as easily be a Patek Philippe Ellipse as a Tudor Pelagos, even if you’re bound to sweat through the leather on the former, and even if the latter will never see a running faucet to clean a dirty dish, let alone ocean depths.  Eventually, though, I always come back to the Seiko Orange Monster. Specifically, my Orange Monster, an SRP315. As someone who normally is inclined to minimize the impact of seasonality on a watch, and insist that any watch can be worn anytime of year (they don’t actually know what season it is, after all), the Orange Monster is the one exception, the counter example that makes me question my loosely held summer watch takes. Because, frankly, I have no desire to wear th...

Krayon’s Parhelion is a Halo Watch, Literally SJX Watches
Patek Philippe s sapphire-set Celestial Near-Artic Jul 17, 2026

Krayon’s Parhelion is a Halo Watch, Literally

Krayon, the independent that nearly perfected the sunrise and sunset complication for Anywhere and Everywhere on the planet, applies its no-half-measures approach to gem-setting with the Parhelion. Set with 171 sapphires in a gradient from dark blue to colourless, a dozen of which are a unique “Krayon cut”, the Parhelion is a halo product that seeks to recreate a magical moment the brand’s founders experienced in the arctic. Initial Thoughts Given my affinity for baguette set watches and astronomical complications, I don’t stand much of a chance against the Parhelion, a chilly, high jewellery version of the Anywhere. This isn’t Krayon’s first gemset watch, which would be the Everywhere, but is the best yet. I especially appreciate the creation of a novel fancy cut “Krayon-cut” which preserves the hour marker’s original form, something that is often lost in gem-set versions of originally non gem-set watches. Of course, this only worsens the Anywhere’s only fault – other than lack of summer time adjustment – pushing the Anywhere’s already high (if justifiable) price tag over the half-million dollar mark. That is a lot of money, but it is also a lot of watch, and still well below Patek Philippe’s sapphire-set Celestial. Near-Artic Encouter Caused by sunlight passing through hexagonal ice crystals in high-altitude clouds, parhelia (more commonly, sundogs) are a type of halo that mimics a second, and usually a third sun. The effect is most common, an...

Watch Spotting: The Wild Watches Of World Cup 2026 Hodinkee
Patek Philippe 5905R Getty Images Unsurprisingly Jul 14, 2026

Watch Spotting: The Wild Watches Of World Cup 2026

Watch Spotting sports is hard. Unless you're trawling through Instagram accounts and wire photo feeds looking, you're not going to see a lot of watches at the World Cup. FIFA rules prohibit jewelry on the field during play. But then again, any footballer worth their salt has tens of millions of Instagram followers, so it's easier to see what they're wearing during the tournament. Erling Haaland of Norway, a Breitling ambassador, of course, was wearing his Chronomat B01 Erling Haaland Limited Edition. Getty Images. Like tens of millions of others, I've been drawn in by the World Cup. It's been massively exciting, especially this year. And through it all, yes, I've been glancing at the wrists. My first Watch Spotting during the World Cup came while watching the match between Türkiye and the US at a small-town bar in Wisconsin (where it just so happened that a lot of the bar staff were from Türkiye, so shout out to Bayside in Fish Creek and the team, Omer, Ruki, and the rest). But the first thing I noticed was that the Turkish team's Italian manager, Vincenzo Montella, was wearing a Patek 5905R. After cruising Getty, I also saw that, like any good Italian, he owns a Nautilus and a Daytona. So down the rabbit hole I went. Türkiye's manager, Vincenzo Montella, flashing his Patek Philippe 5905R. Getty Images. Unsurprisingly, the teams that have stuck around the longest give us the most chances to see some different watches. There's Kylian Mbappé, a Hublot ambassador, whose l...

Hands-On: The Temporal Works Series A 'Rambler' Hodinkee
Patek Philippe 565 Jul 8, 2026

Hands-On: The Temporal Works Series A 'Rambler'

Any good tailor has a house style, or a few of them. You generally don't want a tailor who says they can do everything—Neapolitan, English, sack suit—as they rarely do it all that well. Variations on a theme are key to a tailor who knows how to cover the right amount of ground and deliver a good result. The house style, as it were, for The Armoury's recently launched house brand, Temporal Works, is a Patek Philippe 565 for the modern era. And if the 565 and a Hamilton Khaki field watch had a baby, it would look something like this: Temporal Works' new Series A "Rambler." The brand, along with its inaugural model, launched last November with the Series A 'Sector' in black or blue, or the Series A "Fortune Red" in stainless steel cases with Zaratsu-polished surfaces. When I hung out with Cho last fall, a while before the launch, he pulled a watch out of his pocket and showed it to me. "Oh! A 565," I remember saying. For whatever reason, in my busy schedule, it fell through the cracks for coverage. To be honest, they didn't hit me the same way as the new "Rambler" with its stainless-steel bead-blasted monoblock case. Temporal Works Series A 'Sector' Maybe there's just something more novel about a 565 that doesn't look that much like any 565 before it. With the sector dials (less so the red one), you can imagine a world in which Patek might have done something like this, even though they never experimented with color beyond black or a sector dial quite like this. The built...

Indie-Focused IAMWATCH Returns SJX Watches
Patek Philippe ref 2523 world time Jul 7, 2026

Indie-Focused IAMWATCH Returns

Singapore retailer The Hour Glass has announced the return of IAMWATCH, the retailer’s indie-focused watch fair, slated to take place November 12-15 at the Singapore Edition hotel, with public days November 13-15. The event comes two years after the successful inaugural edition, hinting at the possibility of a biennial format akin to that of Dubai Watch Week. Focused on independent watchmaking The inaugural 2024 event featured the biggest names in independent watchmaking, including foundational figures like Kari Voutilainen and Felix Baumgartner of Urwerk, as well as the leading lights of the younger generation including Rexhep Rexhepi, Raúl Pagès, and Florian Bédat and Gaël Petermann. The second edition is set to be even larger, with more makers in attendance. Attendees can expect to encounter industry executives as well — Aurel Bacs, Jean Arnault, Max Büsser, and Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver attended the first edition. It’s also sure to be one of the year’s best opportunities for watch spotting — this Patek Philippe ref. 2523 world time with a blue enamel dial and “Gobbi” signature was seen at the event in 2024. The relaxed dress code explicitly encourages double wristing, so the chances of spotting a unicorn in the wild are doubled. IAMWATCH will be held at the Singapore Edition hotel. Admission is free and open to the public daily November 13-15, however, advance registration is required and it can be done online at Iamwatch.com.  

In Depth: Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Jul 6, 2026

In Depth: Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000

The Star Caliber 2000 occupies a peculiar position in the history of grand complications. It was never the most complicated watch in the world. At its debut it ranked fourth — behind Patek Philippe’s own Calibre 89 and Graves Supercomplication, and the Leroy 01 — and in the quarter-century since, the complexity record has moved further still, most notably to Vacheron Constantin. The complication arms race the Calibre 89 inadvertently triggered ran its full course, and the Star Caliber 2000 was never part of it. What it did instead was something harder to measure and, as it turns out, more durable. It demonstrated that the tradition’s inheritance of unsolved problems — the desynchronised equation, the imperfect melody, and the moon exiled from the sky — was not inevitable. That each problem had a solution. And that the solutions, taken together, produced a different kind of watch: not necessarily more complicated but more coherent; not a larger accumulation of independent mechanisms but an integrated instrument in which every display refers to a single source of truth. The arms race In early 1989, as Switzerland prepared to celebrate the most complicated portable timepiece ever made, the man who had just assembled it returned to his bench. Paul Buclin had spent years assembling and setting up the Calibre 89 by hand — 1,728 components driving 33 complications. Weighing most of a kilogram, the watch itself required its own carrying case. The watch was a monument...

Patek Philippe’s Milan Grand Exhibition Rare Handcrafts are La Dolce Vita SJX Watches
Patek Philippe s Milan Grand Exhibition Jul 3, 2026

Patek Philippe’s Milan Grand Exhibition Rare Handcrafts are La Dolce Vita

Patek Philippe has just offered a peek at the Rare Handcrafts collection conceived for the upcoming Watch Art Grand Exhibition Milan 2026 that begins in October at the CityOval exhibition hall in Milan. As is traditional for the exhibition collection, the watches are centred on themes local to the host country or region. Italy, unsurprisingly, offers abundant inspiration and the pair of watches revealed so far certainly evoke la dolce vita. The first is the pocket watch ref. 992/193J-001 “Burano” that features an enamel decoration modelled on the streets of the Venetian island known for its compact houses painted in bright colours. A variety of enamelling techniques were employed for this motif, including cloisonné for the buildings and figures and paillonné for the waterway. The second timepiece is the Dome Clock ref. 20179M-001 “Sicilian Oranges”. This depicts Palermo seen from a distance, with an orange grove in the foreground. As is traditional for Dome Clocks, majority of the decoration is in cloisonné enamel. Because of the size of the clock, some 15 m of gold wire was required to complete the motif. The Grand Exhibition takes places October 2-18, 2026, at CityOval in Milan. Entry is free but complimentary tickets are required and available via online registration at Watchart2026.patek.com.  

Watches & Wonders Announces 2027 Dates and New Exhibitors SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Tudor Jun 23, 2026

Watches & Wonders Announces 2027 Dates and New Exhibitors

Watches & Wonders, the world’s most important luxury watch fair, will return in 2027 from April 5-11 in its traditional venue of Palexpo, the cavernous exhibition complex beside Geneva’s airport. The event takes place over a week, with Monday to Thursday being invite-only days open to members of the trade, while Friday and the weekend are ticketed public days. All of the major luxury brands will return for the fair, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Tudor, and Chanel, alongside a range of independent marques. But 2027 will also see new exhibitors, including Breitling, Gallet and Universal Genève, the trio that make up the House of Brands, the entity set up to contain the three brands led by Georges Kern. Notably, niche Italian jeweller Damiani will also exhibit at W&W; 2027, joining giants like Cartier, Bulgari, and Van Cleef & Arpels.  

Business News: Breitling's House Of Brands Joins Watches And Wonders For 2027 As Dates Unveiled Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Jun 23, 2026

Business News: Breitling's House Of Brands Joins Watches And Wonders For 2027 As Dates Unveiled

One of the largest watch group holdouts is heading to Watches and Wonders in 2027 as Breitling's House of Brands will join the world's premier luxury watch fair for the first time. Scheduled to take place April 5 to 11 in Geneva at Palexpo, with supplementary programs and exhibitions including the In The City events that debuted at the most recent edition, brands including Breitling, Gallet, Universal Genève and Italy's Damiani will exhibit alongside founding partners Rolex, Patek Philippe and Richemont brands, among others, according to a statement from the non-profit Watches and Wonders Foundation. The inclusion of the House of Brands group marks a significant addition for Watches and Wonders, underscoring its position as the most important annual gathering of Swiss and international luxury watchmakers, retailers, media, and the public each spring. The announcement follows news that Basel will return to the watch fair schedule with a new watch and jewelry show called Basilia that will follow during the same month, and leaves Swatch Group as the only major Swiss watchmaking conglomerate not participating in Watches and Wonders.  "The arrival of these new names represents an important milestone in the evolution of Watches and Wonders Geneva, and reflects the desire of major watchmaking Maisons to unite around a shared vision," Watches and Wonders organizers said in a prepared statement.  A record 65 brands participated in the event in 2026, including, for the first time...

Get Ready for Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Milan 2026 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Jun 21, 2026

Get Ready for Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Milan 2026

Three years after the Tokyo event, the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Milan 2026 is now open for registration. Starting on October 2 at CityOval, a newly revamped event hall, the upcoming instalment of the exhibition will include some 500 timepieces. One of the most important markets for Patek Philippe in the latter half of the 20th century, the Milan event marks the return of the Grand Exhibition to Europe, after Munich in 2013 and London in 2015. As with prior exhibitions, the array of timepieces will range from historical watches from the Patek Philippe Museum to the limited edition collection made specially for the Milan show, which will start with basic models and progress to grand complications and Rare Handcrafts. The showcase will also encompass exhibits dedicated to Patek Philippe’s innovations, demonstrations of watchmaking crafts as well as workshops. The Grand Exhibition 2017 in New York. Image – Patek Philippe The Grand Exhibition 2019 in Singapore The exhibition is within CityOval, about 10 minutes’ drive from the city iconic Duomo. Formerly known as Palazzo delle Scintille, the venue was built a century ago as a sports arena but has been transformed into a modern event space with a historic facade. The Grand Exhibition takes places October 2-18, 2026, at CityOval. Entry is free but complimentary tickets are required and available via online registration at Watchart2026.patek.com.  

Bring a Loupe: A Broken Mulco Chronograph, A Gold Rolex Paul Newman, And A Lot In-Between Hodinkee
Patek Philippe 570 Jun 19, 2026

Bring a Loupe: A Broken Mulco Chronograph, A Gold Rolex Paul Newman, And A Lot In-Between

Go Knicks. That is all. Scorekeeping last week's picks: the Grand Seiko sold for $29,700; the Patek Philippe 570 is still available; the Certina CD sold for €120; and the LeCoultre Uniplan sold, but the auction house didn't upload the final price. Strays Photo courtesy Goodwill. Here's a Breguet Classique 5907 on Goodwill. Yes, a Goodwill in Minnesota received, as a donation, a solid-gold Breguet with a four-day power reserve, a manual-wind 510DR movement, a full guilloché dial, Breguet hands, and, as if all that weren't enough, the watch comes with its original box. As Warren G advised, mount up. Beyond that heavy-duty watch in the least likely place, this Dodane Diver is very cool, and this Vincent Calabrese (who also made the Corum Golden Bridge) Wandering Jump Hour on Meticulist is incredibly cool. Apparently, it's my time—or a good time generally—to be excited by rectangular-cased non-Reverso JLC models, and if you've been after a Juvenia Architect, this one seems like it'll be gorgeous once it's cleaned up a bit. I don't know anyone who collects Verity watches, but this diver sure looks great with its classic Monnin case and—there's no other word for it—rad hand set. Finally, here's another IYKYK from Zenith, this time a 40T, which has absolutely nothing going for it other than a beautiful, simple case and a dial marking beneath the handset that has to be one of the coolest movement-related badges on any model I'm aware of. In an effort to balance out last...

Studio Underdog’s new beginnings, Patek Philippe’s lasting legacies, and more record-breaking auction results Time+Tide
Studio Underdog s new beginnings Patek Jun 19, 2026

Studio Underdog’s new beginnings, Patek Philippe’s lasting legacies, and more record-breaking auction results

As I spend most of my week writing about the latest watch releases, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing the hobby is all about what’s coming next. But every now and then, a week comes along that reminds you just how many different moving parts make up this interesting little world of … Continued

Business News: Basel Returns To Watch Calendar With April Basilia Watch & Jewelry Show Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Jun 18, 2026

Business News: Basel Returns To Watch Calendar With April Basilia Watch & Jewelry Show

Basel, Switzerland, is returning as the venue for a major watch and jewelry show with the launch of Basilia planned for April, 2027. There's no word yet on which brands will participate, but event organizers say the show will give watch and jewelry brands from Asia and other parts of the world a venue to connect with buyers from Europe that don't participate at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, which is dominated by a handful of major Swiss brands, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Cartier. At a media conference Thursday in Basel, announcing the new fair, organizers stressed that Basilia is not a return of Baselworld, the massive event that was once the world's largest watch and jewelry fair boasting more than 2,000 exhibitors at its peak before Baselworld's final show in 2019. "Baselworld is no more. It has been more than seven years now, and it will not come back," says Roman Imgrüth, the CEO of MCH Group Exhibitions and Events, which is hosting the new fair with Informa Markets, the trade show and business-to-business events division of publicly listed Informa Plc. Basilia organizers, including MCH Group Exhibition and Events CEO Roman Imgrüth (left), announce plans for a new watch and jewelry fair in Basel.  Organizers say Basilia, which will take place after Watches and Wonders in Geneva, is targeting some 400 exhibitors and between 2,000 and 5,000 visitors for its inaugural edition next year. Participants and exhibitors have yet to be identified, but organizers sa...

The Patek Philippe Museum Celebrates 50 Years of the Nautilus SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Museum Celebrates 50 Years Jun 18, 2026

The Patek Philippe Museum Celebrates 50 Years of the Nautilus

The Patek Philippe Museum turns 25 this year, but the Geneva institution has bigger things on its mind. Open now through early next year, 1976 – 2026 Nautilus 50th Anniversary is a thematic exhibition that explores the history of the brand’s emblematic sports watch. The exhibit will showcase key references that have defined the trajectory of the Nautilus, which was designed by Gérald Genta and launched in 1976, at a time when the idea of a steel watch was generally thought to be beneath a brand like Patek Philippe. The success of the Nautilus would ultimately validate the brand’s belief that design and craftsmanship could transcend mere material, and helped accelerate Genta’s storied career as a designer. Naturally, the exhibition will feature each of the four 50th anniversary references released this year including the ref. 5610P. Past visitors will observe the exhibit is located on the museum’s top floor, which has been transformed with a temporary 1970s-inspired makeover to give the Nautilus its proper setting. Exhibition details The exhibition is included with general admission to the Patek Philippe Museum, which is open Tuesday through Friday, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The anniversary exhibit is scheduled to run until early 2027. Timed tickets can be purchased online, and advance reservation is recommended.  

Happenings: The Patek Philippe Museum Celebrates 50 Years Of The Nautilus With A Special Museum Exhibition Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Museum Celebrates 50 Years Jun 17, 2026

Happenings: The Patek Philippe Museum Celebrates 50 Years Of The Nautilus With A Special Museum Exhibition

If you have ever been through Geneva but missed visiting the Patek Philippe Museum, you have missed the full horological experience. We should be thankful to the recently departed Mr. Philippe Stern, who passed away earlier this week, for leaving a legacy that extends not just to the work he did at Patek Philippe (of which his family has been caretakers of for generations) but also for providing a beautiful and robust celebration of watchmaking history through the Patek Philippe Museum. The space on Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers houses some of the most historically significant watches, not only from the storied brand's past but also from the broader history of watchmaking in Switzerland and abroad. And from June 2026 to early 2027, the museum is celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of their most important, influential, and coveted models: the Nautilus. Photo courtesy Patek Philippe. I've been to the museum a number of times, and the Nautilus has never taken a particularly prominent place in any display. With hundreds, if not thousands, of Patek Philippe watches on display, many of them unique, many of them complicated or artistically oriented, the Nautilus is truly only a small part of the brand's history. But it's also been the avenue through which the brand has reached its broadest audience, and the watch has made a massive impact on popular culture at large. So it's a watch worth celebrating. Patek is doing so in the way that feels most "them," with a very historically mi...

Obituary: Philippe Stern, Pivotal Leader of Patek Philippe SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Philippe Stern who served Jun 15, 2026

Obituary: Philippe Stern, Pivotal Leader of Patek Philippe

Philippe Stern, who served as general director and later president of Patek Philippe from 1977 to 2009, died yesterday at the age of 88. Under his stewardship, the Geneva manufacture was transformed from a small, workshop-scattered operation into the global benchmark for fine watchmaking, a position it holds to this day. He was the third generation of the Stern family to lead the company. His grandfather Charles, alongside his brother Jean, had acquired Patek Philippe from insolvency in 1932 from their position as the firm’s trusted dial supplier. His father Henri had built the company’s modern international distribution network and established the Henri Stern Watch Agency in New York, laying the commercial foundations on which Philippe would build. Father and son, Henri and Philippe Stern. Image – Patek Philippe Philippe Stern became managing director in 1977, at the height of the quartz crisis. The timing could not have been more demanding. Swiss watch industry employment was collapsing, from roughly 90,000 workers to a fraction of that figure within a few years, as electronic timekeeping rendered the mechanical watch commercially marginal almost overnight. Many established manufacturers collapsed, merged, or abandoned mechanical production entirely. Stern’s response defined his presidency. He kept the tooling, retained his engineers, and committed Patek Philippe irrevocably to mechanical watchmaking at the precise moment the industry consensus ran in the opposit...

Honorary Patek Philippe President Philippe Stern Passes Away: 1938-2026 Hodinkee
Patek Philippe President Philippe Stern Passes Jun 15, 2026

Honorary Patek Philippe President Philippe Stern Passes Away: 1938-2026

Philippe Stern, the visionary executive who led Patek Philippe through the end of the quartz crisis, kept the family company independent and secured its position at the top of Swiss mechanical high horology, died on June 14th at the age of 88. The Geneva-based company announced Philippe Stern's passing in a statement calling the Patek Philippe Honorary President a "pioneering and visionary spirit" who "left an indelible mark on the history of the family manufacture, preserving its independence and establishing its global stature." Philippe Stern. Photo courtesy Patek Philippe. Stern led Patek Philippe as President from 1993 to 2009. During his tenure, he consolidated Patek Philippe's manufacturing at a new flagship manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. He integrated its production capabilities to bring as much as possible in-house. He also oversaw the launch of the Nautilus sport watch in the 1970s, the multi-year project to build the Caliber 89, the most complicated portable mechanical watch at the time, boasting 33 complications. In 2001, he inaugurated the Patek Philippe museum in Geneva, an unparalleled exhibition of not only Patek Philippe but of the entire history of horology. Philippe Stern was born in 1938 into a family already at the center of Swiss watchmaking: his grandfather, Charles Stern, had recently acquired the Patek Philippe manufacture in 1932, and his father, Henri Stern, had just joined the company. After studying economics and commerce, Philippe Ste...

Breaking News: F.P. Journe Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance Achieves $13.9 Million - Becomes Fifth Most Expensive Wristwatch Ever Sold Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Jun 14, 2026

Breaking News: F.P. Journe Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance Achieves $13.9 Million - Becomes Fifth Most Expensive Wristwatch Ever Sold

It felt inevitable. Just over six months after an F.P. Journe narrowly missed joining a certain historic list of wristwatches dominated by Patek Philippe and Rolex with the $10.75 million sale of Francis Ford Coppola's personal FFC at Phillips New York (a record for the brand), one finally reached that rarified air. François-Paul Journe invented it. He made it. The market made it historic. The F.P. Journe Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance no. 007 is now the fifth-most expensive wristwatch ever sold and the third-most expensive watch sold not for charity. Arguably Journe's most important and emblematic model, a confluence of details made this example—which crossed the auction block on Saturday, June 13—the one to own, at least according to bidders. To the tune of almost $14 million, no less. In some ways, it seems the perfect cap to a wild shift in the market where, in less than a year, F.P. Journe has become more closely watched than other previously preferred blue-chip brands and references. And yet, the market is so hot that there were a number of remarkable results from the New York, Geneva, and Hong Kong auctions.  Not for nothing, but a Patek Philippe 5004 is now a $5 million watch, not only blowing out the previous non-charity record ($1.5 million for Michael Ovitz's platinum example, which was sold last fall), but eclipsing the 5004T for OnlyWatch (which sold for $4 million, give or take, back in 2013). And the fresh-to-market pink gold, satin-cased Pate...

In-Depth: Patek Philippe Calibre 89 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Calibre 89 Jun 12, 2026

In-Depth: Patek Philippe Calibre 89

In 1989, Geneva’s storied watchmaker unveiled the most complicated watch ever made – the Patek Philippe Calibre 89. The genesis of the Calibre 89 arguably started almost a century before with a watch made in Besançon, the historical heart of French watchmaking. In 1977, the Association Française des Amateurs d’Horlogerie Ancienne (AFAHA) published the first issue of its journal Horlogerie Ancienne. The watch on the cover was the Leroy 01. The caption on the inside front page read, “Montre Leroy 01, la plus compliquée du monde” – “The most complicated watch in the world”. Inside, on page 15, a short article made the case: the Leroy 01, completed in 1904 by the Parisian firm of Louis Leroy for the Portuguese collector António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro, held a title that no other timepiece had successfully disputed. In Geneva, the claim was noted. The first issue of Horlogerie Ancienne of 1977. Image – SJX composite/AFAHA Two years later, in early June 1979, Philippe Stern was at his desk in Patek Philippe’s offices on the rue du Rhône when Max Studer, the firm’s technical director, came in for what the records describe as a routine meeting. The 150th anniversary of the manufacture was a decade away. Among the ideas being considered to celebrate the occasion was a reproduction of the Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication, the watch Patek had built in 1932, with its twenty-four complications, that had served as the benchmark of mechanical ambition ev...

Recommended Reading: 'Ultimate Collector Watches' From Taschen Offers A Scholarly Approach To Watch Books Hodinkee
Patek Philippe split-second wristwatches Jun 9, 2026

Recommended Reading: 'Ultimate Collector Watches' From Taschen Offers A Scholarly Approach To Watch Books

In two recent conversations, I repeated my frequently used adage: "I can't collect the watches, so I collect the knowledge." This was said when talking to two world-class collectors; one has one of the most complete collections of Patek Philippe split-second wristwatches, and the other has probably the most important collection of Lange, F.P. Journe, and historical watches in the world. Both of them said the same thing, which I'll paraphrase. "I didn't have the money to collect these watches until X years ago, but before that, I was learning." That's why I own a lot of books—even if I probably will never reach those heights—and I'm always looking for more. Knowledge means a lot. Watch books often fall into two categories: either overly esoteric, with a ton of information, or overly broad, without a ton of information but with a lot of nice pictures. I have a bit of each, but I find myself returning to the former most often. You can glean a lot of information from books like AP's "20th Century Complicated Watches" or Patek Philippe's two-volume museum collection tomes, but you only need them once or twice a year. My books on Rolex Day-Dates or Khanjar Daytonas are awesome, but a bit less visited after the first pass. Dr. Helmut Crott's "The Dial" is maybe the most important book on my shelf, but sometimes more information than I want to sit and mindlessly digest. Taschen's new two-volume offering, "Ultimate Collectors Watches" by Charlotte and Peter Fiell, bridges the g...